After being limited to just one game on Thursday, the NBA schedule is absolutely loaded heading in to Friday night’s action with 13 games on the slate. That means plenty of options on the board for your DraftKings daily NBA fantasy lineup. We’ve got some sleeper picks for you that should provide some under-the-radar value and help lead your team to a win.
PG – Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns
The Suns are in the midst of a push to make the playoffs and Bledsoe has been their best player, which makes him a valuable play for their date with the Blazers on Friday night. Bledsoe has averaged 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6 assists per game over the last 15 days and he should have another strong performance with Portland in town.
If you’ve been reading the injury wires and saw the Bledsoe has an illness, don’t sweat it. He played through it on Wednesday and got the day off on Thursday to rest up. He’ll be good to go Friday.
SG – James Harden, Houston Rockets
Forget about value plays when it comes to selecting a shooting guard for Friday night as nobody will come close to matching Harden’s production at the position when Houston hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves rank 30th in the NBA in points per game allowed while Harden’s points per game is up to a league-leading 27.4 over the past 15 days, creating the perfect matchup for a performance you cannot afford to miss. In the month of March, he’s pouring in 28.0 points, 7.3 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 threes and 1.7 steals. You can’t pass that up on Friday.
SF – Rudy Gay, Sacramento Kings
Gay has been on a tear over the past couple of weeks averaging 23.9 points per game along with 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Suffice to say the hiring of head coach George Karl has been a boon to his production. He will have a chance to continue his tear in New Orleans on Friday. The Pelicans have been decent defensively but in two meetings with the Kings this season, have given up an average of 102.5 points per game. Gay has been very consistent of late and represents the best value at small forward.
PF – Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns
DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis will match up against one another when the Kings clash with the Pelicans on Friday. Combined with the fact that LaMarcus Aldridge might not play against the Suns makes Morris an excellent value play to fill out the power forward spot.
Morris has averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 rebounds for Phoenix over the last 15 days and has also pitched in with 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game over that span. There are a couple of other options on the board but Morris might be the best value play.
C – Andrea Bargnani, New York Knicks
Derrick Favors is another decent option here but what about Bargnani as a value play at center for a matchup against the Celtics on Friday night? Bargnani has been underrated from a production standpoint since his return to the Knicks lineup as he has consistently registered double-digit point totals over the past couple of weeks. A lot of fantasy general managers want to run for the hills with the mere mention of Il Mago, but consider that his minutes have shot up drastically since the All-Star break. He was playing just 13.3 before the break but after it, he’s averaged 29.6. In the month of March, Bargnani is producing 15.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.4 threes, 2.9 free throws and 1.8 assists. While that’s not pretty, it’s fairly respectable for what you’re going to pay for him.
While he isn’t consistent in terms of rebounding, he has sprinkled in a couple of blocks in some games and a favorable matchup versus Boston means he could put up some decent numbers in Friday night’s game as a valuable sleeper play.
