It's already been quite the first few days of the new NBA season, and we could be set for more fireworks during the first big Friday night of the campaign, which features 11 games overall on FanDuel's main slate. There are already key injuries to contend with despite it being so early in the season, but the player pool is more than capable of withstanding a few absences.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, Oct. 24 @12:00 p.m. ET:
Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic (-5) (O/U: 235.5)
Boston Celtics at New York Knicks (-3.5) (O/U: 230.5)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-11.5) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 230.5)
San Antonio Spurs (-4) at New Orleans Pelicans (O/U: 233.5)
Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets (-6.5) (O/U: 227.5)
Miami Heat at Memphis Grizzlies (-3) (O/U: 231.5)
Washington Wizards at Dallas Mavericks (-10) (O/U: 228.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-2.5) at Los Angeles Lakers (O/U: 225.5)
Golden State Warriors (-2) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 227.5)
Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings (-5.5) (O/U: 233.5)
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Clippers (-9.5) (O/U: 223.5)
Point spreads actually paint a fairly encouraging picture Friday, as a slate of this size usually has a more expansive selection of lopsided lines. We have plenty of projected close games combined with 227+-point projected totals, which bodes particularly well for DFS purposes. The best combination of both metrics appears to be the Spurs-Pelicans tilt, making it one that could feature high roster rates for multiple players.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Sabonis sits out Friday, Drew Eubanks would be set for a second spot start to open the season.
De'Aaron Fox, SAN (hamstring): OUT
In Fox's ongoing absence Friday, Stephon Castle and Jordan McLaughlin should be direct beneficiaries, while the likes of Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell should be poised for even more usage than usual.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
If Towns were to sit out, the likes of Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges would be primed for big bumps in usage, while Guerschon Yabusele would pick up plenty of extra frontcourt minutes.
Ja Morant, MEM (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Morant is out after a standout performance on Opening Night, Cam Spencer and Javon Small would likely handle most of the point guard minutes, while Jaylen Wells and Jaren Jackson would see significant bumps in usage.
Other notable injuries:
LeBron James, LAL (back): OUT
Tyler Herro, MIA (foot/ankle): OUT
Darius Garland, CLE (toe): OUT
Jalen Green, PHO (hamstring): OUT
Isaiah Collier, UTA (hamstring): OUT
Keegan Murray, SAC (thumb): OUT
Bilal Coulibaly, WAS (hand): OUT
Jeremy Sochan, SAN (wrist): OUT
Josh Hart, NYK (back): QUESTIONABLE
De'Andre Hunter, CLE (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Daniel Gafford, DAL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Yves Missi, NOP (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Moses Moody, GSW (calf): OUT
De'Anthony Melton, GSW (knee): OUT
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Victor Wembanyama ($12,000), Luka Doncic ($11,900), Anthony Davis ($11,000) and Cade Cunningham ($10,200).
Wembanyama opened the season in trademark fashion with 70.1 FD points across 29 minutes versus the Mavericks and will continue to enjoy even more opportunities than usual due to Fox's ongoing absence.
Luka went off for 76.9 FD points against the Warriors on Tuesday in the first of what will be multiple games without LeBron James (back), and his usage is expected to remain similarly elevated each night he takes the floor without his superstar teammate.
Davis struggled some with his shot but still came up with 48.1 FD points in 32 minutes during an Opening Night loss to the Spurs, and he draws a premium frontcourt matchup against the Wizards on Friday.
Cunningham provided 46.4 FD points against the Bulls to open the season Wednesday and boasts an extremely safe floor regardless of matchup.
Go to RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Zion Williamson, NOP ($9,600)
Williamson is healthy for the moment and opened the season with 57.3 FD points against the Grizzlies, while Friday's game environment against the Spurs is expected to be particularly fruitful for DFS production.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,600)
Edwards racked up 41 actual points and 49.9 FD points in the comeback win over the Trail Blazers to open the season, and given the high-profile nature of Friday's matchup vs. the Lakers, he should be very popular.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,500)
Sengun was stellar in the double-OT classic against the Thunder, accruing 67.7 FD points in 48 minutes.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,000)
Mitchell still provided plenty of production in the Cavs' surprising Opening Night loss to the Knicks, tallying 46.9 FD points. With a much softer matchup against the Nets on tap Friday, he should be highly rostered.
Devin Booker, PHO ($8,900)
Booker is back to being the focal point of the Suns' attack and opened the season with 38.5 FD points against the Kings on Opening Night.
Key Values
Norman Powell, MIA at MEM ($6,600)
There will be no shortage of value plays to consider Friday due to the expansive player pool, and Powell certainly qualifies after a dynamic Heat debut where he produced 47.8 FD points across 36 minutes in a tough defensive matchup against the Magic. If that performance is any indication, Powell appears very capable of picking up a lot of the slack while Tyler Herro (foot/ankle) remains sidelined, and his matchup Friday could facilitate a strong encore performance. Memphis may be missing Ja Morant as noted earlier, and the Grizzlies allowed 122 points to New Orleans on Opening Night, partly through 37.0% three-point shooting.
Khris Middleton, WAS at DAL ($5,800)
Middleton looked rejuvenated as the Wizards opened the season against the Bucks, setting the pace for Washington with 23 points while adding six rebounds and three assists on his way to 32.7 FD points. The veteran wing had a solid 24.0% usage rate during the contest as well, and with Bilal Coulibaly (thumb) expected to remain out again Friday, Middleton should be similarly busy against a Mavericks team that was embarrassed by the Spurs in their opening game Wednesday.
Dennis Schroder, SAC vs. UTA ($5,400)
Schroder's run as the Kings' new starting point guard got off to an encouraging start in Sacramento's loss to the Suns on Wednesday, as the veteran supplied 30.7 FD points across 30 minutes on the strength of a well-rounded 14-point, seven-assist, one-rebound, two-steal, one-block night. Schroder could once again operate with Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) on Friday, which would likely lead to a similar or perhaps even higher usage rate than the 23.2% he posted against Phoenix. The opposing Jazz did open the season with a surprisingly easy victory against the Clippers, but a season ago, Utah surrendered an NBA-high 57.2 offensive efficiency rating to backcourt players.
ALSO CONSIDER: Malik Monk, SAC vs. UTA ($6,100); Jerami Grant, POR vs. GSW ($5,700)
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