This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After a star-studded Christmas Day slate, we're primed for a typical big Friday night ledger with nine games on tap. There are no teams on the second leg of a back-to-back set, so we should see some relatively fresh legs taking the floor for a night that should feature plenty of competitive matchups.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, Dec. 26 @11:45 a.m. EST:
Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks (-3.5) (O/U: 248.5)
Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic (-6) (O/U: 230.5)
Toronto Raptors (-7.5) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 225.5)
Boston Celtics (-8.5) at Indiana Pacers (O/U: 221.5)
Philadelphia 76ers (-1.5) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 239.5)
Phoenix Suns (-5.5) at New Orleans Pelicans (O/U: 238.5)
Milwaukee Bucks at Memphis Grizzlies (-5.5) (O/U: 228.5)
Detroit Pistons (-10) at Utah Jazz (O/U: 244.5)
Los Angeles Clippers (-1) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 226.5)
The betting metrics paint a solid outlook for Friday's slate, as even the one double-digit favorite, the Pistons, are on the road and in a game that should still feature no shortage of useful fantasy performances considering the Jazz are their opponent. We also have what should be a premium DFS environment in the Heat-Hawks clash, and several other high-total games that carry plenty of upside.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Embiid is sidelined, Andre Drummond should draw a spot start and Tyrese Maxey and Paul George will see their usage increase.
Ja Morant, MEM (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Morant remains sidelined, Cam Spencer should draw another start at point guard, while Jaren Jackson should benefit from additional usage.
Bam Adebayo, MIA (back): DOUBTFUL
In Adebayo's likely absence, Kel'el Ware should draw a spot start at center, and the remainder of the first unit should see a collective bump in usage.
Scottie Barnes, TOR (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Barnes, who was added to the injury report Friday morning, can't play, the likes of Ochai Agbaji and Jamison Battle could share power forward minutes, while Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram should enjoy even more opportunity than usual.
Other notable injuries:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (calf): OUT
Tyler Herro, MIA (toe): OUT
Ivica Zubac, LAC (ankle): OUT
Franz Wagner, ORL (ankle): OUT
Jerami Grant, POR (Achilles): OUT
Kristaps Porzingis, ATL (illness): OUT
Grayson Allen, PHO (knee): OUT
RJ Barrett, TOR (knee): OUT
Jakob Poeltl, TOR (back): OUT
Jalen Suggs, ORL (hip): DOUBTFUL
VJ Edgecombe, PHI (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Friday's slate – Jalen Johnson ($11,000), Cade Cunningham ($10,700) and Tyrese Maxey ($10,200).
Johnson has continued to thrive despite the recent return of Trae Young, scoring 60.7 and 53.8 FD points in his last two games and 71.7 four games ago. He'll also be a central figure in what could be the best game environment of the slate Friday.
Cunningham has a premium matchup against the Jazz and comes in having scored over 51 FD points in four of his last five games.
Maxey could be taking the floor without both Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, which would make him all the more appealing in a favorable matchup against the Bulls.
Go to 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 ($9,800)
Brown has scored 49.3 to 62.1 FD points in his last three games, giving him the upside of a five-figure-salary player and likely making him very popular Friday.
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($9,700)
Banchero had an uncharacteristic clunker against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, but he'd scored 41.9 to 61.2 FD points in the three games prior.
Deni Avdija, POR ($9,600)
Avdija has delivered over 41 FD points in five consecutive contests, and his safe floor should continue to lock him into plenty of rosters.
Josh Giddey, CHI ($9,500)
Giddey will be a key part of what should be a fast-paced, high-scoring game against the 76ers, and he's supplied 47.7 to 58.7 FD points in three of his last four games.
James Harden, LAC ($9,300)
Harden could be due for some extra usage with Ivica Zubac sidelined and has posted 43.8 and 44.8 FD points in his last two games, numbers that should ensure his popularity.
Key Values
Mark Williams, PHO at NOP ($5,700)
Williams sees the occasional downturn in production due to minutes reductions, but he continues to offer excellent numbers on a per-minute basis and should be due for a normal workload in Friday's favorable matchup. The talented big man is averaging 31 FD points per game over his last 13 contests, registering 14.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in that span. The opposing Pelicans conceded 20.9 FD points in just 20 minutes to Williams back on Nov. 10, and New Orleans is now surrendering the fifth-most FD points per contest to centers (58.7). The Pelicans are also giving up a Western Conference-high 56.4 points in the paint per home game, while 76.0 percent of Williams' scoring comes from that part of the floor.
Tobias Harris, DET at UTA ($5,600)
There are several Pistons that have particularly bright outlooks for Friday's highly favorable matchup agains the Jazz, which are surrendering a Western Conference-high 129.5 points per home game while also averaging a league-high 109.3 possessions per contest in that split. Harris shapes up as a solid value option as a result, and he arrives with an average of 24.6 FD points over his last 12 games on the strength of 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists. The Jazz are an appealing target as well, considering they're allowing 48.3 FD points per contest to power forwards in the last 15 games, as well as 49.2 percent shooting overall.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, TOR at WAS ($5,000)
Mamukelashvili is in line for another start Friday due to Jakob Poeltl's already confirmed absence, and he comes in having supplied 33.7 FD points across 27 minutes against the Heat in a run with the first unit on Tuesday. The big man has averaged 32.1 FD points overall in his five starts thus far this season, a sample that even includes one showing of 40.1 FD points. The matchup could hardly be better for another strong performance Friday, as the Wizards are surrendering an Eastern Conference-high 62.7 FD points per contest to centers on the season, as well as the third-most points in the paint per home game (55.5). As a bonus, Washington is also conceding a co-NBA-high 15.3 made threes per home game, while the floor-spacing Mamukelashvili is shooting a blistering 41.2 percent from distance.
ALSO CONSIDER: Andre Drummond, PHI at CHI ($6,000)
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