Unlike a high school party that combined an open fire and a can of hairspray - the brows are still there. Specifically Anthony Davis has stayed with the Pelicans through the trade deadline (as largely expected) and not many other big names moved despite what the fake Adrian Wojnarowski Twitter accounts say. It's kind of a limbo time for the NBA right now as the trade deadline has passed and the all-star break is looming. Players psyches are going to be a bit off, so now is the best time to mix in a little 'gut' plays with the analytics...maybe.

Tonight's Headline Games

Nikola Jokic headlines a big night at the C position as the Denver Nuggets take on the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid didn't play when these two teams met on January 26th and Jokic went for 32/18/10.

What kind of value does Karl-Anthony Towns have with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a back-to-back vs. the New Orleans Pelicans? KAT had a 27/27 night vs. New Orleans on January 12th in what was also leg two of a B2B.

Is it about time for a Sacramento Kings letdown? The Kings are getting about 80% of the public wagers as -3 home favorites vs. the Miami Heat. Hassan Whiteside had 24 rebounds when the teams last met in October.

You have to get out your programs to see who is still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers but there could actually be a ton of fantasy points when they meet the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Guards

David Nwaba (DK: $3,700 FD: $4,300 Y! $10) Ownership: 2.4%

On paper, you have to at least like the unknown factor of Cleveland's David Nwaba. He's got almost every trend going for him tonight including Washington being absolutely atrocious on defense, especially vs. the SG position where they rank 30th over the past 5 games. Granted a 62 and 54 point fantasy night from Giannis Antetokounmpo skew the numbers a bit but John Collins put up 32.75 on 2/4 and Cedi Osman had 49.25 on Washington on 1/29. Osman is out and Nwaba takes that roll on Friday.

Shabazz Napier (DK: $4,700 FD: $5,700 Y! $17) Ownership 8.24%

One thing you like about Shabazz Napier is when he's not launching - he's dishing. The Brooklyn PG has 13+ fg attempts in 6 of the last 7 games. He only managed 4 attempts vs. Denver on Wednesday but also dished out 11 assists. Napier should see solid minutes vs. the Bulls on Friday in what is expected to be a down pace game (+44%). In two games vs. Chicago since January 1st Napier has 18 and 24 points scored.

Eric Bledsoe (DK: $6,700, FD; $7,800 Y!:$28 ) Ownership 3.39%

Some people are laying off Eric Bledsoe vs. the Mavs tonight because it looks like a chase game after he posted a 22/6/11 night vs. Washington on Wednesday. The truth is Friday's game could be even better with Khris Middleton out vs. Dallas. Giannis Antetokounmpo is also a GTD with a knee issue, so Bledsoe should have another huge night. He's scored 39+ fantasy points in four plus and the Mavs are 22nd defensively vs. the PG position.

Forwards

Lauri Markkanen (DK: $7,000 FD: $8,100 Y! $31) Ownership 14%

Chicago has a lot of new things going on with the acquisition of Otto Porter, Jr. and the departure of Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis. There's still not enough to deter you away from Lauri Markkanen vs. Brooklyn on Friday, however. Cristiano Felicio is now the longest tenured Bull and Markkanen is, for all intents and purposes, the leader of the team moving forward. He's put up 42+ fantasy points in 4 of the last 5 and with Porter questionable to be cleared and Zach Lavine battling an ankle injury, there's no reason to think that streak doesn't continue - unless Brooklyn blows the Bulls out of the water.

Tim Hardaway, Jr. (DK: $4,900 FD: $6,000 Y!: $17) Ownership 7.45%

Tim Hardaway, Jr. integrated himself nicely into the Dallas offense in his first game with his new team, managing 16 field goal attempts in just 26 minutes. Only 5 of those shots fell, but you have to think he's a bit more comfortable in his 2nd home game with the Mavs. Not only that, Harrison Barnes is off to Sacramento and Justin Jackson/Courtney Lee, who came over in return, may not be cleared by game time. Today's opponent, Milwaukee, is battling some injuries so there's no better time than now for Hardaway to launch a 45 point fantasy night.

Thomas Bryant (DK: $5,200 FD: $4,800 Y!: $14) Ownership 1.84%

Thomas Bryant isn't a bad plug-in option at PF as ownership is below 2%. There are a lot of reasons people are avoiding the Washington big man Friday, mainly because few expect him to replicate the 12/19, 14 rebound performance he had last time out vs. Milwaukee. Another reason to seemingly avoid Bryant tonight is because Washington is in a potential blowout spot vs. the Cavs. Have you seen the Wizards defense though? They're not in a blowout spot vs. anybody. Washington has allowed 130+ points to 4 of the last 6 opponents. Plus, the big night that Bryant just put up came in a 19 point loss to the Bucks. So he sees court time regardless of the score - even with the new acquisitions Washington just received.

Center

Hassan Whiteside ( DK: $6,800, FD: $8,000 Y! $25) Ownership 3.62%

A shout out to Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, and all the other top tier centers in action tonight that have driven Hassan Whiteside's ownership down. The Heat should be more than +3 underdogs at Sacramento on Friday, which means an upset could be brewing (trap game). If that's the case, Whiteside should continue to produce, as he's done with a 40 and a 55 point fantasy night the last two outings. Whiteside just went for 28/11 and 19/13 while logging 30+ minutes both games. He also went for 16/24 vs. the Kings' front court back in October.

Utility Player

Nikola Jokic (DK:$10,400 FD:$11,200 Y!51) Ownership 18%

Today's lineup leaves $11,000 left over, which puts everybody but Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis in play. The ownership for Nikola Jokic is kind of high considering there are many reasons to fade him. First off, he's had some down games on the road lately including a 30 fp night in Detroit on 2/4 and a 41 fp outing 1/28 at Memphis. Not only that, the 32/18/10 (77 fp) Jokic had vs. Philadelphia last time out was when the Sixers didn't have Embiid. Still, when you're just looking to plug in a utility player with leftover money - it's hard to argue against a walking triple-double machine....plus Embiid has been added to the injury report with an illness.

It's going to be an interesting weekend in the NBA as teams adjust to new faces come and old faces gone. Monday should start to get back to normal with a 9 game card. It is a 'holiday week' however as the league adjourns after a 3 game Thursday slate for all-star weekend. Let's make the most of it while we can. Until then, feel free to follow Carl Taylor (@dailydogsports) for more daily fantasy and sports betting insights and oversights.

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