We have a signature Friday night slate on tap, one that once again features NBA Cup Group Play action and a robust 11 games on the ledger. Even with some noteworthy injuries at play, our player pool is more than sufficient to afford a plethora of options for both tournaments and cash games.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, Nov. 7 @12:00 p.m. ET:
Cleveland Cavaliers (-14) at Washington Wizards (-4.5) (O/U: 241.5)
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic (-3.5) (O/U: 226.5)
Houston Rockets (-3.5) at San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 223.5)
Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks (-2) (O/U: 235.5)
Detroit Pistons (-10.5) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 226.5)
Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks (-4) (O/U: 240.5)
Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves (-12) (O/U: 231.5)
Dallas Mavericks at Memphis Grizzlies (-4.5) (O/U: 232.5)
Charlotte Hornets at Miami Heat (-5) (O/U: 241.5)
Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets (-10) (O/U: 228.5)
Oklahoma City Thunder (-11) at Sacramento Kings (O/U: 233.5)
Although there are five games with double-digit spreads, that still leaves us with six contests projected to be very competitive and therefore potentially conducive to strong DFS production and plenty of minutes for star players. The best game environments might well be the Hornets-Heat and Bulls-Bucks clashes, and some key injuries to star players in the former also open up some appealing value options.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Ball remains out Friday, rookie second-round pick Sion James could draw another start, while the remainder of the starting five could be set for elevated usage.
Anthony Davis, DAL (calf): DOUBTFUL
In Davis' likely ongoing absence, Daniel Gafford should continue be a primary beneficiary, while Cooper Flagg should continue seeing elevated usage.
Bam Adebayo, MIA (toe): OUT
In Adebayo's absence Friday, Kel'El Ware and Nikola Jovic could be main beneficiaries.
Other notable injuries:
Trae Young, ATL (knee): OUT
De'Aaron Fox, SAN (hamstring): OUT
Tyler Herro, MIA (ankle): OUT
Cam Thomas, BKN (hamstring): OUT
Brandon Miller, CHA (shoulder): OUT
Coby White, CHI (calf): OUT
Bilal Coulibaly, WAS (lower leg): OUT
Tobias Harris, DET (ankle): OUT
Kyshawn George, WAS (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Collin Sexton, CHA (neck): PROBABLE
De'Andre Hunter, CLE (illness): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Victor Wembanyama ($12,500), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,000), Cade Cunningham ($10,400) and Anthony Davis ($10,000).
Wembanyama has been under 35 FD points in each of his last two games while dealing with matchup/foul trouble issues, but he naturally carries a ceiling well north of 70 FD points.
Antetokounmpo rang up 38.1 FD points in only 23 minutes against the Raptors last time out Tuesday, and he's averaging 59.8 FD points per contest for the season
After an uneven start to the season, Cunningham has scored 49.6 to 70.2 FD points in four consecutive contests and draws a highly favorable matchup against the Nets on Friday.
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
LaMelo Ball, CHA ($9,500)
If Ball is cleared to return from a two-game absence, he should be very popular at his salary, given his ability to deliver 5x return and higher on his current figure.
Josh Giddey, CHI ($9,400)
Giddey has been stuffing the stat sheet with regularity early this season, and the fact he's scored 56.2 to 63 FD points in his last three games should keep him highly popular Friday.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,400)
Sengun is currently boasting career-best figures in multiple categories and averaging 48.9 FD points per game overall, which should ensure he's highly rostered again Friday.
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($9,200)
Banchero has put up 43.5 to 54.9 FD points in six consecutive games, a level of consistency that should get him into plenty of DFS lineups Friday.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($8,900)
Mitchell's tallies of 52.9 and 63.8 FD points in his last two games and his matchup against a highly vulnerable Wizards defense should make him a very popular choice at his salary Friday.
Key Values
Onyeka Okongwu, ATL vs. TOR ($6,200)
Okongwu moved back to the bench this season with the arrival of Kristaps Porzingis, but that's hardly mattered in terms of his production. The sixth-year big is still putting up a career-best 13.9 points alongside 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest, shooting a career-best 40.7 percent from distance in the process. That's led to an average of 31.0 FD points per contest, a number largely constituted by six tallies of 31.8 FD points or greater. The opposing Raptors make for good targets as well, considering Toronto is allowing the fifth-most FD points per game to centers (59.5), along with the third-higest offensive efficiency rating to the position (40.4).
De'Andre Hunter, CLE at WAS ($5,900)
Hunter is expected to be available for Friday's game despite an illness, and following a one-game absence, he'll look to resume the hot streak he's opened the season on. The veteran wing has scored 36.2 and 38.9 FD points in his last two games, and he's put fewer than 27.2 just once in his first five contests. Hunter has accomplished that level of production despite shooting a career-worst 38.4%, helping make up for that downturn by averaging a career-high 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The opposing Wizards should help facilitate a continuation of his strong play and perhaps even a one-game fix to his shooting woes – Washington is surrendering an Eastern Conference-high 51.3 FD points per game to small forwards, as well as the fourth-most made threes (3.7) per game to the position.
Jaime Jaquez, MIA vs. CHA ($5,400)
Jaquez is one of several Heat players that could see a residual benefit from the absence of Bam Adebayo (toe) on Friday, and the former has already been enjoying a strong start to the season even with the big man available. Jaquez is averaging 32 FD points per game overall, having already eclipsed 40 on three occasions in his first eight games. The talented third-year wing is also shooting an elite 60.9 percent, and he's averaging 37.3 FD points per 36 minutes with both Adebayo and the still-sidelined Tyler Herro (ankle) off the floor. The Hornets are allowing 52.4 percent shooting, including 49.2 percent from three-point range, to small forwards, and the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players (51.5) as well.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jusuf Nurkic, UTA at MIN ($5,700); Tari Eason, HOU at SAN ($5,600); Daniel Gafford, DAL at MEM ($5,400)
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