Tonight's NBA DFS slate should bring plenty of competitive action, with five games featuring spreads of five points or fewer — and we’ll use that to help structure sturdy FanDuel cash game lineups. After a wonky Thursday slate in which we nailed our DeMar DeRozan pick and Warriors fade advice but wrongly predicted PJ Tucker would be a solid value sleeper, it’s certainly nice to have more games to choose from on Friday. The Toronto-Boston showdown should be an especially fun matchup.
Injury concerns to monitor include Nets power forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Grizzlies power forward JaMychal Green, and Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton. We'll update whether they will go as soon as the news comes out. Kings center Kosta Koufos and Raptors small forward C.J. Miles will not play.
Update: Hollis-Jefferson is out. Green is out. Payton is currently a game-time decision.
Jarrett Allen, who has been ill, is back, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) is out for tonight's game at the #Wizards. #nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) November 16, 2018
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There are clear-cut, upper-end plays tonight, which should make lineup selection easier than it has been in recent slates. Make sure to lock in the obvious big-name players in cash games instead of getting too cute.
As part of our multi-step lineup approach, we used Fantasy Alarm’s premium features to analyze points allowed by position and projected point values. Below are the resulting conclusions of that research.
Tonight's FanDuel NBA DFS picks: Lineup advice, sleepers for Friday, Nov. 16
FAVORITE VALUE — SG Allonzo Trier, Knicks @ Pelicans ($4,500). New Orleans cannot defend wings, allowing 53.6 FanDuel points per contest to shooting guards and 53.4 FD points per contest to small forwards. While the recent return of shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. from injury has lessened Trier’s hype, Trier still played 32 minutes off the bench against Oklahoma City on Wednesday and will start Friday. As a result, we expect him to provide solid numbers across the board in a high-scoring game.
STUD TO STICK WITH — PG Kyrie Irving, Celtics vs. Raptors ($8,500). We also like Giannis Antetokounmpo in this spot, but Irving gets the edge for playing in a game that likely won’t be decided by a 20-point margin. Irving has surpassed 40 FD points in four of six November matchups, giving him a reliable floor, and he is well-positioned to explode in a marquee home game.
STAR TO AVOID — Joel Embiid, 76ers vs. Jazz ($10,900). Embiid has been a must-own option over the past week, consistently hitting his value despite his rising FanDuel price. However, we think his price expectations have become too high to meet. Even a typical Embiid performance might not be enough to reach five times his Friday pricing, as he would need 54.5 FD points. Plus, Embiid will be defended by Rudy Gobert. Stay away from this pick in cash contests.
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME — C Enes Kanter, Knicks @ Pelicans ($6,000). Like Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, Kanter has been an elite box-score stuffer relative to his on-court talent this year, regularly racking up FanDuel points even as the Knicks lose games. Kanter averages 32.8 FD points per contest, though he has done most of his damage against lesser opponents. Whether you view the Pelicans as vulnerable despite limiting centers to 32.6 FD points per game should determine whether you play Kanter at a lower-than-usual price. His upside is being one of the top value choices of this slate.