The NBA is back following an All-Star break that seemed to take forever to end. Thursday night was a nice six-game appetizer to get us ready for the big 10-game main course on Friday night. Speaking of eating, tonight’s “one stud” has been feasting all season and should continue to eat tonight in a matchup that cannot get much better.
As usual, now, I will be picking “One Stud” who is priced over $9,000 on FanDuel as my stud to pay up for on the night. Then for each position, I will give a “Top Play” who comes in under $9,000 and finally a “Value Pick” that is under $6,000. Hit me up on Twitter @Rotopilot if you have any feedback.
As always be sure to watch for late-breaking news before finalizing your lineup. So, with that here are my FanDuel player recommendations for the Friday slate…
NBA DFS FanDuel lineup advice for February 24, 2017
One Stud
Russell Westbrook (OKC) $12,700
Westbrook is an easy call for the top stud to roster on the Friday night slate. While the Thunder made a trade with the Bulls to acquire Taj Gibson and Dougie McDermott and Enes Kanter might return to the court tonight, Westbrook is the constant force that will allow all of the different pieces to fall in line behind him. With a very favorable matchup against the Lakers in a game with the highest Vegas total of the night, look for Westbrook to post yet another triple-double on his way to a big fantasy night.
Point Guards
Top Play: Kyle Lowry (TOR) $8,300
Lowry’s opponent tonight the Celtics may get their defensive stopper, Avery Bradley, back but he may be forced to guard DeMar DeRozan so look for Lowry to thrive against Isaiah Thomas in a close game as the two teams vie for playoff seeding. The Celtics have allowed more points (+1.2%) and rebounds (+5.9%) to opposing PG.
Value Pick: Yogi Ferrell (DAL) $5,500
Yogi should return to the starting lineup for the Mavericks now that they have parted ways with Deron Williams. Look for Ferrell to play about 35 minutes on Friday against the Timberwolves who have allowed more production in points (+1.8%), assists (+6.2%) and steals (+9.9%) to opposing PG. Yogi has averaged over 28 FanDuel points in his seven starts this season.
Other Options: John Wall (WAS) $10,300 / Mike Conley (MEM) $7,500 / Tyler Johnson (MIA) $5,700
Shooting Guards
Top Pick: Bradley Beal (WAS) $7,100
Shooting guard has the usual plethora of mid-range options to choose from. Beal offers a nice combination of value and upside to consider at the position. He has reached 28+ FanDuel points in seven of his last nine games and he gets a favorable matchup with the Sixers who have allowed increased production to opposing SG in points (+3.3%), assists (+9.9) and steals (+39.9%) which give him some upside to reach or exceed 5x his salary.
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Value Pick: Garry Harris (DEN) $5,200
Harris isn’t the most exciting player to roster for your DFS lineup. He accumulates most of his fantasy production from scoring which limits his overall upside. However, Harris has been very consistent as a value cash game option scoring between 18 to 31 FanDuel points in each of his last nine games. Probably not a GPP option but if you need to save some salary in a cash game, Harris could be a good target.
Other Options: DeMar DeRozan (TOR) $8,100 / Dwyane Wade (CHI) $7,900 / Dion Waiters (MIA) $7,300
Small Forwards
Top Pick: Gordon Hayward (UTH) $7,800
Hayward lit up the Bucks at the beginning of February when he went for 44.5 FanDuel points in just 32 minutes in a blowout victory in Utah. He will get to face the Bucks again on Friday in Milwaukee which keep the game close allowing Hayward to play his usual 35 minutes giving him an opportunity to push toward a 50 FD point night against a Bucks defense that has allowed more points (+2.9%) and assists (+1.1%) to opposing SF.
Value Pick: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (BKN) $4,500
Hollis-Jefferson has seen his minutes hover around 20-25 per game this season but with the trade of Bojan Bogdanovic to Washington, Hollis-Jefferson should start to get more minutes at both the SF and PF positions pushing his minutes into the 25-30 range. Combine that with a juicy matchup against the Nuggets who allow huge increase in points (+18.0%), assists (+20.9%) and steals (+21.6) to opposing SF, Hollis-Jefferson should be in a great spot at a low salary.
Other Options: Jimmy Butler (CHI) $9,300 / Otto Porter (WAS) $6,800 / TJ Warren (PHO) $5,000
Power Forwards
Top Pick: LaMarcus Aldridge (SA) $7,300
Aldridge struggled with his fantasy production leading up to the All-Star break which has depressed his salary down to $7,300. Following a week’s rest look for Aldridge to start off the second half of the season strong beginning with a matchup against Blake Griffin and the Clippers who have allowed a slight increase in points, rebounds, assists and steals to opposing PF this season. Aldridge has a solid floor and good upside that make him a good Cash or GPP option.
Value Pick: Bobby Portis (CHI) $4,200
Portis was starting to get playing time just before the All-Star break and produced 28.6 and 23.2 FanDuel points in two of his last three games. Now with Taj Gibson traded to the Thunder, the “Free Bobby Portis” chants can end as he should get at least 25 minutes a night over the rest of the season. Priced at just $4,200, look for Portis to be one of the chalkiest plays on the Friday night slate.
Other Options: Nikola Jokic (DEN) $10,900 / Paul Millsap (ATL) $7,700 / Dario Saric (PHI) $6,200
Centers
Top Pick: Rudy Gobert (UTH) $7,600
If you want a guaranteed 30+ FanDuel points from the center position, then look no further than Gobert. He has posted 10 straight games with at least 30 FanDuel points topped off by a 46.3 FanDuel point night against the Bucks at the beginning of February. Gobert will face the same Bucks team Friday giving him an excellent opportunity to extend his 30+ FD points streak and then some.
Value Pick: Kelly Olynyk (BOS) $4,900
Olynyk saw consistent minutes in the five games leading up to the All-Star break averaging over 27 minutes per game during that stretch. With the Celtics unable to make a splash at the trade deadline look for their rotation to remain the same which puts Olynyk in play for DFS lineups with his low salary. Olynyk averaged 28.9 FanDuel points over his last five games which is over 5x his current salary.
Other Options: Brook Lopez (BKN) $7,700 / Marcin Gortat (WAS) $6,800 / Dewayne Dedmon (SA) $4,400
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