This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
There are eight games in the NBA on Friday night, but only seven on the FanDuel Main Schedule beginning at 7:30 PM ET.
We get to see Giannis Antetokounmpo start to get used to the new normal with Eric Bledsoe in town to face the still Kawhi Leonard-less Spurs. We've got the Celtics trying to continue their hot play against the Hornets, a clash of two elite defensive centers with Hassan Whiteside versus Rudy Gobert in Utah, and the Thunder's big three trying to get on track against Blake Griffin's Clippers.
We also get some surprisingly fun producers in Orlando and the Suns facing off, and some high scoring guards clashing with D'Angelo Russell leading the Nets into Portland to face Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and the Trail Blazers.
As always, let's look for some value.
Guards
Damian Lillard, POR vs BKN ($10,000): Lillard had a down game against the Grizzlies in his last outing, but in the five outings before that he was averaging 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 combined steals/blocks per game. He has great bounce-back potential against the weaker Nets defense on Friday.
D'Angelo Russell, BKN at POR ($7,300): Russell had a relative klunker of only 12 points, six assists, four boards and a whopping eight turnovers in his last outing in Denver. However, in the three games before that he was averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 boards, 6.3 assists and 2.0 combined steals/blocks per game. Like his opponent Damian Lillard, he has good bounce-back potential on Friday.
Donovan Mitchell, UTA vs MIA ($5,100): Mitchell plays a tough defense on Friday and had a terrible shooting night in his previous game. However, here's the good news from his last performance: He shot 3-for-21 from the field, but the 21 shots means that he has a HUGE green light right now for the Jazz. He had averaged 23.3 points in the three games before that, and his 21-shot volume on an off night indicates he'll be allowed to keep shooting himself out of his slump on Friday.
Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at SA ($11,800): Antetokounmpo has the highest fantasy scoring average of anyone playing on Friday by more than 10 points. He is coming off a 40-point, nine-rebound, three-assist, four-blocked-shot performance against LeBron James and the Cavaliers in his last outing. This will be Antetokounmpo's first game with new running-mate Eric Bledsoe, which could potentially cut into his assist numbers. Conversely, it could also lead to more scoring opportunities in finishing position for the Greek Freak.
James Johnson, MIA at UTA ($6,400): Johnson's production can fluctuate, but he's been on a high of late. In his last two games, he has averaged 18 points with eight boards, 5.5 assists and 3.0 combined steals/blocks to outperform his price tag. He has a tough matchup on Friday, but his price is low enough that his value is still justified.
Marcus Morris, BOS vs CHA ($5,200): Shoutout to Joe Ingles ($5,400), DeMarre Carroll ($5,300), Denzel Valentine ($5,000) and Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,600), all forwards who have legitimate arguments for this slot. Morris earned the space so that we can discuss how his value depends directly on the status of Jayson Tatum (Questionable -- ankle). Tatum left the Celtics' last game early and had to get X-Rays (though they came back negative). If Tatum sits, Morris becomes the starting power forward and has solid upside. If Tatum plays, then this slot would be better filled by one of the aforementioned forwards.
Centers
Jusuf Nurkic POR vs BKN ($8,500):Hassan Whiteside and Rudy Gobert would be worthy for this space, but they are facing each other so it's hard to estimate which might get the better of the other. Nurkic earns this spot due to his bounce-back potential. He was coming off three straight dominant efforts in which he averaged 24 points, 8.0 boards, 3.3 assists and 4.0 combined steals/blocks before running into a buzz saw against the tough Grizzlies in his last outing. On Friday, he again faces a much weaker Nets interior defense that affords him a great opportunity to get back to the type of dominant performance he has been giving of late.
Dwight Howard, CHA at BOS ($7,700): Both Howard and DeAndre Jordan ($7,600) could be facing a backup center, but Jordan's potential opponent Steven Adams is only questionable with his calf injury. Howard's erstwhile opponent, Al Horford, has already been ruled out which leaves Howard with a clear mismatch at center that should let him perform well on Friday.
Alex Len, PHO vs ORL ($4,400): There are a glut of center potential injuries on Friday, which means there could be a lot of value plays at center. Steven Adams (calf), Robin Lopez (knee) and Tyson Chandler (back) are all questionable to play, and if they sit a vacuum is left. Chandler's back-up, Len, is the one that is most prepared to produce. He's been playing well in limited minutes for the last several weeks, and if Chandler sits he has legitimate starter impact upside at a relatively inexpensive price on Friday. Further shout out to Tyler Zeller ($3,400), who has also been showing signs of life at a min price tag of late.
