This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Friday is a chaotic slate as we have a vast injury report with numerous question marks yet to be answered. That has us taking some guesses going in, but we're hopeful this article will clear some things up. With that in mind, let's get into it.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, 3/21 at 8:30 p.m. EDT:
Oklahoma City Thunder (-15) at Toronto Raptors (O/U: 228)
Boston Celtics (-12.5) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 224)
Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs (-6) (O/U: 219)
*New Orleans Pelicans at Miami Heat (-1.5) (O/U: 209)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Minnesota Timberwolves (-5,5) (O/U: 211)
Los Angeles Clippers (-13) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 218.5)
Indiana Pacers at Golden State Warriors (-4.5) (O/U: 237)
Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers (-9) (O/U: 226.5)
*denotes team on the second night of back-to-back set
We're winding down to the final weeks of the year, and that always leads to some lopsided games. When contenders play tanking teams, we see these massive double-digit spreads. We have three of those here, but we still have four that are expected to be competitive.
When examining the totals, there's one matchup that truly stands out. The Golden State-Indiana total is nearly 10 points higher than any other, which is particularly attractive since that's projected to be one of the closest battles. That should lead to a fantasy-friendly environment, with OKC-Toronto and Philly-LA also looking tasty.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Look out for the Boston Celtics! They've listed Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford on the injury report. That's due to the fact they play the first end of a back-to-back set and we expect all of them to only play one of the two games while sitting the other. And we won't know who that is until close to tipoff.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team we also need to monitor. We know Karl-Anthony Towns is out, but Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid are all questionable. Edwards looks likely to suit up, though Gobert and Reid are true game-time decisions.
Other notable injuries:
Immanuel Quickley/RJ Barrett, TOR (personal) OUT
Donovan Mitchell, CLE (nose) OUT
Evan Mobley, CLE (knee) OUT
Bam Adebayo, MIA (back) Questionable
Desmond Bane, MEM (back) Doubtful
Vince Williams, MEM (knee) Doubtful
Tyler Herro, MIA (knee) OUT
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate -- Victor Wembanyama ($11,300), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,200), Anthony Edwards ($10,200) and Jayson Tatum ($10,100).
This is the first time I can remember seeing Wembanyama as the highest-salaried player on a large slate, but that might be the norm for the next decade. The rookie is averaging nearly 60 FD points since having his minutes restriction lifted and will remain at five-figures for a long time.
SGA is also averaging 54 FD and has established a 40-point floor as OKC's primary playmaker.
Edwards and Tatum are both questionable, though the former is one of the best options on the board with how shorthanded Minnesota is right now. He's also produced at least 53 fantasy points in five straight fixtures in this expanded role.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Chet Holmgren, OKC ($8,300)
Holmgren is going to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting, but he's a stud averaging nearly 40 FD while dropping 66 and 49 in his two most recent outings. That's bad news for Toronto, who are ranked 28th in total defense since the All-Star break.
Darius Garland, CLE ($7,600)
With Mitchell out again, Garland should be heavily rostered as Cleveland's primary playmaker. He's averaging nearly 40 FD in this enhanced position.
GG Jackson, MEM ($6,600)
The youngest player in the NBA has been thriving since the Grizzlies started tanking. They're expected to be without Desmond Bane, Ja Morant, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, allowing GG to average 35 FD across his last six appearances.
Payton Pritchard, BOS ($4,900)
Boston has the top seed in the East locked up, and it's allowed them to rest players throughout the second half. That load management has led to Pritchard taking on a prominent role with at least 30 fantasy points in three straight. He's one of the only Celtics not on the injury report and could be rostered heavily if some of those players sit.
Key Values
Tre Jones, SAS vs. MEM ($6,000)
Jones has been sitting around $6K most of the season, and it's hard to understand why he's so affordable. The Spurs' PG has been averaging over 30 FD since the promotion into the starting lineup while providing a 25-point floor. Jones also has at least 34 FD from three of his last four fixtures and shouldn't have any issues against a Memphis team missing the majority of their rotation. He managed at least 31 fantasy points in all three starts against them last year, which translates to an average just under 40.
Bruce Brown, TOR vs. OKC ($5,400)
This Raptors roster has been rocked. Trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby was the beginning of the end, but they're also missing Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Barrett, and Quickley. That leaves Brown as one of the only players left, and Toronto said he's going to be one of their primary ball-handlers going forward. That means he could log 35-40 minutes as the primary playmaker and was previously a $7K player in that type of role. If you look at the 15 games where Brown has received over 32 minutes, he's averaging 33 FD.
Luka Garza, MIN vs. CLE ($4,200)
This is only recommended if Gobert and Reid both get ruled out. That leaves this roster with no centers since KAT is also sidelined, which forced Garza into a 22-minute role during Minnesota's most recent matchup. He posted 27 FD in that spot and would have to log 25 minutes to oppose Jarrett Allen if Reid and Gobert are sidelined again. With that being said, there's no reason to use Garza if either of the other two end up playing.
