There are ten games on the NBA schedule for Friday, but for FanDuel participants only seven are available for "main" leagues beginning with the games that tip off at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. This takes players such as Boston's Isaiah Thomas, Indiana's Paul George, Washington's John Wall and Miami's Hassan Whiteside off the board, but there are still some quality high-priced options to choose from. At the top of the list are Houston's James Harden ($11,100) and New Orleans' Anthony Davis ($11,100), with the latter having an intriguing matchup with the New York Knicks. Averaging 52 FanDuel points per game, Davis saw his run of four consecutive double-doubles come to an end Wednesday night against the Clippers.
After scoring 28 points or more in each of those four games Davis tallied just 20 against the Clippers, but shooting wasn't the problem as he made eight of his 16 attempts from the field. Davis managed to grab just five rebounds in New Orleans' 102-98 victory, due in large part to the presence of Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. Jordan finished the night with 25 rebounds, posting individual rebounding percentages of 11.4 (offensive) and 49.4 (defensive). New York doesn't have a dominant rebounder like Jordan, as they're ranked 29th in defensive rebounding percentage (73.8), which could clear the way for another double-double for Davis.
Here are our picks for tonight's games, using a nine-player roster and a $60,000 salary cap. (Getty)
PG: Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers
Opponent: at Miami
Price: $9,400
After racking up 62 FanDuel points in a win over the Pelicans on December 10, Paul's point total has decreased in each of the last two games (as one would expect). Friday brings about a matchup with Miami's Goran Dragic, one of the few constants on a roster that has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play. Paul's dished out ten assists or more in four of the last six games for the Clippers, including a current three-game streak that began with his 20-point, 20-assist night against New Orleans. Not guaranteeing another 20/20 night for Paul, but he should do well against the Heat. (Getty)
PG: Reggie Jackson, Detroit
Opponent: at Washington
Price: $5,600
Jackson's slowly but surely shaking off the rust that comes with missing the first month of the regular season, most recently accounting for 20 points and six rebounds in a win in Dallas Wednesday night. With Jackson's FanDuel salary being what it is, looking to him as your second point guard would not be a bad approach to take. Jackson's been right around the 30-minute mark in each of the last three games, and he should only see more minutes as time wears on. (Getty)
SG: Avery Bradley, Boston
Opponent: vs. Charlotte
Price: $7,200
Bradley's coming off of one of his best games of the season, as he tallied 25 points, ten rebounds, six assists and three steals in the Celtics' loss in San Antonio Wednesday night. Friday night brings about a matchup with a Charlotte team Bradley enjoyed a great deal of success against in their first meeting, as he finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on October 29. On that night Boston had its full starting lineup available, and that will once again be the case Friday night. Bradley may not score 31 points again, but he's good enough on both ends of the floor to have an impact worthy of FanDuel selection. (Getty)
SG: Lou Williams, Los Angeles Lakers
Opponent: at Philadelphia
Price: $5,600
After a run of five straight games of 24 points or more, Williams has scored a total of 30 points over the last two games. D'Angelo Russell's return has changed some things with the starting lineup, but that really doesn't impact Williams given his role with the second team. Williams has shot 8-for-24 from the field over the last two games, so it isn't as if he arrives in Philadelphia on a hot streak. The bet here is that, facing another team likely headed to the NBA Draft lottery, Williams will turn things around. (Getty)
SF: Gordon Hayward, Utah
Opponent: at Brooklyn
Price: $7,700
With point guard George Hill (concussion) back on the sideline after making his return to the lineup, Hayward will once again have more his plate from a playmaking standpoint. That isn't a concern either, due to the combination of Hayward's skill set and the fact that he's going up against one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. Brooklyn is currently ranked 30th in points allowed, 26th in defensive rating and 24th in effective field goal percentage defense. Look for Hayward, who's tallied 38 FanDuel points or more in four of his last seven games, to have another good night. (Getty)
SF: Otto Porter, Washington
Opponent: at Houston
Price: $5,800
Averaging just under 28 FanDuel points per game on the season, Porter has fallen short of that mark in four of his last five games with the exception being his 49.1-point effort against Milwaukee on December 26 (32 points, 13 rebounds). That being said, Porter was productive in the first meeting of the season between the Wizards and Rockets, accounting for 20 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and one blocked shot. Houston's playing better now than they were at the time of that game, but this is still a matchup where Porter can benefit from the attention likely to be paid to guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. (Getty)
PF: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee
Opponent: at Chicago
Price: $7,200
Parker has met or exceeded his FanDuel average for the season (32.2) in five of his last six games, most recently tallying 33.7 points against Minnesota Friday night. On Saturday he and the Bucks face a struggling Bulls team, which could bode well for Parker from a productivity standpoint. In two games against Chicago this season, Parker's averaging 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, shooting 63 percent from the field. (Getty)
PF: Taj Gibson, Chicago
Opponent: at Milwaukee
Price: $5,300
Gibson was also productive in the Bulls vs. Bucks game, finishing with 19 points and four rebounds. At minimum Gibson should be able to reach his FanDuel average for the season of 25.1 points per night. How Chicago adjusts on the second leg of a back-to-back remains to be seen, especially with veterans such as Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo playing heavy minutes Thursday night. Gibson's young enough to not feel too much on the back end of a back-to-back, and this was it. (Getty)
C: DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers
Opponent: at Philadelphia
Price: $8,400
With Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (knee) ruled out, this is a good night to add Jordan to your FanDuel roster. Averaging 34 FanDuel points per game on the season, Jordan has scored at least 34.1 FanDuel points in four of his last five games. The lone exception was his 33.4-point night against the Hawks, a team that had both Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard on the court. With Philadelphia without its best big man, this could be a big night for Jordan even without Chris Paul on the court to throw him alley-oop passes. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for December 16