This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for our second jumbo-sized slate of the new season with 11 games on the docket Friday night. There's a solid allotment of projected totals and relatively narrow spreads, which certainly suits our purposes well from a DFS perspective. The injury report also isn't overly loaded with big names, and a couple of the more notable players have a chance of suiting up.
Slate Overview
New Orleans Pelicans (-6) at Charlotte Hornets (+6) (O/U: 231.5 points)
San Antonio Spurs (+3) at Indiana Pacers (-3) (O/U: 231.0 points)
Chicago Bulls (-1.5) at Washington Wizards (+1.5) (O/U: 224.5 points)
Orlando Magic (+8.5) at Atlanta Hawks (-8.5) (O/U: 223.0 points)
Detroit Pistons (+7) at New York Knicks (-7) (O/U: 217.5 points)
Boston Celtics (-2.5) at Miami Heat (+2.5) (O/U: 219.0 points)
Toronto Raptors (+2.5) at Brooklyn Nets (-2.5) (O/U: 226.0 points)
Memphis Grizzlies (-6) at Houston Rockets (+6) (O/U: 230.5 points)
Utah Jazz (+8.5) at Minnesota Timberwolves (-8.5) (O/U: 228.5 points)
Denver Nuggets (+5.5) at Golden State Warriors (-5.5) (O/U: 229.5 points)
Phoenix Suns (-4) at Portland Trail Blazers (+4) (O/U: 224.5 points)
It's naturally premature to draw definitive conclusions on much of anything too early into the season, but if some Opening Night defensive performances are any indication, we should have a couple of particularly explosive game environments for DFS purposes Friday. Two early evening matchups – Pelicans-Hornets and Spurs-Pacers – could certainly qualify, as could Grizzlies-Rockets.
Those scenarios present some interesting stacking opportunities, and there are also no shortage of elite players in action with 22 teams hitting the floor. Some of what should be the league's better defensive squads will also be in action, which could serve to suppress overall scoring in such battles as Celtics-Heat and Suns-Trail Blazers.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following is a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
Nikola Jokic, DEN (finger): PROBABLE
Jokic, who posted 46.8 FD points in 33 minutes during the surprising season-opening loss to the Jazz, is fully expected to be available in his usual role against the Warriors.
LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): OUT
In Ball's continued absence Friday, Terry Rozier should continue to enjoy a primary ball-handling role while Dennis Smith should once again earn starting point guard duties.
Zach LaVine, CHI (knee): OUT
With LaVine's still out for Friday, the likes of Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, Goran Dragic and Coby White could all see extra run while DeMar DeRozan should continue enjoying an enhanced scoring role.
Myles Turner, IND (ankle): OUT
In Turner's absence, Terry Taylor could draw another start at center.
Jamal Murray, DEN (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Murray could be held out for knee maintenance purposes, which would open opportunity for Bones Hyland and Ish Smith.
Cole Anthony, ORL (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Anthony were to sit, R.J. Hampton and Jalen Suggs could be primary beneficiaries.
Other notable injuries:
Jalen Smith, IND (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Dillon Brooks, MEM (thigh): DOUBTFUL
Jae'Sean Tate, HOU (ankle): OUT
Otto Porter, TOR (hamstring): OUT
Deni Avdija, WAS (ankle): PROBABLE
Joe Harris, BKN (ankle): PROBABLE
Alec Burks, DET (foot): OUT
Markelle Fultz, ORL (toe): OUT
Seth Curry, BKN (ankle): OUT
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($11,300), Stephen Curry ($10,700), Jayson Tatum ($10,400) and Kevin Durant ($10,000).
As mentioned earlier, Jokic put together well over a FanDuel point per minute in the opener and should be heavily involved against the Warriors - even more so if Jamal Murray (knee) is held out.
Curry got the new season off to a hot start with a 33-point effort against the Lakes that netted 61.7 FD points and led to a big bump in salary. Curry's minutes could be capped in the low 30s – he logged 32 versus L.A. – based on head coach Steve Kerr's previously stated objective of giving his starters some rest early in the season, but that won't necessarily stop the future Hall of Famer from putting up a stellar total.
Tatum went off with 58.4 FD points against the 76ers in the opener with the help of 13-for-20 shooting, and now faces a Heat team he averaged 25.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steal across 40.9 minutes against in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Durant was a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable Opening Night for the Nets by generating 49.6 FD points against the Pelicans. He now faces a Raptors squad he posted 65.1 FD points against in one of two meetings last season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
DeMar DeRozan, CHI ($9,600)
DeRozan racked up 65.7 FD points against the Heat in the opener and should naturally be very popular, especially with Zach LaVine (knee) out again.
Dejounte Murray, ATL ($9,500)
Murray enjoyed an impressive Hawks debut with a tally of 60.5 FD points partly fueled by 11 assists and five steals, which should allow him to get into plenty of lineups Friday.
Ja Morant, MEM ($9,400)
Morant was integral in the Grizzlies' season-opening comeback win over the Knicks with 49.3 FD points and certainly offers the ability to overdeliver on this salary.
Zion Williamson, NOP ($8,800)
Any lingering doubts surrounding Williamson's previously ailing foot or preseason ankle issue evaporated with his 50.3 FD performance against the Nets on Wednesday, making him a potential bargain.
Trae Young, ATL ($8,700)
Young worked extremely well alongside Dejounte Murray in their first regular-season game together and was very active as a facilitator with 13 assists, leading to 49.1 FD points and locking in what should be very high rostering rates tonight.
Key Values
Jerami Grant, POR vs. PHO ($6,700)
Grant made quite the first impression with the Trail Blazers on Wednesday with 39.1 FD points on the strength of a 23-point, eight-rebound effort that came with a fully healthy starting five on the floor for Portland. The athletic veteran encouragingly logged 35 minutes and should be set for another robust workload Friday night against a Suns side that could have some defensive challenges down low with Cameron Johnson now operating as the starting power forward. Phoenix finished 14th in offensive efficiency allowed to fours a season ago, and Grant notably put up 53.7 FD points in his one matchup against them last season while with Detroit.
RJ Barrett, NYK vs. DET ($6,500)
Barrett opened the campaign with an utterly forgettable 3-for-18 shooting performance against the Grizzlies, although he still found his way to 23.1 FD points thanks to eight rebounds, three assists and a 5-for-6 effort from the free-throw line. The fourth-year wing should naturally bounce back on the shooting front, and the Pistons are a likely candidate to facilitate a resurgence considering they surrendered the second-highest offensive efficiency to small forwards (24.6 percent) a season ago. Barrett managed 26.9 and 34.3 FD points in his two encounters against Detroit last season and delivered at least a 5x return on his current salary on 34 occasions.
Buddy Hield, IND vs. SAN ($5,500)
Hield posted 31.5 FD points in 32 minutes against the Wizards on Wednesday via a 16-point, 10-rebound effort that also included three assists, making him quite the bargain at his current salary, especially in a matchup with the highest projected total on the slate as of early Friday. The veteran wing now gets a crack at a Spurs team that was routed by the Hornets in their opener and allowed a 20-point, five-rebound, two-assist and one-steal effort to small forward Gordon Hayward in the process. Hield generated tallies of 32 and 40.6 FD points in two of three games versus San Antonio last season, which allowed 44.8 percent three-point shooting in the opener to Charlotte and a 36.0 percent success rate from distance last season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Scottie Barnes, TOR at BKN ($6,600); Desmond Bane, MEM at HOU ($6,300)
