This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a two-game high-stakes slate Friday night, as the No. 8 seeds in either conference are up for grabs in a pair of Play-In Tournament games. We have two major injury absences already confirmed for the Heat and Pelicans, and a few players on the Bulls that aren't certain to suit up, either. As such, there are no shortage of value opportunities, which we'll explore further.
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.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, April 19 @ 11:30 a.m. EDT:
Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat (-2) (O/U: 206.0)
Sacramento Kings (-0.5) at New Orleans Pelicans (O/U: 210.5)
The absences of Jimmy Butler and Zion Williamson are naturally having an impact on the lines for each of their games, but Miami is surprisingly still a narrow favorite over Chicago as of Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the Kings-Pelicans line feels like it will probably fluctuate a good bit to either side leading up to tip-off, and neither game is expected to provide an extraordinary amount of total points.
However, there could certainly still be plenty of players overdelivering on their salaries on both Miami and New Orleans, considering the extra usage available on either squad due the absences of the two stars.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Jimmy Butler, MIA (knee): OUT
With Butler out, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo will likely be the biggest beneficiaries in terms of extra usage, while Jaime Jaquez and Haywood Highsmith may handle a majority of small forward minutes.
Zion Williamson, NOP (hamstring): OUT
In Williamson's absence, Naji Marshall and Larry Nance could see the majority of power forward minutes, while CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram should see their usage skyrocket.
Terry Rozier, MIA (neck): OUT
In Rozier's ongoing absence, Tyler Herro will continue handling starting point guard duties.
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
If Dosunmu can't suit up, Dalen Terry may handle starting shooting guard duties.
Alex Caruso, CHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Caruso sits out, Javonte Green would enter the starting five at small forward.
Other notable injuries:
Malik Monk, SAC (knee): OUT
Kevin Huerter, SAC (shoulder): OUT
Duncan Robinson, MIA (back): PROBABLE
Andre Drummond, CHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have one players with a five-figure salary on Friday's slate – Domantas Sabonis ($10,400)
Sabonis posted 48.9 FD points against the Warriors in Wednesday's Play-In victory, and he essentially carries a floor of 40 FD points nearly every time he takes the floor. He scored at least 38 FD points in three of four games versus New Orleans this season as well, but it's worth noting he topped out at 42.8 versus the Pelicans.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
De'Aaron Fox, SAC ($9,700)
Fox has scored over 41 FD points in five straight games, and the safety of the floor he offers should keep him in plenty of rosters.
DeMar DeRozan, CHI ($9,300)
DeRozan has been carrying the Bulls on his back most of the season and checks in having scored 45 to 62.3 FD points in four straight games.
Bam Adebayo, MIA ($8,500)
Adebayo will be taking the floor without Jimmy Butler, a scenario in which he sports a 27.0 percent usage rate and averages 46.7 FD points per 36 minutes.
CJ McCollum, NOP ($8,400)
McCollum has a 28.3 percent usage rate and averages 40.3 FD points per 36 minutes without Williamson on the floor, which should help keep him highly rostered Friday despite his disappointing performance against the Lakers on Wednesday (19.6 FD points).
Tyler Herro, MIA ($7,900)
Herro is already in a primary ball-handling role with Rozier out and has a 29.2 percent usage rate and average of 38.4 FD points per 36 minutes with both Rozier and Jimmy Butler off the floor.
Coby White, MIA ($7,800)
White just racked up 67.8 FD points against the Hawks in Wednesday's Play-In win, which should help keep him in plenty of lineups at his salary Friday.
Key Values
Larry Nance, NOP vs. SAC ($5,800)
Nance already checks in having scored 28.2 and 29.9 FD points in his last two games, and he'll now be positioned to reap the benefits of Zion Williamson's absence on Friday. Nance may even draw a start at power forward, and he's averaging 35.9 FD points per 36 minutes with Zion off the floor this season. Sacramento also finished the regular season ranked No. 19 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to power forwards (27.5) and allowed 49.4 FD points per contest to the position in the last 30 games, strengthening Nance's case further.
Keon Ellis, SAC at NOP ($5,600)
Ellis checks into Friday's high-stakes showdown running hot, as he's scored 28.1 to 47.7 FD points in four of his last five games. The second-year pro has shot 54.0 percent, including 50.0 percent from three-point range, during the entirety of that span as he continues to handle the starting shooting guard role. Ellis is naturally only a complementary offensive option on the Kings' first unit, but given the do-or-die nature of Friday's game and his hot hand, he could well deliver a strong return on his modest salary once again if he continues to be in the range of the 10 shot attempts per contest he's averaged in the last five contests.
Jaime Jaquez, MIA vs. CHI ($5,200)
Jaquez is likely to draw the start at small forward for Jimmy Butler on Friday, and the rookie comes in already having scored 24 to 47.3 FD points in his last three games while shooting 50.0 percent in that span. Jaquez averaged a solid 27.1 FD points this season over a 20-game sample as a starter, putting up a well-rounded line of 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Bulls also conceded a trio of 30+ FD-point efforts to Jaquez in four games this past regular season, and Chicago finished the regular season surrendering 40 FD points per contest to small forwards over the last 15 games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Trey Murphy, NOP vs. SAC ($6,400); Javonte Green, CHI at MIA ($5,700); Nikola Jovic, MIA at CHI ($4,200)
