This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The matchup of the night is MVP (or at least fantasy MVP) candidates James Harden and Anthony Davis facing off in Houston. We also get to see Marc Gasol, who has been amazing, face a Kings defense that just doesn't defend centers. There are a number of other interesting games and value plays, so let's get into the recommendations.
GUARDS
Kyle Lowry, TOR s ATL ($40): Lowry is averaging 23.9 points, 7.4 assists, 4.2 boards, 1.1 steals and only 2.2 turnovers per game over his last nine, and he'll now face a Hawks defense that struggles guarding point guards.
Evan Fournier, ORL vs BKN ($22): Fournier is streaky, but he's in the midst of a hot streak, averaging 23.7 points, 6.7 assists, 1.7 boards and 1.3 combined steals/blocks with a miniscule 0.3 turnovers per game over his last three. On Friday, he faces a Nets squad that's weak guarding wing players.
Guard to Avoid
Isaiah Thomas, BOS vs CHA ($37): Thomas has missed the last several games with a groin injury but is expected to return Friday. Some players return from injury without missing a beat, and Thomas could do that, but he's priced as though he'll come back and have a big game; that doesn't seem like the best value bet of the night.
FORWARDS
Robert Covington, PHI vs LAL ($15): Covington was a strong contributor last season who has struggled this year. However, he has played back-to-back strong games, averaging 21.0 points, 9.5 boards, 2.0 assists and 1.5 combined blocks and steal per outing.
Serge Ibaka, ORL vs BKN ($27): This spot was between Ibaka and Jabari Parker, who has also been playing great lately. But Parker is on the second night of a back-to-back while Ibaka is fresh. Plus, Ibaka is long and athletic with perimeter skills, while the Nets' bigs are either huge and lumbering near the rim or small and scrappy but still lane-bound. Ibaka should be able to get what he wants.
Forward to Avoid
Anthony Davis, NO at HOU ($57): This is a risky prediction because Davis could drop 75 fantasy points on any given night. However, he is a bit more human on the second night of back-to-backs. His scoring average drops 1.7 points, his rebounds by 0.9, his assists by 1.0 and his combined blocks/steals by 0.2 per game. Also, he was rested for the second game of his last back-to-back. He's the highest priced player Friday, where any potential weakness lowers the odds that he's worth the risk.
CENTERS
Marc Gasol, MEM vs SAC ($35): Gasol has been playing at an incredibly high level, averaging 24.3 points, 8.0 boards, 5.0 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.4 steals and only 2.0 turnovers per game, and he'll now face a Kings defense that allows the most fantasy points per game to centers.
Marcin Gortat, WAS vs DET ($23): Gortat always cleans the glass, with double-digit boards in seven of his last eight games. He has turned that into four double-doubles in his last eight, including his last outing when he had 16 points, 12 boards, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Center to Avoid
Nerlens Noel, PHI vs LAL ($22): Noel has only played in a single game this season, for a total of 10 minutes and 23 seconds. He sat out the following game, and though he may play on Friday, he'll also likely have to compete with both Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor for minutes. All in all, he is just not a good play for his price.
