This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
A 10-game night in The Association lends us plenty of options at every position. An especially interesting matchup to target lies in Philadelphia, as the 76ers face off against the Pistons, who could be without Andre Drummond. We've seen Embiid come up 6.5 fantasy points shy of 100 once before. Could he do it again?
Point Guard
Dennis Smith, DAL vs. CHI ($5,900)
Smith is coming off three straight impressive outings, averaging 35.4 fantasy points against the likes of New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Golden State. His price reflects that, as the last time he was priced at $5,900 (or more) was back on Nov. 27, when he was set to face off against the Spurs.
Though he's struggled to make shots all season (39.3 percent from the field), he's not afraid to pull up from anywhere, as he averages 13.7 field-goal attempts in his 27.8 minutes per game, which comes out to 17.7 attempts per 36 minutes -- a mark that would rank 17th in the league (behind Steph Curry and above LaMarcus Aldridge). That said, recommending Smith in DFS is something I usually reserve for especially favorable matchups, considering his poor field-goal percentage.
Friday's matchup against Chicago is just that. The Bulls come into the game allowing the most fantasy points to point guards over the past 10 games (56.7) -- a mark that's a full 11.0 fantasy points higher than the 15th-ranked team over that stretch (Indiana). Smith has proven to have a high enough ceiling to be worth the gamble at this price as well, having eclipsed 44.0 fantasy points on three different occasions this season (against New Orleans, Washington and Cleveland).
Shooting Guard
Nicolas Batum, CHA at LAL ($6,000)
Batum has had a nice stretch of five games recently, averaging 28.9 fantasy points across 32.2 minutes per game and notably dropping 35.0 fantasy points on Milwaukee. He continues to play his brand of all-around basketball, posting 12.8 points, 5.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game over that stretch. That line doesn't exactly jump off the page, but he's proficient enough in every category to be a quality fantasy option on many nights. Friday happens to be one of those nights, as the Hornets will be facing off against the Lakers, who have given up the most fantasy points to shooting guards over the past 10 outings (58.8) -- 12.3 fantasy points greater than the 15th ranked squad (Sacramento). Though his ceiling hasn't proven to be particularly high this season -- possibly due in part to the elbow injury that caused him to miss the first 12 games of the year -- Batum has eclipsed 30.0 fantasy points in seven of his 23 games played.
Small Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. TOR ($11,000)
Though listed as a small forward on Fanduel, Antetokounmpo lines up as a power forward for the Bucks. That distinction is important here, as the Raptors have given up the ninth-fewest fantasy points to small forwards over the past 10 games, but have allowed the most fantasy points to power forwards (60.7) over the past 10 contests.
After a subpar stretch of five games where Antetokounmpo averaged just 43.7 fantasy points, he bounced back in his most recent matchup against the Pacers, dropping 56.3 fantasy points on the back of 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. The Raptors and Bucks faced off just four days ago in a contest that saw Antetokounmpo manage 47.3 fantasy points. While that's not ideal considering his price, it doesn't scare me off of him for Friday's rematch. That fact remains that the Greek Freak has one of the highest ceilings in the league, and he's eclipsed 60 fantasy points nine times, with a season high of 69.6 Fanduel points.
Power Forward
LaMarcus Aldridge, SAS vs. PHO ($8,700)
Aldridge will check into Friday's contest averaging a solid 41.8 fantasy points over his past six outings, which is nothing unusual for the big man. He's been a consistent source of fantasy production all season, collecting between 38 and 45 fantasy points in 12 of his 38 appearances this season. He's faced off against the Suns -- a team that gives up the 10th-most fantasy points to power forwards over the past 10 games -- twice this season.
In his most recent game, he dropped 42.8 fantasy points in 36 minutes by collecting 20 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two assists. He's proven to have a relatively high ceiling as well, reaching or surpassing 50 fantasy points on four occasions. The return of Kawhi Leonard hasn't negatively impacted his fantasy stock, either, as he's averaged 40.9 fantasy points in the most recent three games the two have played together.
Center
Joel Embiid, PHI vs. DET, ($10,500)
Opposing center Andre Drummond (ribs) is questionable for this matchup. If he's sidelined, I would consider Embiid a virtual must-play, as the Pistons have few legitimate backup center options. While Boban Marjanovic is a big body and would certainly give Embiid a battle in the paint, he's not quick enough to handle Embiid's three-point range and driving ability. In that case, we could see another game like the one Embiid had against the Lakers, where he dropped an absurd 93.5 fantasy points on the back of 46 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks.
If Drummond takes the floor, I think it's safe to avoid Embiid, as he has failed to reach 40 fantasy points in two previous matchups against Detroit. I would even consider shifting to Drummond ($9,500), himself, who has posted 46.3 and 53.2 fantasy points, respectively, in the teams' other two matchups.
