This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Friday's NBA slate features plenty of exciting action, with nine games on tap beginning at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Read on to see which players stand out as the top value plays at their respective prices. FanDuel's format only counts the eight highest scores in your nine-player lineup, so keep that in mind when making your selections.
POINT GUARD
Ben Simmons, PHI vs. ATL ($9,300): Simmons has a massive physical advantage over Hawks point guard Trae Young, as Simmons is 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds to Young's 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. Young's inability to guard opposing point guards is a major contributing factor to Atlanta's league-worst overall defense at 117.2 points allowed per game. Look for Simmons to capitalize on this favorable matchup, just as he did in the first meeting between these two teams when Simmons produced 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists on Oct. 29.
Jeff Teague, MIN vs. DAL ($7,000): Teague hasn't seen his normal allotment of minutes, yet he's still averaging 37.3 fantasy points in just 27 minutes per game over the three contests since returning from an ankle injury. The point guard should start to see his workload climb closer to his season average of 31 minutes here, and a corresponding increase in production is likely to follow.
SHOOTING GUARD
Kevin Huerter, ATL at PHI ($4,900): One of the silver linings to another disappointing season in Atlanta has been Huerter's recent emergence. He's scored in double digits in each of his past five games, climbing as high as 22 points. The rookie out of Maryland has also displayed some nice all-around ability in the past two contests with 9.0 RPG and 5.0 APG. Huerter's averaging a robust 38 minutes of court time during this double-digit scoring streak, so he should get plenty of opportunities to continue it here.
Klay Thompson, GS vs. CHI ($7,900): Thompson's nearly unstoppable when he gets hot from deep, as the Knicks found out the hard way during his 43-point outburst Tuesday. The Bulls are unlikely to fare much better considering they allow 11.5 made 3-pointers per game, which is 11th-most in the league. While he can shoot opponents off the court on offense, Thompson also rounds out his value by hustling on defense by recording at least one steal in six straight games and 13 of 15, in addition to compiling six steals and five blocks over the past three contests.
SMALL FORWARD
Trevor Ariza, WAS vs. MIL ($6,100): Ariza has seen his role expand significantly since getting traded to the Wizards by averaging 13.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 4.0 APG in 37 minutes per game through 12 contests. Those scoring numbers would be even better if Ariza wasn't converting just a paltry 34.1 percent of field-goal attempts overall and 27.5 percent from beyond the arc – considering his career marks are 42.2 and 35.1 percent, respectively. He'll have a nice opportunity to improve his marksmanship from deep here against a Bucks team that's allowing a league-high 13.0 made 3-pointers per game.
Joe Ingles, UTA vs. LAL ($6,000):Donovan Mitchell should take over full-time point guard duties with Ricky Rubio (hamstring), Raul Neto (groin) and Dante Exum (ankle) all sidelined, opening up significant shooting guard minutes for Ingles along with his usual allotment at small forward. Look for the sharpshooting Australian to take advantage of all those minutes against a Lakers team that's allowing 110.8 points per game.
POWER FORWARD
Kyle Kuzma, LAL at UTA ($7,300): It's safe to say Kuzma's back to full health. He scored just 13 points Monday in his return from a two-game absence due to a back injury, then shook off the rust and exploded for a career-high 41 points Wednesday. It's understandable to be hesitant about using a scorer against the stout Jazz defense, but Kuzma's a strong against-the-grain pick as the Lakers' top offensive option while LeBron James continues to sit with a groin injury.
Domantas Sabonis, IND at NY ($7,700): Sabonis is a strong choice against a Knicks team that lacks interior defense regardless of whether fellow big man Myles Turner is able to return from the shoulder injury that's kept him out for the past three games. Over the past eight games – five of which included Turner – Sabonis is averaging 18.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 3.3 APG and has recorded no fewer than 15 points and seven rebounds in every game while dishing out at least three assists in six. He went a perfect 12-12 from the field in Indiana's last trip to Madison Square Garden, so expect another strong performance from the versatile big man.
CENTER
Jusuf Nurkic, POR vs. CHA ($9,000): Nurkic has been limited by foul trouble over the past two games, yet he's still managed to produce 19.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in an average of just 20 minutes. In the three games prior to that, he was dominating with 23.7 PPG, 15.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.7 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest. Nurkic's tremendous per-minute production should allow him to post excellent numbers, especially if he's able to limit his fouls. With Damian Lillard questionable due to an elbow injury, Nurkic could also be asked to carry a greater offensive load than usual.
