Daily Games Cheat Sheet: Friday

Daily Games Cheat Sheet: Friday

This article is part of our Daily Games Cheat Sheet series.

TEAM ANALYSIS

Defenses to Avoid
Boston Celtics at New York Knicks: Simply put, the Knicks are terrible at basketball, and they are going against a team who both has something to play for, and has gotten better defensively in the second half of the season. The Knicks haven't topped 90 points in regulation in nearly two weeks, and it's hard to see them scoring more against a Celtics team in the playoff hunt. Look elsewhere for value Friday, as there are plenty of games on the slate.

Offenses to Use
Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets: The Cavaliers' offense is sizzling right now, and it shows few signs of slowing down against the Nets. Cleveland scored 117 points against Brooklyn in their last game, and are coming off scoring 111 points against a tough Grizzlies team on the road. There will probably be points scored in this one. Many points.

First game of a back-to-back: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers
Second game of a back-to-back: None

Point Guard
Goran Dragic, MIA at ATL ($7,000):Dwyane Wade recently missed a game for "precautionary reasons," and it is possible that he will be somewhat limited if he makes his return Friday. That's good for Dragic, who is a solid play anyway at his current cost. The star point guard has the potential for elite stat-lines any time out, and has been averaging 36 DraftKings points over his last six games.

Other suggestions: Damian Lillard (at PHX), Ray McCallum (at NO)

Shooting Guard
Kyle Korver, ATL vs MIA ($4,300): Usually my shooting guard slot will be filled with a highly-priced elite option, or a guy who is solid, but discounted. Korver fits into the latter category. His price has fallen after a couple lackluster performances due to injury and rust, but he showed exactly what he's capable of with 35.5 DraftKings points against Orlando in his last game. The matchup is tougher this time, but the price is still excellent.

Other suggestions: James Harden (vs. MIN), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (at ORL)

Small Forward
Terrence Ross, TOR vs LAL ($3,700): Looking for a cheap flier at the small forward position? Ross may qualify given a few key statistics. He's playing around 30 minutes per game over his last six, and while he's only averaging 16 DraftKings points during that span, he's taking plenty of shots. With Kyle Lowry (back) sidelined, Ross should get his chances to fill the offensive void. If he hits even 20 DraftKings points he's made value against the Lakers.

Other suggestions: Trevor Ariza (vs. MIN), Kawhi Leonard (vs. DAL)

Power Forward
Derrick Favors, UTA at DEN ($8,100): A key piece to the Jazz's second-half resurgence has been Favors, and when he's scoring he's a phenomenal fantasy asset. He's topped 40 DraftKings points in three straight games, and will get the opportunity to take on a Denver squad that he dropped 43 DraftKings points on in only 28 minutes in their last meeting.

Other suggestions: Patrick Patterson (vs. LAL), Blake Griffin (at PHI)

Center
Brook Lopez, BKN vs CLE ($7,100): Lopez has been on fire lately and is averaging 44 DraftKings points over his last six games. He put up 31 DraftKings points against Cleveland a few games ago, and it's conceivable his score could climb given the way that he's scoring the ball lately (30+ points in three of last four games), and at his price he's certainly worth a look.

Other suggestions: DeMarcus Cousins (at NO), Robin Lopez (at PHX)

INJURY REPORT

Out
Darren Collison (hip)
Nick Young (knee)
Jrue Holiday (leg)
Kyle Lowry (back)
Alexey Shved (rib)
Patrick Beverley (wrist)
Jamal Crawford (calf)
Evan Fournier (hip)
Terrence Jones (lung)
Thaddeus Young (knee)
Ryan Anderson (knee)

Game-Time Decision
Ricky Rubio (ankle)
Jeff Teague (ankle)
Brandon Knight (ankle)
Dwyane Wade (knee)
Kevin Martin (hamstring)
Bradley Beal (ankle)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (wrist)
Gary Neal (ankle)
Gordon Hayward (collarbone)
Nicolas Batum (back)
Danilo Gallinari (shoulder)
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (shoulder)
Rodney Hood (illness)
Kevin Garnett (knee)
Greg Monroe (knee)
Cody Zeller (shoulder)
Anthony Bennett (ankle)
Hassan Whiteside (hand)
Nikola Pekovic (ankle)
Chris Kaman (shoulder)
Chris Andersen (calf)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jackson Sanders
Jackson Sanders writes about fantasy sports for RotoWire
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