This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA has nine games Friday, several of which shape up to be fantasy friendly. Miami at Brooklyn, Denver at New York, the Lakers at Milwaukee, New Orleans at Minnesota and Chicago at Phoenix all shape up with some really good prospects. The must-watch game of the night is in Minnesota, where former University of Kentucky superstar big men Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns lock horns again.
GUARDS
Goran Dragic, MIA at BKN ($34): Dragic is averaging 22.3 points, 7.6 assists, 4.3 boards, 2.3 treys and 1.6 steals per game over his last eight and now faces a Nets defense that has allowed the most points to point guards this season.
Tim Hardaway Jr., ATL at SAC ($14): Hardaway has averaged 31.1 fantasy points per game over his last six, but his two worst games in that stretch (21.6 and 18.8 fantasy points) came against two elite wing defenses in the Jazz and at Heat, who have allowed the fewest and third-fewest fantasy points per game to shooting guards this season, respectively. In the other four games against non-elite defenses, his average was up to 36.7 fantasy points per game. Next up is a Kings defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to shooting guards this season.
Guard to Avoid
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET vs SA ($21): Caldwell-Pope is a streaky player, and for the last week he has been in a cold streak, averaging about 17 fantasy points per game. It seems unlikely that he will bust his slump against an elite Spurs defense that has allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to shooting guards this season.
FORWARDS
Wilson Chandler, DEN at NY ($26): Chandler averaged 17.8 points, 7.0 boards, 2.5 assists and 2.8 combined steals/blocks per game over his last four, with his one poor outing coming against Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs, while he averaged more than 40 fantasy points per game in the other three. He will now face a Knicks defense that has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points per game to small forwards this season.
James Johnson, MIA at BKN ($24): Johnson has scored more than 30 fantasy points in five of his last seven games. In his last outing against the Bucks, he turned in 20 points, four boards, four assists, two blocks and two steals. On Friday, he has an excellent matchup against a Nets defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to power forwards this season.
Forward to Avoid
LaMarcus Aldridge, SA at DET ($29): Aldridge has failed to score 30 fantasy points in a game this month, and he has not scored 40 since Jan. 23 against the Nets, who have the worst defense in the NBA. He next faces a more challenging defense in a Pistons squad that has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to centers and the 12th-fewest to power forwards this season.
CENTERS
Nikola Jokic, DEN at NY ($38): Jokic was in the "avoid" space in this column last Friday, as he entered the day questionable to play with a hip injury. Instead, he turned in a huge triple-double. His game play and minutes slipped in the two games after that, as he apparently had to work through physical issues, but he had another strong game in his last outing and appears to be ramping up to full strength. He'll now face a Knicks defense that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to centers this season.
Willy Hernangomez, NY vs DEN ($14): Hernangomez is coming off his least-productive game since earning a larger role, turning in only five points, nine rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes against the Clippers on Wednesday. But in the four games before that he had averaged 13.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 29.3 minutes per game. He will try to bounce back on Friday against a Nuggets defense that has allowed the 17th-most fantasy points per game to centers this season.
Center to Avoid
Dwight Howard, ATL at SAC ($27): This spot was between Howard and Miles Turner, neither of whom have been producing up to their averages of late. Howard has produced a bit better than Turner, but Turner also has the excuse of working through an illness. Howard is also a bit more expensive, and facing a tougher matchup against DeMarcus Cousins and a Kings defense that has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to centers over the last 10 games.
