With eight games to choose from with high totals and close spreads, this is looking like a very intriguing Friday NBA DFS slate. The pricing has been tight, making strategy and research all the more crucial. At RotoViz, we have you covered with many tools that will boost your DFS game. The RotoViz game Splits App allows you to query teammates on and off on the floor while measuring their output versus certain opponents. The NBA Shot Screener allows you to exploit team defense tendencies to find areas to exploit or avoid. Finally, there is a Pace Dashboard and daily articles to bolster your DFS lineups daily.

A month remains in the NBA regular season. I encourage playing a little heavier than normal for this current stretch if you feel comfortable doing so. I say this because the trickery of the NBA schedule will start soon when a number of teams start to prioritize their health and future if they are out of the playoff race. With NBA seeding so tight and a glut of teams fighting for playoff seeding, motivation should be high throughout the NBA for the foreseeable future.

Games of the Night

The best games to target tonight will be HOU at CHI, BOS at DEN, GS at MIN, BKN at DAL, and WSH at SAC. These games not only feature high totals but also injury situations worth exploiting if news breaks the right way. Nikola Jokic remains questionable as he battles an illness that has forced him to miss the past two games. If Jokic is out, loads of value open up, especially for Wilson Chandler and Mason Plumlee. They will both benefit from a matchup with a Celtics team yielding the tenth and seventh most points to small forwards and centers.

The Magic tip off with the first game after lock and watching Nikola Vucevic news will be vital. If he is out, Evan Fournier, Elfrid Payton, and Aaron Gordon will all receive sizable boosts. If both of these players miss tonight, you’ll want to get some of these players in your lineups as they will receive sizable usage increases.

Roster Construction

It looks like a night to pay up at point guard where a ton of stars find premier matchups. James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Wall, Stephen Curry, Isaiah Thomas, and Kemba Walker all have matchups that stand out. It will depend what you want to do with the rest of your roster. I may leave this position last and make sure I get at least one of these players on DraftKings. There is more value at the power forward and center positions, allowing us to roster these stars in great matchups.

Antetokounmpo really jumps off the page on DraftKings after putting up 70-plus fantasy points. He has averaged 55 fantasy points versus this same Pacers squad. Meanwhile, Kemba Walker has taken at least twenty shots in each of his last four games and hasn’t dipped below 26 real life points over his last six. He has struggled in his past two matchups versus the Magic, posting only 28 fantasy points, but has produced admirably in the past versus this team.

The Celtics have the second highest implied team total, making Isaiah Thomas a premier play facing a Nuggets team allowing the second most fantasy points. You will want exposure to this game, and Thomas is really one of the few Celtics players that posses DFS upside

The Bulls sit bottom five against point guards over the past month and just gave up a huge triple-double to Elfrid Payton. It is hard to comfortably fit James Harden without lots of value, even considering Harden’s matchup with a Bulls team that has allowed 50-plus fantasy outings seven times this season to point guards.

Paying mid-range prices at shooting guard will allow your lineups to have exposure to players in great situations.

Klay Thompson, Dwayne Wade, Seth Curry, and Patrick Beverley all will see great matchups. Thompson sneakily has been the biggest beneficiary of the Kevin Durant injury as he’s posted a 5.9 percent usage differential and 1.29 fantasy points per minute. Wade and Curry are playing in high implied totals against defense-deficient teams who rank bottom seven in points allowed to the two guard position.

There is not much to get excited about at small forward. Andrew Wiggins, Khris Middleton, and Harrison Barnes represent ways to spend here. Wiggins has struggled in his previous matchups with Golden State but will not have to deal with Durant tonight. Wiggins has attempted over 16 field goals in his past 15 games and is a cash play with huge tournament upside. The Pacers are ranked seventh worst against small forwards while Khris Middleton is playing over 30 minutes and averaging 36 fantasy points per his past five games.

Power forward and center represent pay down spots to round out your lineups. Here Trevor Booker, Marvin Williams, and Bobby Portis stick out as players seeing an opportunity boost tonight due to injuries. Booker will be relied upon to play both power forward and center at times with Brook Lopez is out. Bobby Portis will see a minutes boost with coach Fred Hoiberg keeping Nikola Mirotic out of the rotation. All of these players are priced below the mid range to allow you to spend up elsewhere.

Center does not really have a lot of opportunity cost tonight unless you want to pay up for Karl Anthony Towns.

Greg Monroe and Clint Capela remain tournament options with big upside due to minute unpredictability. Monroe has particularly feasted versus this Indiana team this season.

The mid tier has a number of players seeing sizable minute boosts due to injuries while checking in with premier matchups. Dirk Nowitzki, Mason Plumlee, Cody Zeller, and Robin Lopez in particular stand out. This equates to a perfect storm for DFS, making these players usable in all formats tonight.