This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The pendulum swings back to a big slate Friday night as the NBA's exciting opening week continues with 11 games on the docket. As customary with a slate of this size, we'll have no shortage of options in our player pool and will be well insulated from injuries heavily narrowing our choices.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Although there are indeed 11 games set to be played Friday, we surprisingly have only two, the Mavericks-Nets and Warriors-Kings clashes, that have projected totals of greater than 230 points on FanDuel Sportsbook as of Friday morning.
However, we also have just one game with a spread above six points and plenty of contests with projected totals in the high 220s, which still bodes very well for the chances of competitive, fantasy-rewarding games and big individual performances.
We're also very light on noteworthy short-term injuries, so the flexibility will certainly be there at every position when building rosters.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Darius Garland, CLE (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Garland - who played through the same injury in the Cavs' season opener - can't suit up Friday, Donovan Mitchell could potentially slide over to point guard and Caris LeVert could enter the starting lineup at two-guard.
Nic Claxton, BKN (ankle): OUT
In Claxton's absence, Day'Ron Sharpe is likely to start at center while Cameron Johnson could see a bump in rebounding opportunities at power forward.
Jarrett Allen, CLE (ankle): OUT
With Allen out for a second straight game to open the season, Evan Mobley may move over to center while Damian Jones could get some extra minutes off the bench.
Other notable injuries:
Anfernee Simons, POR (thumb): PROBABLE
Caleb Martin, MIA (knee): PROBABLE
Santi Aldama, MEM (ankle): OUT
Josh Richardson, MIA (foot): OUT
Trey Lyles, SAC (calf): OUT
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Luka Doncic ($12,300), Nikola Jokic ($12,100), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,400), Jayson Tatum ($11,200) and Donovan Mitchell ($10,000).
Doncic went into the opener dealing with a calf strain, but he didn't experience any issues as he posted a signature triple-double that netted 65.6 FD points across 34 minutes. He'll be an integral part of one of the two games with projected totals north of 230 points, adding to his already massive appeal.
Jokic hit the floor running against the Lakers on Tuesday with 65.1 FD points on the strength of a 29-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. He'll now draw a favorable matchup down low against a Grizzlies team that has Xavier Tillman and not Steven Adams (knee-OFS) patrolling the paint.
Gilgeous-Alexander unsurprisingly spearheaded the Thunder during their big season-opening win over the Bulls by posting 60 FD points via a 30-point, 10-assist performance. Although the matchup for backcourt players against the Cavs is typically difficult, the dynamic guard has proven capable of transcending such obstacles numerous times.
Tatum appeared to be in midseason form in the Celtics' season-opening victory over the Knicks on Wednesday when he generated 58.2 FD points in 34 minutes while working well with new additions Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. He should be worth the investment again Friday versus a Heat squad he's had some big games against previously.
Mitchell could potentially be handling point guard duties if Garland (hamstring) misses, and he opened the season in fine form out of his usual shooting guard spot with 57 FD points over 36 minutes on the strength of an 11-for-21 shooting performance, which included a 4-for-10 tally from distance, against the Nets on Wednesday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,900)
Sabonis started the season with 49.9 FD points in only 32 minutes against the Jazz and should be in plenty of lineups Friday in the game with the highest-projected total versus the Warriors.
Jimmy Butler, MIA ($9,800)
Butler is the most important cog in the Heat's engine and should be in for a heavy workload against the Celtics after opening the season with 46.6 FD points over 34 minutes against the Pistons on Wednesday.
Stephen Curry, GSW ($9,600)
Curry wasn't at his most efficient from distance against the Suns on Wednesday and finished with a solid but disappointing 35.5 FD points, but both his name value and the expected game environment with the Suns should keep him very popular.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,500)
Young and several other Hawks struggled in their opener versus the Hornets, but the star guard still finished with a respectable 35.7 FD points. He should be in plenty of lineups Friday against his old nemesis, the Knicks.
Desmond Bane, MEM ($9,000)
Bane arguably carries upside befitting a higher salary at the moment while the Grizzlies open the season without Ja Morant (suspension), and he provided evidence of such by racking up 51.5 FD points over 36 minutes in Memphis' season opener against the Pelicans on Wednesday.
Key Values
P.J. Washington, CHA vs. DET ($6,600)
Washington was one of the stars of the Hornets' season-opening win over the Hawks, posting 33 FD points across 31 minutes while shooting a blistering 12-for-18 from the field. The usage was especially heartening, and Washington should continue to benefit from having a talented facilitator like LaMelo Ball back in the lineup. Friday, he'll face a Pistons team that finished last season ranked in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to PFs (26.5) and one he produced tallies of 32.5 and 38.5 FD points against in two of three games a season ago. With the same Isaiah Stewart-Jalen Duren frontcourt patrolling the paint for Detroit and Washington also capable of spacing the floor effectively, he could deliver a nice return once again.
Aaron Gordon, DEN at MEM ($6,500)
Gordon enjoyed a solid season and postseason during the Nuggets' championship campaign a year ago, and he got Denver's title-defense season off to an excellent start by scoring 39.9 FD points across 35 minutes against the Lakers on Tuesday. The big man should be well rested for a favorable matchup against the Grizzlies, which surrendered 32.9 FD points across 32 minutes to the Pelicans' Zion Williamson in his first game since Dec. 19 in the opener on Wednesday. The Grizzlies allowed 45.3 FD points per contest to power forwards last season and are even less formidable this year without Adams, and Gordon notably lit them up for 46.4 FD points in just 27 minutes during one of two games against them last season.
Jeremy Sochan, SA vs. HOU ($6,100)
Sochan made his regular-season point guard debut Wednesday against the Mavericks, a development somewhat overshadowed by the debut of teammate Victor Wembanyama. Sochan acquitted himself reasonably well, however, producing 30.1 FD points in 29 minutes with a well-rounded line of 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and one steal. Sochan did scuffle from the field (4-12 FG), so if he boosts his efficiency some Friday, he could be in for a very rewarding night against a Rockets team that suffered a 30-point blowout season-opening loss at the hands of the Magic on Wednesday.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tre Jones, SA vs. HOU ($6,000); Cameron Johnson, BKN at DAL ($6,000); Day'Ron Sharpe, BKN at DAL ($5,000); Malik Monk, SAC vs. GSW ($4,900)
