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We're set for an eight-game main slate Friday night, giving us a solid amount of games to work with without making the lineup-building process too cumbersome. There are already a couple of confirmed big-name absences, but otherwise, the injury report is relatively light for a ledger of this size.
Slate Overview
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There are five games with lines of 5.5 point or less as of Friday morning on FD Sportsbook, and only one game, the Trail Blazers-Timberwolves matchup, has a double-digit figure (-15.5). Otherwise, there appears to be a strong chance of a competitive night that locks in solid workloads for star players.
There are three games overall with totals of 235 points or higher as of Friday morning on FD Sportsbook, including a 252-point figure that's attached to the Pacers-Hawks game. Given the two teams have already combined for a couple of wild, high-scoring contests this season, it's likely to be the focal point of many lineups, but there are multiple spots where there could be elite individual performances.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): OUT
In Embiid's ongoing absence, Paul Reed should remain in the starting five while the likes of Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris see particularly elevated usage.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND (hamstring): OUT
Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell should continue handling Indiana's point guard duties in Haliburton's ongoing absence, while the rest of the starting five will once again be in line for usage increases.
LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Ball manages to return from his month-plus absence Friday, he could well be eased back in off the bench, which would likely leave Terry Rozier in the starting point guard role.
Jimmy Butler, MIA (toe): DOUBTFUL
In Butler's likely absence, Jaime Jaquez is likely to draw another start at small forward.
Tyler Herro, MIA (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
If Herro can't suit up, Duncan Robinson is expected to draw a start at shooting guard.
Rudy Gobert, MIN (hip): QUESTIONABLE
If Gobert misses a second straight game, Naz Reid could draw a start at center while Karl-Anthony Towns enjoys more rebounding opportunities.
Other notable injuries:
Cade Cunningham, DET (knee): OUT
Franz Wagner, ORL (ankle): OUT
Draymond Green, GSW (coach's decision): OUT
Deandre Ayton, POR (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Shaedon Sharpe, POR (groin): QUESTIONABLE
Trae Young, ATL (shoulder): PROBABLE
Clint Capela, ATL (Achilles): PROBABLE
Bojan Bogdanovic, DET (calf): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Friday's slate – Trae Young ($10,200) and Victor Wembanyama ($10,000).
Assuming Young plays through his probable designation, he'll be in a favorable matchup against a fast-paced Pacers squad that's without Tyrese Haliburton's defense and that Young has a tally of 57.2 FD points against this season.
Wembanyama is in a premium matchup against a Hornets team that's allowed the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (37.3), along with the third-most FD points per game to the position (60.7).
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,900)
Sabonis has a pair of 70-plus FD-point tallies in his last five games and another over 50 in that sample, which should make him very popular against a 76ers team still down Joel Embiid.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($9,800)
Maxey will continue to take the floor without Embiid on Friday and has scored 48.7 to 67.1 FD points in his last three games, which should make him extremely popular.
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($9,300)
Banchero has a pair of tallies of greater than 60 FD points in his last three games and will be facing an injury-hampered Heat team, which should help place him in plenty of lineups.
Bam Adebayo, MIA ($9,000)
Adebayo appears set to take the floor without Jimmy Butler and possibly sans Tyler Herro as well, and he's scored at least 40.9 FD points in three straight games.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($8,900)
Sengun is up to an average of 42.9 FD points per game for the season and has at least 43 in five of his last seven games, which should keep him in plenty of lineups for a highly favorable matchup against the Pistons.
Key Values
Jaime Jaquez, MIA vs. ORL ($6,100)
Jaquez should be in line for another start at small forward in place of Jimmy Butler (toe) on Friday, and the rookie is already coming in with an average of 27.1 FD points during his current five-game starting stint. Jaquez is shooting 53.7 percent overall in that sample, and he has totals of 31 FD points or greater in six of his first 13 turns with the first unit overall. The Magic has been an effective defensive team, but they come in allowing 47.0 percent shooting, including 39.8 percent from three-point range, to small forwards. Orlando is also yielding over 40 FD points per contest to the position, making Jaquez an appealing value option, and even more so if Tyler Herro (shoulder) also sits out.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, GSW at CHI ($5,900)
Jackson-Davis is another rookie that's been turning heads, averaging 27.3 FD points per contest in the last 12 games while shooting 73.6 percent in that sample. Jackson-Davis has seven totals of 29.2 FD points or more in that span, and given Draymond Green's ongoing absence Friday, the former should continue playing a key role in the frontcourt. The Bulls rank in the bottom 11 of the league in offensive efficiency rating allowed to frontcourt players (83.9), and Chicago has also surrendered 57.6 FD points per contest to centers in the last 15 games.
Bruce Brown, IND at ATL ($5,800)
Brown was fantastic against the Wizards on Wednesday, going off for 41.8 FD points over 27 minutes. The veteran's three-point shooting has taken somewhat of a downturn thus far this season, but Brown is still averaging a career-high 11.9 points per contest and 36.1 FD points per 36 minutes with Haliburton off the floor this season as well. The Hawks have conceded a pair of 21.6 FD-point tallies to Brown thus far in scenarios less favorable than Friday's, and Atlanta also comes in allowing 48.2 percent shooting, including 40.0 percent from behind the arc.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jalen Suggs, ORL at MIA ($6,300); Bennedict Mathurin, IND at ATL ($5,700); Tre Jones, SA vs. CHA ($5,600); Nikola Jovic, MIA vs. ORL ($5,400)
