RADIO
There are four games on Friday night's slate, and already it's looking like Alex Caruso is up for a low-price, high-ownership night. Despite Caruso becoming a fan favorite among more than just Laker fans, his nightly production is fairly weak. Since he isn't a consistent shooter and his scoring seems to rely on dunks and easy looks around the rim, his fantasy upside is limited. Usually Caruso is good to fade against any opponent, but since there is sure to be some extra garbage time thrown around, Caruso should be first in line when it comes to usage and running the second unit.
He runs well with the starters, but he also still needs to work on his scoring and that's where most of his upside lies. With LeBron James already listed as out for this game, look for him to get a significant boost in minutes compared to when these two teams met earlier this month and Caruso barely played.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 2/27/20. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Find me in the NBA Chat Room and @HalfCourtJester on Twitter.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Malcolm Brogdon - PG, vs. POR ($5,900)
The Pacers went through a prolonged struggle in early February, but Malcolm Brogdon has stayed consistent throughout. He might have had one or two bad games during the stretch, but none were enough to keep Brogdon away from filling the stat sheet and the Trail Blazers backcourt defense has not improved since losing Lillard. His price is low and Portland's 22nd ranked defense versus opposing point guards is going to struggle to keep Brogdon from contributing in his usual way, scoring from all three levels and incorporating his teammates.
Buddy Hield - SG, @ OKC ($5,900)
The biggest issue with this pick is that the Thunder defense is no joke and they rank 3rd for a reason. That being said, Buddy Hield facing a tough defense is, somewhat, what we want. The more the defense can force individual production the better it is for DFS players. With the chance that his ownership is extremely low, his price is right in the area that should keep most players away, but not high enough to really ruin any upside.
Alec Burks - SG, vs. NY ($4,000)
This should be the most important play for Friday. Not only did the 76ers lose Joel Embiid, but their offense is going to come from an entirely new set of players. While Al Horford, Shake Milton, and Furkan Korkmaz all have incredibly high upside with the injuries, Alec Burks is the only real natural scorer of the bunch. Since he is pretty much guaranteed usage this contest, I'd gladly take the chance while his price is so low. Since it's the Knicks and whatever happens this game, Philadelphia is still likely to change it up versus the Clippers the following game, Burks IS offense and the 76ers need some of that.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Abdel Nader - SF, vs. SAC ($3,500)
Since Abdel Nader has seen an increase in minutes over the past month, going from just over 10 minutes a game to the 18 he averaged over the previous week, it's getting harder and harder to simply fade him as a super-value play each night. The Thunder have been winning and play a much weaker opponent on the first night of a back-to-back, so Nader should see a few extra minutes versus a weak opponent defensively, not to mention it's a team he has already scored 15 points on this season.
Markieff Morris - SF, vs. GSW ($3,900)
Speaking of garbage time, with the LeBron James injury news, it makes sense the Lakers would try to get Markieff Morris a little more acclimated with the team and, more importantly, their schemes. His debut was nothing special and after scoring just four points in 14 minutes, it's going to take another game or two before we see, exactly, how the Lakers want to incorporate Morris into the offense. In other words, Morris' price is basically an unknown, and as a versatile big, this game just so happens to work directly in his favor since he plays more like a power forward.
Al Horford - PF, vs. NYK ($4,800)
Despite Al Horford being an utter disappointment in DFS, almost on a nightly basis at this point, he needs to be played Friday. Since Embiid is missing this game, offense is going to come from anywhere and the 76ers are going to rally around the fact that both their superstars are out. Horford will get usage, but he actually needs to do what he has struggled to do lately, produce. He's playing the Knicks. I know of all games this would be another game for Horford to disappoint, but it's the Knicks, everyone on Philadelphia is walking into this game with confidence.
FanDuel DFS Centers
JaVale McGee - C, @ GSW ($3,600)
Not only are the Warriors competing for worst defensive frontcourt in the league, but they have the luxury of facing former center JaVale McGee. Both the Lakers and 76ers are going to be easy teams to stack with both of their best players missing, but don't be afraid to look at someone like McGee, since he is going to be doing as much as he can to help the offense without the main facilitator. He always makes the most of his minutes and when there are special circumstances, like tonight, McGee tends to exceed those expectations.
