It’s Friday night and we have a nine-game slate over on DraftKings tonight. There are several high totals and pace up spots on tonight’s slate, while seven players are priced over $9,000. DraftKings has tightened up the pricing on a few of the superstar players in great matchups tonight, so constructing a roster with players like Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook might prove to be difficult. Due to that, I am planning to construct a roster without either of these players in large field tournaments.
With this in mind, I have focused on identifying my two favorite plays, regardless of price, at each position that can give us an edge in tournaments on tonight’s slate.
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Guards
Stephen Curry (GSW): $10,600 at SAC
The Warriors players are obviously in a great spot against the Kings tonight but DraftKings has priced each of them accordingly. With that being said, I still plan on building around Curry in my tournament lineups. He is coming off a down game against the Jazz on Tuesday but the Kings are ranked 29th in defensive efficiency rating this season and De’Aaron Fox is ranked 96th out of 98 in DRPM at the PG position. Prior to Curry’s subpar game against the Jazz, he averaged 58.25 DK points over a three-game stretch while averaging 35.3 real points. If the Kings can keep this game somewhat competitive, Curry is a safe bet for 50+ DK points.
It’s Friday night and we have a nine-game slate over on DraftKings tonight. There are several high totals and pace up spots on tonight’s slate, while seven players are priced over $9,000. DraftKings has tightened up the pricing on a few of the superstar players in great matchups tonight, so constructing a roster with players like Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook might prove to be difficult. Due to that, I am planning to construct a roster without either of these players in large field tournaments.
With this in mind, I have focused on identifying my two favorite plays, regardless of price, at each position that can give us an edge in tournaments on tonight’s slate.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Guards
Stephen Curry (GSW): $10,600 at SAC
The Warriors players are obviously in a great spot against the Kings tonight but DraftKings has priced each of them accordingly. With that being said, I still plan on building around Curry in my tournament lineups. He is coming off a down game against the Jazz on Tuesday but the Kings are ranked 29th in defensive efficiency rating this season and De’Aaron Fox is ranked 96th out of 98 in DRPM at the PG position. Prior to Curry’s subpar game against the Jazz, he averaged 58.25 DK points over a three-game stretch while averaging 35.3 real points. If the Kings can keep this game somewhat competitive, Curry is a safe bet for 50+ DK points.
Jrue Holiday (NOP): $7,700 at OKC
Tonight, the Pelicans go up against the Thunder in a game that features a 219.0 total. Holiday’s price is steep, but the bump has been warranted due to Demarcus Cousins’ season ending achilles injury. In 205.5 minutes without Cousins on the court this season, Holiday has a 26.9% usage rate and averages 1.33 DK points per minute. Additionally, Terrance Ferguson is a major downgrade on the defensive end for the Thunder, ranking 85th out 105 SGs in defensive real plus-minus (DRPM). Holiday has put up an average of 42.1 DK points in the two games since Cousins went down and his elevated price tag might make people think twice before rostering him in tournaments.
Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): $10,800 vs. NYK
The Knicks are a middle of the road opponent to face (15th in defensive efficiency rating) but the Greek Freak has been on a tear over the past week. In his last four games since returning from a knee injury, Antetokounmpo has averaged 59.8 DK points per game while contributing in every category. The Knicks are ranked 15th in DK points allowed to PFs this season but they will struggle to defend Giannis tonight. While Kristaps Porzinigis is a solid individual defender (22nd in DRPM at PF), the Knicks often fail to contain big players who get into the paint and Antetokounmpo has had success against them in the past.
Jayson Tatum (BOS): $5,900 vs. ATL
Over the past four games, Tatum has delivered performances ranging from 11.75 DK points to 38.5 DK points. His price and volatility are definitely a concern, but Tatum is still interesting in tournaments. The Hawks rank dead last in DK points allowed to SFs this season and Taurean Prince ranks 66th out of 85 SFs in DRPM. Tatum typically goes low owned in large field GPPs and he has flashed a 40 DK point ceiling multiple times this season. He is a strong tournament option at the forward position.
Centers
Enes Kanter (NYK): $6,900 at MIL
Kanter has been in phenomenal form over the past three games, averaging 44.8 DK points while pulling down 15.7 rebounds per game. Tonight’s matchup against the Bucks is very favorable, as they rank 24th in DK points allowed to centers and 26th in defensive rebounding percentage. The greatest concern with Kanter tends to be his minutes, but he has actually averaged 27.8 minutes played over the past eight games. With Kanter’s recent form and safe minutes floor, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him put up another 15+ rebound performance in a fantastic matchup against the Bucks.
Julius Randle (LAL): $6,700 at BKN
After struggling to lock down minutes earlier in the season, Randle finally has a consistent role in the Lakers rotation. Randle has averaged 28.4 minutes over the past five games while putting up 36.9 DK points per game. Tonight, he gets one of the best matchups in the league as the Nets are last in DK points allowed to centers and rank sixth in the NBA in pace. Brook Lopez has been a disappearing part of the Lakers rotation and, while he gets to go back to Brooklyn to face the Nets, he should struggle to stay on the floor due to the pace of this game. Randle has secure minutes and his price tag is very exploitable based on the upside he brings.
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Jay Brancato is an NBA fantasy contributor for FantasyPros. You can follow him on Twitter @jay_brancato.
