Written by LineStar Fantasy NBA Writer @GP_Landry 

Friday is here and we've got eight games on the slate tonight. None of these teams are on a back to back. The injury report is long as usual but it's lacking big names for the most part. Mirotic and Payton are worth paying attention to for New Orleans, Caris LeVert opens up value for the Nets, Serge Ibaka is questionable and Derrick Rose is expected to play. Outside of those guys there isn't a whole lot with any noteworthy fantasy impacts.

I'm going to be on vacation next week through Monday the 26th. LineStar is having someone else cover the NBA newsletters while I'm out. Best of luck in your contests today and next week. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday.

Games to Target

Blazers @ Timberwolves (POR -1.5, 223 O/U)

Have to love the Portland side of this game. The Blazers are 16th in pace of play and seventh in points per game going up against the Timberwolves who are seventh in pace of play and 28th in opponent points allowed per game. A good offense in an up tempo game against a bad defense. Sign me up. Minnesota is at home and while Portland is strong defensively (6th in defensive rating and 7th in opponent points allowed per game) there should be enough opportunities in this game for Minnesota to put up fantasy points even if they are less efficient in this matchup. I don't love them, but if the game stays competitive there could be some players with good results. My focus in this game will be on the Portland side.

Knicks @ Pelicans (NO -10, 227 O/U)

I'm secretly hoping Mirotic and Payton miss tonight because the usage would be a lot easier to figure out. It may also give this game a better chance of staying close, as it's right on the cusp of potential blowout at the moment. The Pelicans have the highest implied total on the board and the Knicks are below average in most defensive categories. It is a slightly pace-down spot for New Orleans but not enough for me to be concerned about their ability to reach value here. I'm less interested in the Knicks side of this game mostly just because it's the Knicks. The only person I could really see myself using is Tim Hardaway Jr. but that will be a tough ask tonight matched up against Jrue Holiday.

Injury Report

Guards

Damian Lillard, POR (DK: $9.1K, FD: $9.4K)

With all the reasons I mentioned already for why I like the Blazers tonight, that means my list starts with Lillard. He has the highest usage rate of any point guard on this slate at 29.7%. He's also averaging 34.2 minutes per game (second to only John Wall at 34.8) and 1.26 fantasy points per minute (tied with John Wall). The difference here, of course, is the game environment for Lillard, where it will be pace-up against the Timberwolves who play at the seventh fastest pace in the NBA. Their defense ranks 28th in opponent points allowed per game this season and 25th in fantasy points allowed to the point guard position over their last five games. Lillard should be overly efficient against a soft defense and will have extra opportunities for scoring with the additional possessions they stand to pickup.

CJ McCollum, POR (DK: $6.5K, FD: $6.7K)

I'm not even going to try and hide my love for Portland tonight. The game environment is just too good and targeting teams that Minnesota plays against has worked out really well all season. There's serious potential for a Lillard, McCollum, and Nurkic stack to end up in my main lineup tonight. I forgot to mention with Lillard, but don't worry about the past performance of these guys against the Timberwolves earlier this month. Portland won that game by 30 points and none of the starters played more than 30 minutes. It's a total outlier situation. With Portland being on the road tonight, this game should be significantly more competitive. McCollum has been a bit volatile but we know what he's capable of from a ceiling perspective. We know he relies heavily on scoring for fantasy production, which is what makes this matchup so appealing. Minnesota is 25th in opponent field goal attempts allowed (93.4 per game) and they are also 21st in opponent field goal percentage allowed (46.5%). McCollum has put up 20 or more shot attempts in three of his last five games and should be able to do something similar in this spot tonight.

Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN (DK: $5.7K, FD: $6K)

He's still under priced for the extra usage he sees without LeVert on the floor. If we look at the usage matrix and take LeVert out, we see Dinwiddie with a 4.93% usage increase and an additional 7.93 fantasy points per game. He's already been averaging solid minutes in his role off the bench throughout the season and now has a chance to pick up additional minutes left behind by LeVert's injury. He's averaged 27.8 minutes per game and 0.98 fantasy points per minute over their last five games. This is a pace up game for the Nets against a Wizards team that is playing at the sixth fastest pace in the NBA. Washington is also ranked 27th in total defensive rating at 112.3 and 29th in opponent points allowed per game. With the additional usage he picks up, the chance for some extra minutes, the extra possessions, and the matchup against a bad defense it's hard to not like Dinwiddie at this price tonight.

Forwards

Kawhi Leonard, TOR (DK: $9K, FD: $9.7K)

I'm not a fan of using players against Boston. They play good defense (first in defensive rating) and they slow the game down (20th in pace of play) which can often make it difficult for opposing players to meet value. Toronto is actually projected to score 9.8 points below their season average. But the good news here is this bitter Eastern Conference rivalry always results in very competitive games, which should be no different here with a spread of just 1.5 points. That likely means a full compliment of minutes (and possibly even a few extra if it really goes down to the wire) for the star players in this game. Someone will need to be the difference maker in order to get a win tonight and if the last time these two teams played is any indication, then my money will be on Kawhi tonight (which sucks because I'm a Celtics fan). He crushed in this matchup earlier this season with 31 points and 10 rebounds, resulting in 51 fantasy points. He's averaging 1.23 fantasy points per minute, so if he falls in the 35+ minute range tonight, he should be able to exceed value even with the high price tag.

E'Twaun Moore, NO (DK: $5.2K, FD: $5.3K)

This feels a little like point chasing and I had attributed some of his recent success to Mirotic being out of the lineup but then he came back and played 34 minutes in their last game and Moore still played 38 minutes of his own and put up his second consecutive game with over 40 fantasy points. His usage rate is typically low but it has climbed to over 20% over their last five games and he's averaging nearly a fantasy point per minute, at 0.93, during that span. This is a solid game for fantasy production. The Pelicans have the highest implied team total on the board, taking on a Knicks team that is 25th in total defense and 22nd in opponent points allowed per game. The potential downside here is, of course, a blowout with the Pelicans favored by ten in this spot. But even then, Moore's minutes should still be pretty secure. He played 36 minutes in a 16 point victory on November 12th, 27 minutes in a 20 point victory on November 10th, and 21 minutes in a 13 point victory on November 1st. With the upside he's shown recently, in this matchup, and at this price tag, he's definitely someone worth considering on this slate.

Kyle Anderson, MEM (DK: $4.8K, FD: $5.9K)

This is all about the price and the minutes he's playing. Memphis continues to have one of the longer injury lists on a daily basis, which has forced Anderson into heavy minutes. His usage rate and fantasy points per minute are far from ideal, but anyone priced this low that is playing 34.2 minutes per game is worth paying attention to. This is a good spot for the Grizzlies, who are not typically an exciting team to target for DFS purposes. Today, however, they are taking on a Kings team that is second in the league in pace of play, a massive boost in opportunities for Memphis, and 25th in the league in opponent points allowed per game, a boost in efficiency for Memphis. The Kings are 27th in fantasy points allowed to the small forward position over their last five games. As long as we assume Anderson to continue with his heavy minutes (he's played 38 and 39 in their last two games) he makes for an excellent salary saver on this slate tonight.

Centers

Anthony Davis, NO (DK: $11.4K, FD: $12.8K)

In my eyes, you're either paying up for Giannis or "The Brow" tonight and with the Bucks game very likely to get out of hand, I'm more interested in Davis. The Pelicans are also double-digit favorites, so it's not impossible this game doesn't turn into a blowout either. But the way the Bucks are playing lately and with two New Orleans starters questionable to play tonight, I have a little more faith in this game being the one that stays relatively competitive. The Knicks are 27th in opponent points allowed in the paint, 22nd in opponent second chance points allowed, and 14th in rebounding. New Orleans, thanks in large part to Davis, is first in points scored in the paint, fourth in second chance points scored, and sixth in rebounding. They have a clear advantage in the paint and on the glass tonight, which should mean big things for Davis. Cap it off with the Pelicans having the highest implied total on the board tonight and you have all the ingredients for a monster game from Davis.

Jusuf Nurkic, POR (DK: $7.1K, FD: $8.1K)

We have to keep riding this train while it's rolling full steam ahead. He's now had over 30 fantasy points in eight straight games and 40 or more (55 in their last game) in three of his last six games. He's averaging 17.2 points and 12 rebounds per game during that span with a 26.2% usage rate and 1.52 fantasy points per minute. The question mark with him is always playing time, but he's coming off a huge game with 55 fantasy points in 35 minutes in a close contest with the Lakers. Tonight, we have nearly an identical situation to the Lakers matchup. The Timberwolves are fast, can score points to keep games close, and don't play defense. Exactly the same as the Lakers. If you liked Nurkic in that game, then you almost have to like him here tonight. He's a little more expensive today but as he proved last game, there's still more than enough room in his ceiling to exceed value. He's one of my favorite plays on the board tonight.

Freeroll

The NBA freeroll contests will take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on DraftKings:

• 1st Place: $10 via PayPal

• 2nd & 3rd Places: Your choice of one-month LineStar Premium, a t-shirt, or a coffee mug

• Bonus: If you place 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the LineStar Freeroll and you are using the LineStar avatar below, you will receive 2x that prize!

Here's a link for today's freeroll. 

Please Note - While you may enter the LineStar freeroll as often as you’d like, you can only win each prize 1 time.

Good luck today! Tag me in the LineStar Chat @glandry if you have any questions or feedback on the daily newsletters and hit me up on Twitter (@GP_Landry).

Like what you read? Give us a thumbs up below!