This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Although there are 10 games overall being played Friday night, the FanDuel main slate is a more manageable seven-game slate. That might well be a sweet spot for DFS purposes and there's the added bonus of no teams being on a back-to-back set, but we do have a pretty busy injury report to monitor and a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the betting landscape.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, Jan. 9 @12:00 p.m. EST:
Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics (-10) (O/U: 222.5)
Philadelphia 76ers (-3) at Orlando Magic (O/U: 226.5)
New Orleans Pelicans (-2.5) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 242.5)
Los Angeles Clippers (-4.5) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 215.5)
Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5) at Memphis Grizzlies (O/U: 230.5)
Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets (-1) (O/U: 234.5)
New York Knicks (-1) at Phoenix Suns (O/U: 228.5)
As mentioned earlier, we have a combination of some appealing metrics and some more concerning ones on the betting side. While there's only one double-digit favorite, we have a couple of games with projected totals under 223 points. Some key injuries could also lead to more lopsided outcomes than the current spreads imply, and it's possible that focusing primarily on the Pelicans-Wizards game ends up being the best path to DFS success.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (ankle): OUT
In SGA's absence, Ajay Mitchell will likely draw a spot start at point guard, while Jalen Williams should especially be set for extended usage with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein also sidelined.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Leonard isn't able to play, James Harden will see his usage shoot up exponentially, while Nicolas Batum could draw a start at small forward.
Scottie Barnes, TOR (knee): DOUBTFUL
In Barnes' likely absence, Collin Murray-Boyles could draw a start at power forward, while the rest of the starting five will see a notable uptick in usage.
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Embiid is sidelined, Adem Bona and Andre Drummond will be primed to handle the majority of center minutes.
Trae Young, WAS (quadriceps): DOUBTFUL
In Young's likely absence, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson could hold down the fort at point guard.
Other notable injuries:
Nikola Jokic, DEN (knee): OUT
Ja Morant, MEM (calf): OUT
Chet Holmgren, OKC (lower leg): OUT
Franz Wagner, ORL (ankle): OUT
Jalen Suggs, ORL (knee): OUT
Saddiq Bey, NOP (hip): OUT
Josh Hart, NYK (ankle): OUT
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC (calf): OUT
Brandon Ingram, TOR (thumb): QUESTIONABLE
Trey Murphy, NOP (back): QUESTIONABLE
CJ McCollum, ATL (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
Jamal Murray, DEN (ankle): PROBABLE
Michael Porter, BKN (knee): PROBABLE
Aaron Gordon, DEN (hamstring): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Friday's slate – Jalen Johnson ($10,700), Tyrese Maxey ($10,500), Kawhi Leonard ($10,200) and Jamal Murray ($10,000).
Johnson will continue in his usual high-usage role that is now long term with the departure of Trae Young, and he checks in looking to bounce back from a slight downturn against the Pelicans (33.1 FD points) in his most recent game.
Maxey may take the floor without Joel Embiid and will be looking to extend a streak of 44+ FD-point performances to eight games.
Leonard's status will need to be monitored due to the questionable tag, but if he's announced as available, he'll be looking to score over 40 FD points for the 11th consecutive contest.
Murray will continue to operate without Nikola Jokic and comes into Friday having scored over 53 FD points in three straight contests.
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 has scored 42 FD points or more in nine of the last 10 games, which should keep him a very popular play Friday.
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($9,800)
Banchero has scored over 46 FD points in five of the last six contests, a sample that includes four games over 51 FD points, numbers that should keep him very popular Friday.
Michael Porter, BKN ($9,300)
Porter has scored 42 or more FD points in four straight and has flashed a ceiling north of 50 FD points on numerous occasions, making him very appealing at his salary.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,200)
KAT has had his ups and downs but has scored over 46 FD points in two of his last three games and carries a much higher ceiling, making him a potential value at his salary
Jalen Williams, OKC ($7,900)
Williams should be extremely popular with both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren sidelined, a scenario where he'll see his usage skyrocket.
Key Values
Cam Spencer, MEM vs. OKC ($6,400)
Spencer is one of several players that will be in position to take advantage of a key absence Friday. In the second-year guard's case, it's Ja Morant's, and Spencer is averaging 30.9 FD points over the first three games of his teammate's current stint on the sideline. Spencer has averaged 30.5 FD points overall in the seven turns he's had with the first unit this season, and Friday, the matchup against the Thunder isn't as daunting as usual with all of Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein sidelined.
Jordan Poole, NOP at WAS ($6,100)
Trey Murphy remains questionable as of this writing due to a back injury, but irrespective of whether he's available or not, Poole remains an intriguing play against his old Wizards squad. The veteran guard has eclipsed 31 FD points in four of the last eight games, and making that all the more intriguing is the fact he's come off the bench in three of those four instances. He also has a tally of 27.2 in that sample while on the second unit, so he's a viable tournament option even if Murphy is active. The matchup and game environment are also enticing, considering the game carries a tight spread and projected total north of 240 points, not to mention the Wizards play at an Eastern Conference-high pace at home and are surrendering an Eastern Conference-high 46.3 FD points to shooting guards in the last 15 games.
Ajay Mitchell, OKC at MEM ($5,500)
Mitchell is primed for a spot start for SGA on Friday, making him an excellent value proposition at his current salary. The second-year guard is averaging 30.6 FD points over his seven starts this season, a sample where he's averaged 30.3 minutes per contest and shot 50.7 percent, including 45.5 percent from behind the arc. Mitchell frequently does an excellent job supplementing his fantasy production with steals as well, and the Grizzlies check in conceding the fifth-most FD points to point guards (53.1) in the last 15 games while ranking in the bottom half of the league in steals per game allowed (8.7).
ALSO CONSIDER: Aaron Wiggins, OKC at MEM ($4,600)
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