This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a very compact slate by Friday night standards with only six games. The injury report is dotted with several big names, which will bear monitoring throughout the day leading to tip-off.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, 2/9 @ 11:30 a.m. ET:
Atlanta Hawks (-2.5) at Philadelphia 76ers (O/U: 246.5)
Houston Rockets at Toronto Raptors (-2) (O/U: 233.5)
Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics (-17) (O/U: 236.5)
Charlotte Hornets at *Milwaukee Bucks (-14) (O/U: 230.5)
*Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings (-1.5) (O/U: 232.0)
New Orleans Pelicans (-2.5) at Los Angeles Lakers (O/U: 233.5)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
We have a mixed bag in terms of what we might be able to expect with respect to competitive games. On the positive side, there are only two teams on the second night of a back-to-back and we also have the rare instance where every total is over 230 points. There are also two mammoth spreads to navigate, though even that is somewhat offset by the fact the rest of the matchups all are projected to be close.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Jayson Tatum, BOS (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Tatum were to sit, Al Horford would likely be in for a spot start while Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White would all be due for big bumps in usage.
Damian Lillard, MIL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Lillard can't go, Pat Connaughton and AJ Green could be once again due for expanded opportunities.
Zion Williamson (foot): QUESTIONABLE
Should Williamson miss out, Naji Marshall could see time at power forward while the rest of the first unit would be up for more responsibilities.
Dejounte Murray, ATL (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Murray can't play, Bogdan Bogdanovic is likely to start at shooting guard.
D'Angelo Russell, LAL (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Russell is sidelined, Taurean Prince could jump into the starting five at small forward while LeBron James potentially handles a de facto point guard role.
Other notable injuries:
LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): OUT
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): OUT
Fred VanVleet, HOU (thigh): OUT
Clint Capela, ATL (thigh): OUT
Marvin Bagley, WAS (back): OUT
Khris Middleton, MIL (knee): GTD
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have six players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,000), Nikola Jokic ($11,900), Anthony Davis ($11,400), Domantas Sabonis ($10,700), LeBron James ($10,100) and Jayson Tatum ($10,000).
Antetokounmpo had an unusually low-usage game Thursday despite Damian Lillard's and Khris Middleton's absences. But if at least one of those teammates is sidelined again, he's likely to take matters much more into his own hands as the Bucks try to stop their extended skid.
Jokic has been at 53.1 FD points or more in 11 of the last 12 games - including five straight - and should be up for heavy minutes in what projects to be a wire-to-wire affair against the Kings.
Davis could potentially take the floor without D'Angelo Russell and has produced at least 56.1 FD three consecutive times, including a pair of 67-plus tallies from his last two outings.
Sabonis will be an integral part of that Nuggets-Kings clash and is up to a season average of 48.5 FD after dropping between 52.3 to 63.9 across five of his last six.
LeBron could shift into a primary ball-handling role if D'Angelo Russell sits and is coming off 50.3 FD across 35 minutes against Denver on Thursday.
Tatum's status will bear monitoring since he's questionable due to illness. But if he can go, he'll be aiming to eclipse the 50 FD mark for the fourth time in six games. The Wizards-Celtics does list the biggest spread of the night by far, meaning Tatum could see his minutes limited if he's still somewhat under the weather.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Trae Young, ATL ($9,700)
Young has regularly eclipsed 40 FD this season and is set to be a critical part of the game with Friday's highest total, two factors that should make him very popular.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,200)
Sengun has posted over 40 FD in three of the last five - including one of 60-plus - which could get him on plenty of lineups.
Miles Bridges, CHA ($8,900)
Bridges has scored between 46 and 67.5 FD over five of the last seven, including 64.1 in his most recent matchup. He should be even more highly rostered due to the Hornets' decimated roster.
Brandon Miller, CHA ($7,600)
Similar to Bridges, Miller should draw plenty of interest thanks to what should be massive usage, and he also checks in averaging 43.1 FD across his last five appearances.
Jalen Green, HOU ($7,500)
Green will continue to operate without Fred VanVleet on Friday and just tallied 37.1 FD without him against the Pacers on Tuesday. He's also compiled three tallies of at least 53.8 in his last seven.
Key Values
Saddiq Bey, ATL at PHI ($6,200)
Bey has continued to expand his role in the Hawks' attack despite De'Andre Hunter's recent return from a knee injury. The veteran wing is also likely benefitting from the absence of Clint Capela (thigh). Bey just posted 40.3 FD in 36 minutes against the Celtics on Wednesday, and he's averaging 30.9 across seven games even when factoring in a dud against the Suns last Friday when he only turned in 5.6. The 76ers have allowed totals of 27.1 and 27.9 FD to Bey in two previous meetings and they check in yielding the third-most points (24.5), third-most rebounds (8.8) and second-most made threes (3.4) to small forwards in the last 15 outings.
Al Horford, BOS vs. WAS ($6,100)
As mentioned earlier, Jayson Tatum could miss out Friday, which would naturally make Horford even more appealing. The veteran big man already comes in running hot as he's eclipsed 27 FD over five of his last 10 games with the help of 42.3 percent three-point shooting. The Wizards have been an excellent DFS target all season thanks to their shoddy defense and ultra-fast pace, and Washington also enters allowing an NBA-high 94.2 offensive efficiency rating to frontcourt players. Horford also averages 29.8 FD per 36 minutes with Tatum off the floor.
Jae Crowder, MIL vs. CHA ($4,600)
Crowder is starting to hit his stride following an extended injury absence as he's averaging a solid 24.8 FD across his last five games on the strength of a well-balanced 10.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals. He could once benefit from the absences of at least one of Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton, and would likely draw another start at small forward should the latter be sidelined. The Hornets already enter allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (25.0) and an NBA-high 46 FD to the position from the last 30 matchups.
ALSO CONSIDER: Dillon Brooks, HOU at TOR ($5,300)
