FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Friday 11/12/21

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy basketball is very reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate

Three pending returns are actually the highest-salaried injury news on the slate.

Though they've been absent for roughly one or two weeks, the Lakers' LeBron James (abdomen), the Pelicans' Brandon Ingram (hip), and the Suns' Deandre Ayton (lower leg; doubtful) are all inching toward a return that could even happen Friday. Largely, salaries have been adjusted, so it would just be a cross-off of the existing value options.

In fresh news from Wednesday, Nikola Vucevic will now miss some time for the Bulls due to COVID-19 protocols. Tony Bradley and Alize Johnson are options but far from strong ones.

Elsewhere, Draymond Green injured his thigh for Golden State on Wednesday. He didn't return to that game, and he is questionable at best for Friday.

Tyrese Haliburton is a definite question mark to miss a third straight game with a back issue for Sacramento. Buddy Hield would draw a third straight start.

Portland's road trip may continue without Norman Powell. The wing has a quad injury and is questionable for Friday's contest with Houston.

The Detroit Pistons also will now be without productive big man Kelly Olynyk for six weeks with a significant knee injury. The largest news there is a defined, secure role for Isaiah Stewart.

Atlanta could be without Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) and De'Andre Hunter (wrist) for a second straight game. That lofted Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish into 30-minute roles.

Memphis also might be missing Steven Adams due to an ankle injury. If he sits, Jaren Jackson Jr. sees a role boost, and Brandon Clarke might be an interesting dart off the bench.

Guards

Ja Morant ($9,300): More than in years past, guard is harder to find quality studs at on a nightly basis. Luka Doncic isn't seeing the same minutes and role he once had, Stephen Curry defers some nights, and Russell Westbrook is only worth his new salary if LeBron sits. Morant actually has the best role and recent production in this tier despite the "sticker shock" compared to last season. Morant's 32.9% usage rate and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute rate are both values for this salary despite the tougher matchup against Phoenix.

D'Angelo Russell ($7,100): In a revenge spot for the former Laker, Russell has plenty of upside at this salary. He showed that on Monday against the Grizzlies with 50.1 FanDuel points -- the third time he's exceeded 39 FanDuel points in eight games. His role has actually stayed for the Timberwolves over Karl-Anthony Towns (27.5% usage rate), and especially at a lower salary, his shooting is easier to trust on a nightly basis than Anthony Edwards. He's a great mini-stack with Westbrook if LeBron sits again.

Lonzo Ball ($5,800): Any 30-plus-minute point guard under $6,000 in salary will see popularity, and Ball is no different. However, he is a core play for me because of the lift he might see without Vucevic. Ball has always been a tremendous rebounder for a guard, and his 5.61 rebounds per 36 minutes this season hasn't changed that. Without Vucevic, it's possible a couple more boards slide his way as Chicago likely plays small. He's a good value in a vacuum but a great one when contextualizing Vuc's absence.

Others to Consider:
James Harden ($9,600): His role no longer depends on scoring. Once his 39.3% shooting turns around even for one night at a four-digit salary...kaboom goes the slate.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,900): At least 40 FanDuel points in five of his last six games for those inclined in cash games.
Jalen Green ($5,100): Cade Cunningham saw his salary shoot up, but Green did not. Still a fair value for 20-point scoring upside. A good matchup with Portland.
Kemba Walker ($4,600): All Knicks starters got benched last game, so I'm willing to buy here. Still 26-plus minutes in seven of his last nine games with plenty of upside.

Wings

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,600): I never have valued floor in NBA daily fantasy the way I have this year. Stars seem to defer or shoot bricks at a record pace this season, and many flop on a nightly basis. Antetokounmpo had a nightmarish start to his last game with just 13.9 FanDuel points at halftime, and he rallied to 51.0 FanDuel points overall with a tremendous second half in a blowout script. No, he wasn't optimal, but that just shows his ability and security even on a wayward night. Giannis' 1.67 FanDuel points per minute production is solid gold.

Will Barton ($6,700): Barton may see a reduction in popularity after back-to-back 40-plus FanDuel scores, but he shouldn't. Monday's score came with Nikola Jokic active, and it's because Denver's offense is so much more efficient with "The Joker" that Barton can still score even without the gaudy 28.9% usage he had Wednesday. The Nuggets will still be missing Michael Porter Jr. on Friday, and Barton has produced at 1.12 FanDuel points per minute in that floor situation this season. He's still under-salaried for his new role.

Saddiq Bey ($5,500): Bey has eclipsed 28 FanDuel points in 7 of his 10 contests this year, so he is under-salaried to start. Without Kelly Olynyk, Bey should continue to see a quality role that might even see a boost on the glass for him. Without Olynyk on their floor this season, Bey averages 8.13 rebounds per 36 minutes. With Olynyk, that drops to 7.62 per 36 minutes. It's a small change, but one or two boards could make the difference for a player already producing at his salary.

Others to Consider:
Jayson Tatum ($9,600): Took 24 shots in his first game without Jaylen Brown, but he didn't make many of them. His seven assists in the contest were a plus, too.
Buddy Hield ($6,000): Prefer him as access to the Haliburton injury over Fox at his lofted salary.
Luguentz Dort ($4,900): Finally found his shot and scored 27 points last game. He likely won't repeat that, but he doesn't need to at this salary mark.
Jae Crowder ($4,800): Under-salaried. Eclipsed 25 FanDuel points in four of his past six games. A useful addition to game stacks with Morant.

Bigs

Julius Randle ($9,400): Knicks' coach Tom Thibodeau did what I loathe NBA coaches for doing. He rode the Knicks' bench with a hot hand, and even with Randle reasonably productive (24.5 FanDuel points in 27 minutes), their star sat the final 14 minutes of Wednesday's game against Milwaukee. They lost (of course they did; sitting your best players is dumb), so I tend to take the approach that it means very little for Randle moving forward. His game with Charlotte is a tremendous one to stack with a 224.5-point total.

Robert Williams ($5,800): "Timelord" just needs minutes. Now, without Jaylen Brown, he's getting them. Williams has seen 30-plus minutes in three of his past four games. He's averaging 0.99 FanDuel points per minute this season as the low-water mark in his career, we know he can do damage with the extra court time. He's projected well and will be popular, but it's hard to turn him down compared to other value options on the slate.

Isaiah Stewart ($4,800): Stewart is the top value option in numberFire's model. I tend to agree he's a solid choice, as well. It's concerning that Stewart -- who has been struggling -- only saw 14 minutes against Houston on Wednesday when Olynyk was injured, though. Still, the natural assumption is a full-time role without Olynyk (31.16 minutes), which still makes plenty of sense when Detroit needs size. I certainly prefer using him over either of the Chicago dice rolls, Bradley and Johnson.

Others to Consider:
Nikola Jokic ($11,400): Still at 2.24 FanDuel points per minute without Porter Jr. so would love to get there if the salary complies. The game environment is poor, however.
Jaren Jackson Jr. ($6,500): Adams sitting would be a huge boost to Triple J. Likely could see 35-plus minutes for the first time all season.
Bobby Portis ($5,800): Portis started, scored 17 first-half points, and then was benched as the Knicks' second unit went small. Would still believe in a 30-plus minute role tonight.
Tony Bradley ($4,400): He's here out of obligation, but the salary was lofted for a reason. Not sure there's a ton of value likely starting for Vucevic, yet there's a definite need to manage risk by including him to combat heavy popularity.