It’s an early 5:00 Eastern start for the Kings and Magic. DeMarcus Cousins $10300 is back from a one-game suspension, rested and dangerous. Nikola Vucevic $7300 will have easier assignments. Players from that matinee are available only in Early and All-Day contests at DraftKings. Our focus is on the richest DFS offerings that close at 7:00 and span the six evening matchups; there’s also Late action (8:00) on the final three games.
Eventually, Philadelphia will win. A road back-to-back in Miami is not the time or place. Jahlil Okafor $6900 is the only star on the 0-13 Sixers; he’s up against Hassan Whiteside $8300. This could be so easy for Chris Bosh $7500, Dwyane Wade $6500 and Goran Dragic $5200 that Miami can unleash the bench in the second half — Tyler Johnson $3900 and Justice Winslow $4000 are logical plays with Luol Deng $4400 (illness) questionable. After 16 minutes in a close game on Thursday, even Gerald Green $3400 could be unleashed.
Plays of the Day
The Early $40K Sharpshooter is just a $3 buy-in (FREE to new depositors at DK) that pays the top 3,236 finishers from up to 15,332 teams. First place wins $3,000. Enter before the 7:00 ET deadline; you can make unlimited lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
If you’re entering that one, Rudy Gay $7000 (shoulder) is questionable, so Omri Casspi $4500 could start. Rajon Rondo $8800, Marco Belinelli $4100 and Ben McLemore $3300 are also worth considering. For Orlando, Evan Fournier $6600 and Tobias Harris $6100 usually play well and Elfrid Payton $5900 has been much better the last couple of weeks.
John Wall $8600 is the key to our sample lineup (left) and Short List (below.) He always pushes the tempo and the Wizards have enjoyed three off-days since trouncing the Bucks, while the Pistons played a road game last night. Andre Drummond $9900 can dominate vs. Marcin Gortat $5500, but Reggie Jackson $7600 has a difficult matchup at both ends of the court. Much-improved Otto Porter $5800 is a strong play even if Bradley Beal $6900 (shoulder) returns and Garrett Temple $3500 goes back to the bench.
Atlanta at Cleveland is a heavyweight tilt in the East and a healthy, productive LeBron James $10100 will be hard to stop. The contrasting styles of Kevin Love $8100 and Paul Millsap $8200 suggest that both can be successful; Al Horford $7000 will probably see a lot of Tristan Thompson $4800 because Timofey Mozgov (shoulder) is out. With Jeff Teague $7000 (ankle) still questionable, backup Dennis Schroder $5600 remains a value play.
We missed another huge night from Paul George $9700 on Wednesday because we suspected he wouldn’t be needed in Philly. He’s now scored 25+ in eight straight and gets my nod at SF in a tossup with LBJ. George Hill $6000 (illness) might not be 100% ready even if he does return, but Monta Ellis $6300 has picked up the pace in his absence. Lavoy Allen $3500 has C-eligibility and his low cost lets us load up at other positions.
The surprising Knicks and struggling Rockets played elsewhere on Friday, so fatigue may be a factor. James Harden $10200 missed six of seven 3-point attempts in Memphis and Dwight Howard will sit out this back-to-back, so Clint Capela $4700 and Terrence Jones $5700 are the best Houston bigs and Trevor Ariza $5600 the safest daily selection. Everything depends on Carmelo Anthony $8500 for New York, but it helps that Jose Calderon $3600 is playing better recently and the bench is conrtibuting.
The Grizzlies visit San Antonio in another battle of tired teams. The Spurs lost in New Orleans, while our man Mike Conley $6300 scored 26 points and Marc Gasol $7000 triple-doubled — gotta love 11 dimes from a 7-footer. Because it’s so difficult to predict playing time and usage rate for anyone but Kawhi Leonard $8100, I’m looking to other games.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | John Wall $8600 | Mike Conley $6300 | Dennis Schroder $5600 |
| SG | James Harden $10200 | Monta Ellis $6300 | Tyler Johnson $3900 |
| SF | Paul George $9700 | Kawhi Leonard $8100 | Otto Porter $5800 |
| PF | Kevin Love $8100 | Chris Bosh $7500 | Tristan Thompson $4800 |
| C | Andre Drummond $9900 | Al Jefferson $6000 | Lavoy Allen $3500 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.