This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Friday's NBA slate presents plenty of opportunity for DFS players, with multiple games offering exploitable matchups, shifting rotations, and value created by injuries. This breakdown of NBA DFS picks for DraftKings leans on the latest NBA injury report, projected NBA starting lineups, and recent NBA player stats to highlight top plays, chalk options, and salary-saving values. Using updated NBA projections and lineup context, this guide is designed to help optimize roster construction for both cash games and tournaments. Stay ahead of late news and evolving roles as NBA lineups lock and the slate comes into sharper focus.
NBA Games Today
MIA at ATL: Heat on three-game slide, 5-10 on road; Hawks on four-game slide, 5-9 at home
CHA at ORL: Hornets 4-6 in last 10 games, 3-12 on road; Magic 10-4 at home
TOR at WAS: Raptors 4-6 in last 10 games, 10-6 on road; Wizards on two-game slide, 2-10 at home
BOS at IND: Celtics on three-game win streak; Pacers on six-game slide
PHI at CHI: Sixers 6-4 in last 10 games; Bulls on four-game win streak
PHX at NOP: Suns 4-6 in last 10 games, 6-8 on road; Pelicans 5-5 in last 10 games, 6-12 at home
MIL at MEM: Bucks 4-6 in last 10 games, 4-10 on road; Grizzlies 6-4 in last 10 games; 6-8 at home
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
NBA Injury Report
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
MIA - Bam Adebayo (back): Doubtful; Tyler Herro (toe): OUT
ATL - Kristaps Porzingis (illness): OUT
CHA - Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow): OUT
ORL - Goga Bitadze (knee): Questionable; Jalen Suggs (hip): Doubtful; Franz Wagner (ankle): OUT
TOR Scottie Barnes (illness), Collin Murray-Boyles (illness): Questionable; RJ Barrett (knee), Jakob Poeltl (back): OUT
WAS - Justin Champagnie (illness): Questionable
IND - Aaron Nesmith (knee): OUT
PHI - Dominick Barlow (illness), VJ Edgecombe (illness), Joel Embiid (knee), Quentin Grimes (illness): Questionable
CHI- Patrick Williams (illness): Questionable
PHX - Grayson Allen (knee), Jalen Green (hamstring): OUT
NOP - Jordan Poole (ankle): Questionable; Herbert Jones (ankle): OUT
MIL - Gary Trent (calf): Questionable; Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf): OUT
MEM - Cedric Coward (heel), Ja Morant (ankle): Questionable; Zach Edey (ankle), Vince Williams (knee): OUT
Elite NBA DFS Players
Guards
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers 
($9,800) at Bulls
Maxey scored fewer than 20 points twice this season, with both occasions occurring within his last five outings. However, he faces a great opportunity to get back on track against the Bulls, who are giving up the league's third-most points per game. He also racked up 61.8 DK points in his previous encounter with the Bulls.
Desmond Bane, Magic 
($7,000) vs. Hornets
Bane reached the 20-point mark in each of the last three games and is averaging 25.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.0 blocks over that span. He is likely to keep it rolling against the Hornets, who are giving up the league's eighth-most points and third-highest field-goal percentage.
Forwards/Centers
Pascal Siakam, Pacers 
($8,100) vs. Celtics
Siakam is averaging 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals over the last 10 games, including two games with over 50 DK points and a high of 56.5. He should find room to prosper against the Celtics, who are giving up the league's eighth-most points and sixth-most three-pointers per game to opposing power forwards.
Paolo Banchero, Magic ($8,700) vs. Hornets
Banchero is finding his groove again, averaging 21.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists over the last five games, including a high of 66.5 DK points. He has a great chance to shine against the Hornets, who are giving up the league's highest field-goal percentage to opposing power forwards. He also finished with 49.3 DK points in his previous encounter with the Hornets.
Jaren Jackson, Grizzlies 
($7,900) vs. Bucks
Jackson is averaging 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.4 blocks over the last five games, including two outings with more than 55 DK points. He faces a favorable matchup against the Bucks, who are shorthanded in the frontcourt, and who are giving up the league's sixth-highest field-goal percentage to opposing centers.
Expected NBA DFS Chalk
Jaylen Brown, Celtics 
($9,600) at Pacers
Brown has reached the 30-point mark in each of his last seven appearances, averaging 32.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks, with a high of 61.0 DK points through that span. He has an ideal opportunity to keep it up against the Pacers, who are giving up the league's second-most free throws per game, as well as the third-most rebounds to opposing small forwards. He also finished with 51.3 DK points in his previous encounter with the Pacers.
Mid-Range NBA DFS Picks
Jaime Jaquez, Heat 
($6,000) at Hawks
Jaquez is in line for a boost in playing time and could be up for a start as the Heat deal with injury trouble. He is averaging 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the last 10 games, including a high of 43.0 DK points in that span. He has a good chance to stand out against the Hawks, who are giving up the league's seventh-most points per game, including the fifth-most points per game to opposing power forwards.
Saddiq Bey, Pelicans 
($5,800) vs. Suns
Bey has gone over 30 DK points in five of the last 10 games, with a high of 46.8, while averaging 17.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists over that span. He has a good chance to keep up the production by padding his stats against the Suns, who are giving up the league's fourth-most turnovers per game, and the ninth-most free throws per game to opposing power forwards.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Anfernee Simons, Celtics ($4,300) at Pacers
Simons has scored in double digits in seven of the last 10 games, averaging 12.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists over that span, including four games with more than 20 DK points. He is up for a good opportunity to boost his numbers against the Pacers, who remain shorthanded in the backcourt.
Hugo Gonzalez, Celtics ($4,200) at Pacers
Gonzalez is on a roll lately, averaging 8.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks over the last three games. He should keep the momentum going against the Pacers, who are giving up the league's third-most points and second-most rebounds per game to opposing shooting guards.
Moussa Diabate, Hornets 
($4,600) at Magic
Diabate has racked up 32 rebounds over the last two games and is in line for a second consecutive start while his squad is shorthanded in the frontcourt. He is likely to continue to shine against the Magic, who are giving up the league's seventh-most points in the paint.
