Stop if you've heard this one before but Rudy Gobert has tested positive for COVID, and this time he's not the only one as Utah barely has the 8 minimum players to take the court tonight in Toronto. The Jazz had done a relatively good job of avoiding protocols, but the reality looks like every team is probably going to have to go through this at some point.

The good news is that as Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, etc. head into protocols, guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, and John Collins are back or will be shortly.

On to the 9-game Friday slate

Tonight's Key NBA Matchups

Bucks @ Nets (-4.5) , O/U 232.5 7:30 ET

It's a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference Finals and the start of the Kyrie Irving ping-pong situation for the Nets. Irving made his season debut in Wednesday's win over the Pacers but is back out of the lineup as he can't play home games due to New York's vaccine mandate. Giannis Antetokounmpo is (likely) back for Milwaukee after clearing protocols.

Jazz @ Raptors (-11.5), O/U 221 7:30 ET

Toronto is a huge favorite tonight as Utah is going to be playing with a skeleton crew. The Raptors have also played pretty well lately with four straight wins as they get closer to full strength.

Wizards @ Bulls (-6.5), O/U 225.5 8:00 ET

Chicago is riding an 8-game win streak and is well rested after not playing since Monday's 102-98 win over Orlando. One of those victories was a 102-99 win over these Wizards on New Year's Day behind 35 from Zach LaVine (47fp), 28/9/5 from DeMar DeRozan (45fp), and 22/12 from Nikola Vucevic (41fp) which could make them targets again tonight. Bradley Beal had 64 fp in that game with 27 points and 17 assists.

Kings @ Nuggets (-7.5), O/U 225.5 9:00 ET

Nikola Jokic blew up for 26/21/11 on Wednesday against Utah for a 75fp night. The Kings have allowed a 14 and 16 rebound game to Clint Capela and Omer Yurtseven this week so it's another Jokic ($12k) night.

Hawks @ Lakers (-3), O/U 225.5 8:00 ET

John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Jalen Johnson are all expected to rejoin the Hawks in L.A after clearing protocols, and the Hawks should also get Trae Young in the lineup after he sat on Wednesday to rest a bruised back. L.A has won 4 of 5 and should be well rested being off since Tuesday.

Cavs (-6) @ Blazers, O/U 217 10:00 ET

These two teams have combined to lose 9 of 11 games so something has to give. Darius Garland returned from protocols for Cleveland on Tuesday and hadn't skipped a beat with a 27/4/10 line (50fp). Portland continues to be without Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, but Anfernee Simons has stepped up with 43 and 28 real points the last two games. Of course Simons' salary has also jumped from $4.1 to $6.2k in the process.

Tonight's Point Guard / Shooting Guard Notables

Darius Garland DK $9.3k FD $8k vs. Clippers

• Great FD pricing after 27/4/10 line in his return to the lineup on Wednesday (which came on 9-26 shooting)

• Portland allowed 15/12/13 to Russ Westbrook and 56 points / 14 assists to Trae Young at the PG spot this week (Kyle Lowry had 25fp in 17 mins vs. Blazers Monday before getting ejected)

Josh Giddey DK $7.6k | FD $7k vs. Minnesota

• On some sort of rebounding tear with 28 boards last two games

• Had 14/15/6 Wednesday vs. the Timberwolves (43fp)

• Minnesota 3rd worst rebounding team

• Has 10+ assists in 4 of the last 7 games

Anfernee Simons DK $6.2k | FD $7.5k vs. Cleveland

• A bit pricey on FD, but has still hit 6X this DK price last two

• Averaging 35 points, 7 assists, 19shots, and 38 mins last two games

• Cavs have a top 10 backcourt defense but have allowed 26 real points to Ja Morant and 35 to Trae Young over the past week

Patrick Beverley DK $5.5k | FD $6.8k @ Oklahoma City

• Still, great DK pricing with 6X in four straight even topping out at 31 minutes

• Went for season high 20 points Wednesday vs. the Thunder (40fp)

• One turnover or less in 8 of the last 11 games

Tonight's SF / PF Notables

Kevin Durant DK $10.3k | FD $11k vs. Milwaukee

• Kyrie Irving back out of the lineup in a home game

• Bucks rank 27th vs. the SF position over the last 20 games

• Playoffs are a different beast, but Durant had a 100 and a 73fp in games 5 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year vs. Milwaukee (both in Brooklyn)

Kyle Kuzma DK $8k | FD $8.1k @ Chicago

• Spencer Dinwiddie and Montrezl Harrell could be back tonight, but minutes could also be limited after neither has played since December 26th

• Kuzma is a rebound shy of four straight 24+ point double-doubles, including 29/12 New Year's Day vs. the Bulls

• Bulls rank last vs. the PF position over past 20 games (39.69 fppg)

Furkan Korkmaz DK $5.1k | FD $5.5k vs San Antonio

• SF eligible, but getting a third straight start at the SF position

• 36 and 40 minutes last two games as Philly plays without Shake Milton, Danny Green, and Tyrese Maxey

• Spurs have allowed 30+ fp to 3 of past 4 SGs

Tonight's Center Position Notables

Jarrett Allen DK $8.3k | FD $8.2k @ Portland

• Nice pivot on a Nikola Jokic / Joel Embiid / KAT center night

• Has improved each of the last three games since a return to the lineup

• Portland has allowed 14+ rebounds to 3 of the last 4 starting C's

• Allen had 24 points and 17 rebounds vs. Trail Blazers on November 3rd

Chris Boucher DK $5.9k | FD $5.1k vs. Utah

• Should be some blowout minutes available here with Utah incredibly shorthanded, which includes missing Rudy Gobert and possibly Hassan Whiteside on the interior

• Had 19 rebounds in his last start on December 28th against Joel Embiid and Philadelphia

_______________________________

You can follow me, Carl Taylor (@dailydogsports), on Twitter for more daily fantasy and sports betting talk and make sure to check out the LineStar chat.

🚨 Bonus: Get 3 Free Months of LineStar Premium

Stuck in DFS?

Try something new for a change, MKF is pretty legit and a lot of fun.

If you're looking to try something new to switch it up, we'd appreciate you supporting us by going through the link below and using Promo code: LINESTAR

Get 3-months of LineStar Premium for new users to Monkey Knife Fight who deposit/play $10!

Terms: Partnership offers do NOT renew. See Monkey Knife Fight landing page for full terms and conditions. Must be a new user to MKF and deposit and play a minimum of $10 to qualify. If you have an existing LineStar Premium subscription you get a Hat/Tee/Pen combo instead of the 3-months.