Thursday's return to the DFS action was interesting to say the least. The perfect lineup was somewhat, predictable(?), as it featured Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and a red hot Al Horford to name a few. You're going to need some big names on every card, but then again Thursday we saw Boban Marjanovic and Moe Harkless make their appearance on the perfect entry.

Finding the right mix of superstars and randos is the key to success...but man that can be frustrating at times. Let's see what we can dig up for Friday's 9-game affair.

Tonight's Headline Games

The Orlando Magic were quietly on a roll before the all-star break, winners of five straight and 7 of 10. Are the Magic actually in a blowout spot (-8) Friday vs. the Chicago Bulls?

The Denver Nuggets are back from the break and Nikola Jokic's ($10,100) already impressive numbers go up another 10% when well rested. Can the Dallas Mavericks get anything going at home where they are 20-9.

The Toronto Raptors went on a nice run before the break too winning six straight. The Raps are 24-5 at home and in a great spot to improve on that vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

Is Paul George one of the big names to get in the DFS lineup this evening? The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder played the Utah Jazz on 12/22, George had 43 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. Not bad.

Guards

Jamal Murray (DK: $6,300 FD: $6,600 Y! $20) Ownership: 9.68%

Denver's Jamal Murray is a good stack with Nikola Jokic tonight in what should be a high scoring affair vs. Dallas. The assist numbers should especially be there for Murray, dished out 15 dimes while putting up 22 points. Murray has logged 31+ minutes in the four games back from injury, getting solid shot attempts with 17, 20, 12, and 8. He had a down game vs. the Kings before the break but is fresh and should be productive tonight.

Reggie Jackson (DK: $5,600 FD: $5,700 Y! $17) Ownership 6.69%

The Detroit Pistons have a favorable matchup vs. the Atlanta defense tonight and one of the best bets for a big fantasy night is Reggie Jackson. The Hawks are 30th defensively vs. the PG position this season and have given up 46+ fantasy points to three of the last five vs. that slot. Jackson has at least 16 points in 7 of 8 and has 6+ assists in five of them. Atlanta allows an astounding 42.4 fppg to point guards however.

Ricky Rubio (DK: $5,800, FD; $6,400 Y!:$19 ) Ownership 5.73%

Ricky Rubio should thrive tonight vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder who are 2nd in the NBA in pace. When the teams met back in late December for example he had 12 points but also 14 assists and 7 rebounds. Rubio averaged 15 fga the last two games before the break and has posted at least 32 fantasy points in 5 of the last 7.

Forwards

Rudy Gay (DK: $5,400 FD: $6,000 Y! $19) Ownership 7.44%

The Spurs front court has the best chance of putting up the points vs. Toronto tonight and since Lamarcus Aldridge is a GTD with an illness that puts a lot of the potential for Rudy Gay. The PF had a very solid 15/12/8 night the last game before the break and put up 25 points the game before that. The Raptors are also 30th vs. the PF position defensively. Although it's been a few years, Gay is still familiar playing in Toronto where he spent the 2013 season.

Jabari Parker (DK: $5,500 FD: $5,600 Y!: $16) Ownership 10.88%

Jabari Parker seems to have found a nice spot with the Washington Wizards. In four games with Washington, Parker has two 20+ point games. He's also grabbed at least 5 rebounds in each contest, including 11 in his debut. Parker has logged 34 minutes in two of those games and has put up 39+ fantasy points in three of four. That should continue vs. Charlotte, who doesn't have a lot of depth in the front court.

Terrance Ross( DK: $5,300, FD: $5,500 Y! $16) Ownership 9.8%

Can we expect a bounce back game for Terrance Ross Friday vs. the Bulls? He did have a solid 21 points before the break, but had been held to 3, 18, and 15 prior to that. Ross got 26+ minutes in back-to-back games in early February and responded with 42 fantasy points in each outing. One of the reasons Ross' production is down isn't his fault, it's been that the Magic have been so good (16+ point wins in four straight). If a fresh Chicago team can keep it close behind Lauri Markkanen and Zach Lavine then Ross should return to his 35-40 point fantasy range.

Center

Nikola Jokic (DK: $10,100 FD: $11,000 Y!: $44) Ownership 11.82%

A play for Nikola Jokic here is going to cost some cash, but it still leaves a solid $6,000 for the utility position. Overall the Mavs have been solid vs. the C position (5th defensively), and have even maintained that solid play after the DeAndre Jordan trade. The last time Denver played Dallas on December 18th however, Jokic had 32 points and 16 rebounds. The Nuggets MVP candidate had three 60+ fp games in four outings before the break and should be ready to rock in this one.

Utility Player

Derrick Rose (DK:$5,700 FD:$5,600 Y!18) Ownership 1.59%

We'll see how 9 days off did for Derrick Rose, who had been battling ankle injuries prior to the all-star break. The T'Wolves are up against the Knicks tonight, a team that actually won their last game before the break. Rose returns to MSG and some people have Men-In-Black-ed from their mind that he used to be a member of the Knicks. Late breaking news is that Karl-Anthony Towns was in a vehicle accident so there may be even more offensive opportunities for a rested Rose on Friday.

Since it's the short week, stay tuned for a special Saturday edition of the Linestar Daily Dribble. The regular season is getting into the nitty gritty and we need to take advantage of as many large cards as we can and there's 12 games to plow through tomorrow! Until then, feel free to follow Carl Taylor (@dailydogsports) for more daily fantasy and sports betting insights and oversights.

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