This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Friday's NBA slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time and features eight games. Thursday's trade deadline shook up some rosters while creating extended opportunities for certain players, while other guys stand out as strong value plays in this slate irrespective of Thursday's moves. 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
Reggie Jackson, DET vs. NY ($6,800): Jackson has stepped things up recently, averaging 36.2 fantasy points over his past five games. With the Pistons depleting their wing depth at the deadline, Jackson could see some extra run in potential two-point guard lineups. Even if he just plays his normal allotment of minutes, Jackson should have no problem building on his recent momentum against a hapless Knicks team that's dropped its last 14 games.
Jamal Murray, DEN at PHI ($6,700): Murray's price is likely to start climbing from its current $6,700 mark now that he's shown himself to be fully healthy after missing six games with an ankle injury. The deep Nuggets were able to wait until he was 100 percent before bringing their point guard back into the fold, so Murray hit the ground running with 40.1 fantasy points in his return Wednesday. Grab him at this valuation while you can.
SHOOTING GUARD
Buddy Hield, SAC vs. MIA ($6,500): Hield's averaging career bests across the board this season with 20.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 2.4 APG. He's been even better of late, producing 21.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.2 APG over the past nine games. Look for Hield to build off that recent improvement against a Heat team that's won only four of its last 11 games, with three of those wins coming against the Bulls, Cavaliers and Knicks.
Jrue Holiday, NO vs. MIN ($9,400): Holiday has recently been carrying more of the offensive load for the injury-riddled Pelicans, eclipsing his season average of 43.1 fantasy points in 10 of his past 13 games. While Anthony Davis' scheduled return from his finger injury will likely cut into Holiday's scoring, the well-rounded guard should compensate with a higher assist total, as he should continue to handle the ball on the majority of possessions with Elfrid Payton still sidelined by an ankle injury.
SMALL FORWARD
Trevor Ariza, WAS vs. CLE ($6,200): With Otto Porter now plying his trade in Chicago, Ariza could see an even greater bump in playing time from the 37 minutes he's averaged since coming over to the Wizards in an earlier trade. He's already posting 14.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 4.3 APG for Washington despite shooting just 38.5 percent, and the veteran small forward's strong involvement in his team's offense is likely to pay greater dividends than usual against the 11-43 Cavaliers.
Kevin Knox, NY at DET ($5,000): Knox may not be efficient, but he's getting all the opportunities he can handle on a tanking Knicks team. The rookie first-rounder has poured in 17.0 PPG to go with 4.4 RPG in 34 minutes per game over the past five, and his role in the offense should only increase moving forward. There may not be much to like about the Knicks as presently constructed, but Knox offers solid upside at $5,000.
POWER FORWARD
Dario Saric, MIN at NO ($3,700): Saric is finally getting his game back together, having posted 19.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 3.0 APG in the past two contests. The 24-year-old Croatian averaged 14.6 PPG and 6.7 RPG with the 76ers last season, so he's much better than a $3,700 player when he's right. Pounce on this deal while you can, especially against a Pelicans team that's surrendering 114.9 points per game.
Josh Jackson, PHO vs. GS ($6,900): Jackson has stepped up dramatically as a scorer over the past three games while also rounding out his game with sizable contributions in other categories. With T.J. Warren (ankle) already ruled out and Devin Booker (hamstring) in danger of sitting for a second consecutive game, the sizzling Jackson will have a nice opportunity to build on the 25.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.7 APG and 3.0 steals he's averaged over this stretch. While things are unlikely to go well for the overmatched Suns, Jackson should provide DFS owners with another strong individual performance.
CENTER
Joel Embiid, PHI vs. DEN ($11,900): Embiid missed the Jan. 26 meeting between these teams in Denver, but that represents his lone absence over the past seven games – and he's averaged 59.1 fantasy points over the other six. While the 76ers will be eager to try out new toy Tobias Harris, the forward's presence is unlikely to negatively impact Embiid's production given Harris' ability to stretch the floor. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's likely to emphasize the center on offense here in order to get opposing center Nikola Jokic into foul trouble or to at least get him to expend extra energy on the defensive end.
