This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
It's another typical Friday night in the NBA, with a massive 12-game slate on tap. With such a deep player pool, even the several big-name injuries hanging over the ledger aren't enough to really put a significant dent in our options. From a DFS perspective, it's not only a terrific opportunity to take some swings on the many enticing tournaments for the full 12-game schedule, but to also consider some of the smaller sub-slates that involve a different strategic component when building lineups due to the lower amount of games.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, 11/15 @11:30 a.m. EST:
Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic (-2) (O/U: 209.5)
Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers (-4.5) (O/U: 228.5)
Detroit Pistons (-1.5) at Toronto Raptors (O/U: 224.5)
Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks (-9.5) (O/U: 241.5)
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers (-10) (O/U: 237.5)
Los Angeles Lakers (-3.5) at San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 227.0)
Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks (-9.5) (O/U: 215.5)
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder (-8) (O/U: 228.0)
Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets (-5) (O/U: 214.5)
Denver Nuggets (-4.5) at New Orleans Pelicans (O/U: 220.5)
Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors (-7.5) (O/U: 235.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-1.5) at Sacramento Kings (O/U: 221.5)
As is to be expected, a slate the size of Friday's offers a bit of everything from a betting perspective. However, it's encouraging to see that the overwhelming majority of games are projected to be competitive, considering there's just a sole game with a double-digit spread as of midday Friday. Injuries are also playing a part in keeping certain lines more modest than they might otherwise be.
In terms of totals, the night more or less projects to be right down the middle in terms of defense-centric and high-scoring games. There are exactly six games with projected totals that could be considered elevated (227 points and higher), including three over 235 points. The rest have figures that aren't as appealing, but there's only one, the 76ers-Magic tilt that will be missing both Tyrese Maxey and Paolo Banchero, that's under 210 points.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Nikola Jokic, DEN (personal): QUESTIONABLE
If Jokic were to sit out, there would be a significant amount of usage available to be absorbed by the rest of the starting five, while Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan would likely handle center duties.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Towns isn't able to play, Jericho Sims will likely draw a start at center while the rest of the first unit sees an increase in opportunity.
Ja Morant, MEM (hip): OUT
In Morant's absence, Scotty Pippen should continue handling starting point guard duties.
DeMar DeRozan, SAC (back): DOUBTFUL
In DeRozan's likely absence, Doug McDermott may enter the starting five at small forward.
Desmond Bane, MEM (oblique): QUESTIONABLE
If Bane remains out, Vince Williams or Santi Aldama may handle starting small forward duties.
Bradley Beal, PHO (calf): OUT
In Beal's absence, Royce O'Neale is likely to remain in the starting five at small forward.
Jimmy Butler, MIA (ankle): OUT
In Butler's absence, the likes of Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro could see more opportunities, and Jaime Jaquez might be set to enter the starting five at small forward.
Immanuel Quickley, TOR (elbow): OUT
With Quickley out, Davion Mitchell is likely to serve as the starting point guard.
Other notable injuries:
Tyrese Maxey, PHI (hamstring): OUT
Kawhi Leonard, LAC (knee): OUT
Paolo Banchero, ORL (oblique): OUT
Kelly Olynyk, TOR (back): OUT
Wendell Carter, ORL (foot): OUT
Bojan Bogdanovic, ATL (hamstring): OUT
Jaden Ivey, DET (toe): QUESTIONABLE
Nic Claxton, BKN (back): QUESTIONABLE
Andre Drummond, PHI (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Jusuf Nurkic, PHO (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Jarrett Allen, CLE (leg): PROBABLE
Evan Mobley, CLE (illness): PROBABLE
Jalen Brunson, NYK (ankle): PROBABLE
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have six players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,500), Victor Wembanyama ($11,800), Anthony Davis ($11,000), Joel Embiid ($10,900), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800) and LeBron James ($10,200).
If Jokic plays through his questionable tag, he'll be looking to build on the season-high 86.1 FD points he posted against Dallas in his last game Sunday, his eighth tally of greater than 60 FD points in 10 games.
Wembanyama is coming off tallies of 68.8 and 71.2 FD points in his last two games, performances that have vaulted his average to 50.5 FD points per game for the season.
Davis continues to exhibit a floor of 40 FD points and has an intriguing matchup down low against Wembanyama.
Embiid doesn't carry an injury designation after being given Wednesday's game against the Cavs off for rest. His elevated salary presents somewhat of a risk considering he's only played one game so far this season and may not see much of a boost over the 26 minutes he logged in that first contest.
SGA has picked it up significantly over the last two games after a more modest start to the season, posting 82.1 and 52.5 FD points in those contests while averaging 23 shot attempts per game.
LeBron has scored over 60 FD points in two of his last three games and at least 51.1 in six consecutive contests overall.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,600)
Sabonis will be taking the floor without DeMar DeRozan and has a ceiling north of 50 FD points, which should keep him popular on the big slate.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,500)
Assuming Towns is announced as available, he should be in plenty of lineups at his salary after recording between 50.7 and 67.5 FD points in three of his last five games.
Cade Cunningham, DET ($9,500)
Cunningham went off for a season-high 68.9 FD points in his most recent game Wednesday and has at least 41.9 in six straight contests.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,400)
Young doesn't carry an injury designation after missing Wednesday's game against the Celtics and is averaging 46.1 FD points per contest for the season.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC ($8,500)
Fox recorded a season-high 57.2 FD points Wednesday against the Suns with DeRozan missing the second half, and he's expected to take the floor without his teammate Friday.
Key Values
Tari Eason, HOU vs. LAC ($6,200)
Eason appears set to take the next step in his development this season, already averaging career highs in points (12.2), assists (1.3), steals (1.8) and blocks (1.2) while shooting a career-best 55.0 percent, including 36.4 percent from three-point range. The 2022 first-round pick is coming off the bench, but with a true shooting percentage of 61.4 and 12.6 total rebound percentage among his secondary metrics, Eason is making the most of his time on the floor. The talented wing has scored 33.2 to 39.5 FD points in his last three games and already has a tally of 57.5 this season, excellent upside for his current salary. The Clippers have struggled against small forwards as well, allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to the threes (27.8), along with league-high 53.4 percent shooting to the position.
Jared McCain, PHI at ORL ($6,200)
McCain drew a start Wednesday against the Cavs at shooting guard Wednesday and responded with 54.4 FD points on the strength of a 34-point, 10-assist double-double. The rookie first-round pick took a whopping 26 shots in that contest, and he'd also recorded 23.2 to 32.6 FD points in his three prior games. McCain is likely to remain on the first unit Friday, making him a high-upside value proposition given his expected minutes and usage. The Magic are a tough defensive team overall, but it's worth noting Orlando is allowing 41.9 percent three-point shooting to two-guards.
Jalen Duren, DET at TOR ($6,100)
Duren is averaging a solid 26.6 FD points per game on the season, and he already has six tallies of over 32 FD points in 11 games. The 2022 first-round pick has posted a quartet of double-doubles as well, and Friday, he draws one of the most appealing matchups for centers in the league. Toronto is surrendering the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to fives (38.7), as well as a league-high 67.8 FD points per contest to the position. The Raptors are also conceding the fifth-most points in the paint per game (52.3), an area of the floor where a career-high 83.1 percent of Duren's points are emanating from this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Carlton Carrington, WAS at ATL ($6,100); Jonas Valanciunas, WAS at ATL ($5,900); Trey Murphy, NOP vs. DEN ($5,700); Yves Missi, NOP vs. DEN ($5,200)
