We have a relatively subdued Friday night with on six games on FanDuel’s main slate. There are multiple teams on the second of a back-to-back set with the expected noteworthy season debut of the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum only 10 months after suffering an Achilles tear.

Slate Overview

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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, March 6 at 1:00 a.m. EST:   

Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics (-15.5) (O/U: 222.5)Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets (-6.5) (O/U: 228.5)Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets (-6) (O/U: 221.5)New York Knicks (-1) at Denver Nuggets (O/U: 229.5)New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns (-6) (O/U: 224.5)Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (-8) (O/U: 224.5)

Friday’s projected totals are somewhat low with the rare instance of a mid-size slate all showing sub-230-point figures. The spreads present a more encouraging picture other than the Celtics’ massive advantage over the Mavs.

Injury Situations to Monitor   

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Deni Avdija, POR (back): DOUBTFUL

In Avdija’s likely absence, the rest of the Trail Blazers starting five should continue to see elevated usage while Matisse Thybulle and Sidy Cissoko could log most of the small forward minutes.

Jayson Tatum, BOS (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE

Tatum is likely to make his season debut on Friday per sources. And if he indeed suits up, he’ll likely operate off the second unit with a minutes restriction.

Other notable injuries:

Dejounte Murray, NOP (rest): OUT

Norman Powell, MIA (groin): OUT

Darius Garland, LAC (toe): OUT

Aaron Gordon, DEN (hamstring): OUT

John Collins, LAC (neck): OUT

Mark Williams, PHO (foot): OUT

Josh Hart, NYK (back): QUESTIONABLE

Brandon Williams, DAL (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE

Trey Murphy, NOP (neck): PROBABLE

Elite Players

We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday’s slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,600), Victor Wembanyama ($11,800), Jaylen Brown ($10,100) and Kawhi Leonard ($10,000).

Jokic went off for 58.9 FD points over 37 minutes during the hard-fought win over the Lakers on Thursday, his sixth in the last seven with more than 52. 

Wembanyama exploded for 76.7 FD across 38 minutes against the Pistons Thursday and has eclipsed 48 during eight of the last 10, though fatigue could factor in on Friday as San Antonio will be on their third matchup in four nights.

Brown appears likely to welcome Jayson Tatum back to the floor on Friday and comes in averaging a robust 45.7 FD.

Leonard has produced 43.6 and 44.6 FD during his last two outings, yet draws a tough defensive matchup against his former Spurs squad. 

Go to RotoWire’s NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!

Expected Chalk

Other likely chalk plays include:

Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,800)

Sengun’s production has been a bit up and down of late, but faces a Blazers team he scored 68.5 FD against during their prior meeting this season.

Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,500)

Murray recorded 41.3 FD on Thursday against the Lakers while also boasting tallies of 58.4 and 64.6 within the last four.

Kevin Durant, HOU ($9,400)

Durant posted 46.7 FD in Thursday’s OT loss to the Warriors, his third effort over 46 from the last four.

Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,700)

Brunson has eclipsed 42 FD from back-to-back tough matchups against the Raptors and Thunder, so he should be highly rostered in a more favorable scenario versus the Nuggets.

Cooper Flagg, DAL ($8,200)

Flagg recorded 46 FD across only 25 minutes during his return from a foot injury on Thursday, so he’s likely to be very popular Friday with a projected minutes boost.

Key Values     

Miles Bridges, CHA vs. MIA ($6,500)

Bridges admittedly turned in a clunker against the Celtics on Wednesday by only scoring 15.6 FD over 30 minutes, yet had scored 25.1 to 38.1 in three of the previous four and is set to face a Heat team on Friday he’s averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 32.6 FD against during their two prior meetings this season. Miami continues to make for a good target allowing the fourth-most FD points per game to power forwards (49.1), including 51.9 in the last 15 games. They’re also conceding the fifth-most rebounds per game (55.5), further adding to Bridges’ appeal.

Jabari Smith, HOU vs. POR ($6,100)

Smith returned from a two-game absence on Thursday against the Warriors and finished with 20.2 FD across 42 minutes. During an 11-game sample between Jan. 29 and Feb. 23, he averaged 36.5 FD while shooting 53.8 percent – including 47.0 from behind the arc. The versatile forward could be in a good spot to get back to that type of production on Friday as he boasts tallies of 32.5 and 38.1 FD from the last two of three matchups against the Trail Blazers. Portland is also giving up an average of 45.3 FD to power forwards through the last 15 games and over three more rebounds on the road (54.3) than at home (51.2).

Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. DAL ($5,500)

As mentioned earlier, Tatum is expected to make his season debut on Friday and will likely be limited to around 20 minutes during his first action in 10 months. He’s been participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages for more than a week without any restrictions, so he should hit the floor with a certain degree of confidence. Even when factoring in rust, Tatum has the ability to generate strong per-minute production and his salary will obviously not remain this low moving forward. The Mavs are also on the second night of a back-to-back after a wire-to-wire battle against the Magic on Thursday while already allowing the sixth-most FD points per game to PFs over the previous 15 (49.6).

ALSO CONSIDER: Coby White, CHA vs. MIA ($5,400)

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The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.