Stan Son provides his thoughts and insights on DFS options for Friday’s NBA slate on DraftKings.

There are seven NBA games on Friday’s main slate. No teams are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.

This article was written on Thursday night. Any changes will be updated. Keep track of all the injury news at DK Network.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Friday 8’s [$100K to 1st]

Guard

Stud

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls ($9,800)

Maxey is coming off a game in which he shot 3-of-14 from the field and finished with 25.8 FPTS. I’m not expecting a repeat, as the Bulls are 23rd in defensive rating and second in pace. Maxey loves to get up and down the court and this environment should be perfect for him. The beautiful thing with Maxey is that he plays close to 40 minutes a night.

Other Options: Josh Giddey ($9,400), Kevin Porter Jr. ($9,000), Devin Booker ($8,900), Trae Young ($8,800), Desmond Bane ($7,700), Derrick White ($7,600), Brandon Ingram ($7,500), Norman Powell ($7,100), Anthony Black ($7,000), Coby White ($6,700), Cam Spencer ($6,600), Collin Gillespie ($6,400)

Value

Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors ($4,000)

Johnson was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 draft. He was known for his shooting prowess and work ethic. At only 19 years old, the game hasn’t looked too big or fast. He’s not starting and is only playing in the low-20s off the bench, but Johnson has been getting buckets while chipping in some rebounds and dishing out a couple of dimes. Over the last five games, Johnson has put up over 20 FPTS in all with a high of 34.8 FPTS.

Other Options: Davion Mitchell ($5,200), Jared McCain ($4,700) if VJ Edgecombe is out, TJ McConnell ($4,400), Hugo Gonzalez ($4,200), Vit Krejci ($4,200), Jamaree Bouyea ($3,400)

Forward

Stud

Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat ($10,000)

I thought there was a chance that Johnson would slow down after Trae Young returned to action. Nope. Johnson has continued to thrive and be a nightly triple-double threat. Over the last 11 games, Johnson has triple-doubled five times and just missed out on a few more. He’s put up over 50 FPTS in all but one of those contests with five over 70 FPTS. Miami is first in pace and could be without Bam Adebayo for this one.

Other Options: Jaylen Brown ($9,600), Scottie Barnes ($8,500), Brandon Miller ($7,400), Norman Powell ($7,100), Paul George ($7,000), Santi Aldama ($6,900), Dillon Brooks ($6,300)

Value

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards ($5,500)

Jakob Poeltl is out for this one so Mamukelashvili will make his sixth start of the season. In the prior five starts, he averaged 31.4 minutes, 16.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. On the season, he averages a respectable 0.93 FPTS per minute. Washington is eighth in pace and dead-last in defensive rating.

Other Options: Bobby Portis ($5,900), Kyle Kuzma ($5,400), Matas Buzelis ($5,200), Jay Huff ($5,000), Hugo Gonzalez ($4,200), Vit Krejci ($4,200), Asa Newell ($3,400)

Center

Stud

Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks ($6,200)

The range of outcomes has been extremely wide for Ware this season. He was in the Spoelstra doghouse at times, got elevated to the Spoelstra penthouse, only to be tossed into the Spoelstra outhouse. Some of it was due to his play. Other times it was matchups. Whatever the case may be, Ware could put up 12 FPTS or go for over 50 FPTS. You just never know. Last week, Ware played alongside Adebayo and received around 30 minutes a night, putting up over 20 and 10 with defensive stats. That was good for 48.5, 51 and 57.2 FPTS. Then on Tuesday, he only played 21 minutes and contributed five points and nine rebounds. Shrug. Adebayo is questionable for this one so it could be the solo Ware show. Even if Adebayo plays, I think Ware could still have a good game because both teams like to play fast, so there should be plenty of opportunities to rack up fantasy goodies.

Other Options: Joel Embiid ($8,300) if he plays, Alex Sarr ($7,500), Onyeka Okongwu ($7,300), Derik Queen ($7,000), Santi Aldama ($6,900), Nikola Vucevic ($6,700)

Value

Moussa Diabate, Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic ($4,600)

I am a huge Diabate fan because of the way he plays. Diabate is undersized but he hustles his butt off, runs the floor in transition and is a Tasmanian devil on the boards. Two games ago, he put up 36 FPTS in 28 minutes. On Tuesday, he got the start and played 36 minutes, finishing with 37.5 FPTS as Ryan Kalkbrenner was out. Well, Kalkbrenner is out for this one as well, so Diabate should get the nod and play over 30 minutes once again.

Other Options: Bobby Portis ($5,900), Andre Drummond ($5,800) if Embiid is out, Neemias Queta ($5,700), Jock Landale ($5,600), Sandro Mamukelashvili ($5,500), Wendell Carter Jr. ($5,500), Jay Huff ($5,000), Asa Newell ($3,400)