We have a solid six-game slate Friday that's ideal for DFS purposes. There's not many short-term injuries, though there are some big names in danger of missing out.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, Jan. 23 at 12:00 a.m. ET:
Houston Rockets at Detroit Pistons (-4) (O/U: 216.5)
Phoenix Suns (-3) at Atlanta Hawks (O/U: 233.5)
Boston Celtics (-8.5) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 216.5)
Sacramento Kings at Cleveland Cavaliers (-11.5) (O/U: 233.5)
New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies (-5.5) (O/U: 234.5)
Indiana Pacers at Oklahoma City Thunder (-16) (O/U: 226.5)
Despite the pair of double-digit favorites, we may still be in for a largely competitive slate on Friday as the Cavs have sometimes played down to the caliber of their competition. Projected totals are fairly encouraging despite the pair of sub-220s considering three are over 233.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Cade Cunningham, DET (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Cunningham is sidelined again, Daniss Jenkins could be set for another spot start while Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris would be the likeliest players to see increased usage.
Ja Morant, MEM (elbow): OUT
In Morant's absence, Cam Spencer and Vince Williams are likely to handle the majority - if not all - the point guard minutes.
Derrick White, BOS (rest): OUT
With White out, Baylor Scheierman and Anfernee Simons will probably cover at shooting guard.
Other notable injuries:
Darius Garland, CLE (toe): OUT
Jalen Williams, OKC (hamstring): OUT
Santi Aldama, MEM (knee): OUT
Ajay Mitchell, OKC (hip): OUT
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC (calf): OUT
Keegan Murray, SAC (ankle): OUT
Zaccharie Risacher, ATL (knee): OUT
Bennedict Mathurin, IND (thumb): OUT
Kristaps Porzingis, ATL (Achilles): OUT
Aaron Wiggins, OKC (groin): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,000), Jalen Johnson ($10,600) and Cade Cunningham ($10,500).
SGA went off for 65.9 FD points against the Bucks on Wednesday, his fifth effort over 44 during the last six games. Despite his significant upside, there's some blowout risk against the Pacers.
Johnson bounced back from a trio of subpar performance to score 57.2 and 61 FD, though does face a tough defensive matchup against the Suns.
Cunningham's status will need to be monitored given his questionable tag and not playing on Wednesday. So if he can play, he'll be in for a difficult matchup versus Houston.
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,900)
Brown will take the floor without Derrick White on Friday and has scored 47.2 to 56.2 FD across his last three appearances..
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,800)
Sengun will be a key part of a marquee matchup against the Pistons and has eclipsed 46 FD in four straight, which should help keep him on plenty of rosters.
Amen Thompson, HOU ($8,600)
Thompson has exceeded 42 FD three straight times with 50-plus upside this season to make him very popular at this salary.
Evan Mobley, CLE ($8,500)
Mobley is averaging 41.4 FD across his last 12 games where he's eclipsed 51 three times.
Pascal Siakam, IND ($8,400)
Siakam is averaging 43.2 FD through his last five, a stretch where he's shot 45.7 percent from three-point range.
Key Values
Jarrett Allen, CLE vs. SAC ($6,300)
The Kings have been targetable against centers all season, putting Allen clearly on our sights for Friday. Sacramento checks in allowing a Western Conference-high 60.2 FD per game to centers overall along with an NBA-high 30.1 offensive efficiency rating to the position. They also rank bottom-10 in rebounds surrendered per road game (55.1) with a league-worst 57.3 points in the paint while Allen is scoring 74.2 percent of his points in that area. He's also averaging 31.1 FD from his last 11 outings where he's also exceeded 41 three times.
Mark Williams, PHO at ATL ($5,900)
Williams recorded an atypical outing against the 76ers last time out where he only attempted three shots, yet still managed to produce four points and nine rebounds across 18 minutes. The big man came into that evening averaging 31.1 FD during his previous seven on the strength of 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.0 blocks on a 25.9 minute average. The Hawks could facilitate another solid performance having allowed 55.5 FD per game to centers over the last 30 games with the sixth-most rebounds per home matchup (55.7) overall. They also sit just outside the bottom-10 at a 52.6-point average while Williams records 75.9 percent of his points in that part of the floor.
Jock Landale, MEM vs. NOP ($5,200)
The Pelicans are yet another team that's struggled with interior and low-post defense all season having allowed the fifth-most FD points per game to centers (58.7) along with the fifth-most rebounds (55.5). New Orleans also gives up the third-most points in the paint per game (54.0), while 54.9 percent of Landale's scoring originates there. He also spaces the floor effectively (39.8 percent three-point shooting) while the Pelicans have conceded the third-most made triples per road matchup (14.7).
ALSO CONSIDER: Cedric Coward, MEM vs. NOP ($5,900); Saddiq Bey, NOP at MEM ($5,400); Anfernee Simons, BOS at BKN ($4,600)
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