This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA has nine games on tap for Friday night, several of which shape up to be fantasy friendly. Indiana at Brooklyn, the Lakers at Boston, Chicago at Houston, Milwaukee at Denver and Phoenix at Sacramento all look like interesting matchups on paper where either one or both teams have weaker defenses. As always, potential injuries can derail your team if you don't catch them before tip, so check on all your players when lineups are announced.
GUARDS
D'Angelo Russell, LAL at BOS ($24): Russell has returned from his injury absence with a bang, setting a career-high with 10 assists Tuesday only to break that with 11 on Thursday. He is averaging 45 fantasy points per game over those two outings, well above his current price. He faces Isaiah Thomas on Friday, who has the distinction of being the worst defensive player in the league, which has led to the Celtics to allow the sixth-most fantasy points to point guards despite an overall defensive unit that's strong.
Devin Booker, PHO at SAC ($28): Booker has been very consistent of late, scoring between 30.5 and 37.4 fantasy points in each of his last eight games. Meanwhile, the Kings allow the fourth-most fantasy points per game to shooting guards this season.
Guard to Avoid
DeMar DeRozan, TOR at ORL ($42): DeRozan is a game-time decision to play Friday because of a sprained ankle that has kept him out of the last two games. His price is high enough that uncertainty about health makes him worth avoiding, especially since the two guards with price most similar to him, Kyle Lowry and Eric Bledsoe, are both averaging more than 45 fantasy points per game over their last four while DeRozan hadn't scored more than 38.4 over that span.
FORWARDS
Jae Crowder, BOS vs LAL ($25): Crowder has been consistently productive for weeks, averaging 18.5 points, 6.8 boards, 2.1 assists, 3.1 treys and 1.2 combined steals/blocks per game over his last 11. Next up is a Lakers defense that gives up the third-most fantasy points per game to small forwards.
Wilson Chandler, DEN vs MIL ($22): Chandler has been somewhat volatile of late, scoring as few as 10.6 fantasy points or as many as 52.8 all within the last three games. However, he showed earlier this season that when he's called upon he can produce big numbers. Danilo Gallinari is out Friday, which gives Chandler a good chance to produce against a Bucks defense that allows the fourth-most fantasy points per game to forwards.
Forward to Avoid
Julius Randle, LAL at BOS ($28): Randle returned from his pneumonia absence Thursday, but he was only able to play 5:35 and score 3.4 fantasy points. The Friday game is a back-to-back, and there has been nothing to suggest that he's physically recovered enough to play near full strength.
CENTERS
Andre Drummond, DET vs MIN ($32): Drummond has a history of playing well against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves. He's just too big, physical and athletic for the Wolves to keep him from where he wants to go in the paint. In his last meeting with the Timberwolves earlier this season, Drummond had 22 points, 22 rebounds and a blocked shot in only 28 minutes.
Clint Capela, HOU vs CHI ($17): Capela has been playing well in limited minutes for the last couple of weeks, but on Thursday he played over 30 for the first time since Nov. 27 and responded with 22 points and nine rebounds against Dwight Howard and the Hawks.
Center to Avoid
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs MIL ($36): Jokic is listed as questionable because of the hip injury that has kept him out of the last three games. Even if he does play, it has not been announced whether he may have minutes restrictions or rust to play through. Finally, the seven centers priced just less than him are all healthy, productive and many have good matchups that make them safer picks than Jokic.
