This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.
After a five-game slate Thursday, the NBA is back at full force with a typically robust Friday night schedule. Even with Stephen Curry ruled out and Anthony Davis listed as doubtful, there's still plenty of star power with the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James and James Harden taking the floor. A marquee matchup north of the border between the top teams in each conference headlines the ledger, and Cavaliers-Clippers and Warriors-Trail Blazers showdowns serve as appealing nightcaps out west. With so many options at our disposal, let's try narrowing the field a bit by spotlighting a choice to consider at each price level:
GUARDS
Bradley Beal, WAS at NO ($16,700): If Anthony Davis (ankle) is ultimately ruled out as expected, then Jrue Holiday ($15,700) is also an excellent play at this same pricing tier on the other side of this matchup. Meanwhile, Beal offers considerable savings over top option James Harden ($22,100), and he could well be a lower-owned tournament play than another appealing selection in Damian Lillard ($17,000). Beal already touched up the Pelicans for 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals across 36 minutes in his one prior meeting with them this season, shooting 47.4 percent – including 45.5 percent from three-point range – in that Dec. 19 contest. That degree of success isn't exactly surprising, considering Beal's own talent and the fact New Orleans has allowed the most fantasy points (44.9) to two-guards on the season, including the second most (68.9) over the last five. They're also yielding the highest shooting percentage (46.0) and third-most made three-pointers (3.2) to the position on the campaign, while also sporting the highest pace of play at home (105.4 possessions per game) of any team. With plenty pointing in his favor and tallies of 41.75 to 53.00 fantasy points in six of his last seven games, Beal appears poised to offer a strong fantasy-point-per-dollar return Friday.
DeMar DeRozan, TOR vs. HOU ($13,700): DeRozan's price is appealing in its own right relative to both upside and recent production, as he's scored 32.25 to 56.50 fantasy points in the last seven games, eclipsing the 50-mark twice overall during that stretch. The nine-year veteran is draining an impressive 50.8 percent of his 17.4 shot attempts per game over that span, and he also has a 27-point, six-rebound, five-assist, one-steal effort across 34 minutes on his resume from his one prior meeting with the Rockets this season. Houston has improved its backcourt defense with the addition of Chris Paul, but they still rank just about middle-of-the-pack in fantasy points allowed to two guards (38.2) on the season. In what should be a highly competitive game for all four quarters as the Rockets attempt to extend their win streak to 18, DeRozan should be primed for one his higher-usage games of the season, affording him an excellent opportunity to outpace what is a reasonable cost.
Shaun Livingston, GS at POR ($6,000): The Magic's Mario Hezonja ($8,200) is also an excellent option for those that can afford him in a likely start against the Kings in place of Aaron Gordon (concussion). However, for the truly budget-conscious, Livingston is worth a roll of the dice at bare minimum Friday in what should be a starting assignment in place of Stephen Curry, who's already been declared out with the ankle he rolled Thursday. Livingston has filled in admirably for Curry in the past on multiple occasions, and his Thursday tally – 29.25 fantasy points over 24 minutes against the Spurs – came in what would be considered less than the workload he's likely to see Friday. The Trail Blazers have been stingy against point guards on the season overall, but much more vulnerable lately, as evidenced by the 48.5 fantasy points they've allowed to the position over the last five (as compared to 34.9 on the season). Livingston is capable of checking every box on the stat sheet, and a minutes workload that should hit the upper 20s at minimum should offer him ample opportunity to significantly outproduce his bargain price.
FORWARDS/CENTERS
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. LAL ($17,600): Jokic had three "down" games by his standards recently before exploding for 61.25 fantasy points on the strength of a 36-point, 13-rebound double-double on Wednesday against the Cavs. The breakout big man still posted 27.25 to 31.25 fantasy points in the aforementioned trio of contests, but his scoring was in single digits in all of those games, potentially a byproduct of frontcourt mate Paul Millsap becoming more of a factor with each passing contest since his return. However, in a matchup Friday against the NBA's fastest-paced squad in the Lakers (105.2 possessions per game, including 106.1 over the last three), there should be plenty of opportunity to go around for both players, putting Jokic squarely in play. The Lakers also come in allowing the fourth-most fantasy points (51.1) to centers over the last five, along with the second-most rebounds (15.6) to the position during that span. Their propensity for allowing points in the paint (48.6 per game, second highest in the NBA) could also bode well for the Joker, who's logged close to half his scoring (44.1 percent) in that part of the floor.
Larry Nance, Jr., CLE at LAC ($13,100): Nikola Mirotic ($13,400) is also very much a consideration if Anthony Davis (ankle) is ruled out as expected, but Nance's two-game stint as the starting center in place of Tristan Thompson (ankle) has been a rousing success, as he's scored 47.75 and 42.75 fantasy points against the Pistons and Nuggets, respectively. He's set up well to potentially generate a third straight double-double Friday, considering the Clippers have allowed nearly 12 more fantasy points per game to centers over the last five as compared to their season figure (47.3, up from 34.7), along with a 61.0 percent success rate from the field. Nance is averaging 1.38 points per possession and 1.27 fantasy points per minute over his first two games with the first unit, and he should be in for another workload in excess of 30 minutes during what should be wire-to-wire battle Friday.
P.J. Tucker, HOU at TOR ($6,900): Montrezl Harrell ($10,100) is also very much under consideration at the high end of the affordable tier, but Tucker holds appeal for those that need a few thousand in savings off that price. The veteran continues to draw starts at power forward in place of Ryan Anderson (hip), and with the latter already declared out Friday, the former presents as a solid bargain at his sub-$7K price. While his offensive upside is relatively capped due to the high usage of his other first-unit mates, Tucker has hit or eclipsed 20 fantasy points in two of his last three contests, as well as on two other occasions over his last eight games. Those are above-average returns on his current price, and his matchup against the Raptors isn't unfavorable by any stretch. Toronto comes in allowing 39.9 fantasy points per game to power forwards over the last 10 (up from a 36.8 season figure), and the versatile Tucker doesn't have to do an inordinate amount to justify his current cost.
UTILITY
Kevin Durant, GS at POR ($16,200): The combination of price and expected usage Friday makes Durant one of, if not the top bargain of the night. The All-Star forward sports a 33.5 percent usage rate and averages 1.47 fantasy points per minute with Stephen Curry (ankle) off the floor this season, and the latter is already ruled out for Friday's contest. Durant provided a tangible reminder of his upside without his superstar teammate after Curry played only two minutes against the Spurs on Thursday, as he exploded for 66.75 fantasy points over 38 minutes in the comeback win. What's more, he eviscerated the Trail Blazers in his last meeting with them on Feb. 14 for 72.75 fantasy points on the strength of a season-high 50 points, and Portland already comes in allowing almost eight more fantasy points per contest than their season figure to small forwards over the last 10 games (41.6, as compared to 33.7). In a contest that appears likely to be competitive from opening tip to final buzzer, Durant is primed for another one of his trademark explosions.
Enes Kanter, NY at MIL ($12,800): If you've got the cash, Draymond Green ($14,200) certainly is worthy of attention with Curry out of action as well. Meanwhile, Kanter shapes up as quite the bargain himself, as he's scored 39.75 to 44.50 fantasy points in his last three, and has eclipsed the 30-mark on five other occasions over his last 10 overall. The big man has made double-doubles the norm lately as well, accomplishing the feat in eight of the games during that sample. Kanter has also thrived against the Bucks this season in two prior meetings, as evidenced by his averages of 18.0 points, 17.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 32.0 minutes in those contests. Moreover, Milwaukee is yielding the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (33.2) on the season and has allowed quite a bit of scoring in the paint as well (45.9 per game), while Kanter is averaging 11.4 points in that area of the floor per contest, accounting for a career-high 79.6 percent his scoring overall on the season.
