There is a solid nine-game NBA slate for us to compete in on Friday night. High-priced studs in favorable matchups are a little hard to come by on this slate, so it has me taking a look at the next level of players to build around in my cash game lineup. Of course, we need to be constantly checking for injury news and late scratches to help find the value on the slate but there are already a solid mid-priced group of players that will benefit from the information we already have.

Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.

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One Stud

Kemba Walker (PG – CHA): $9,200 vs. NY
As I mentioned in the intro, I’m paying down for my “one stud” of the night. This spot was a tossup between Kemba and Nikola Jokic ($9,400) and I’d love to roster them both if enough value comes into the slate. I’ll give Walker the edge if you can only roster one of them. He has averaged over 55 DraftKings points in his last two games while putting up 28.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists in those two outings. Walker gets a plus matchup against the Knicks who have allowed increased production in points (+9.8%) and assists (+11.4%) to PGs this season and Walker put up 25 points, six rebounds and six assists in their first meeting this season for 50.5 DK points.