Which players should you build around, and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Friday night's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Kyle Soppe, Joe Kaiser, and DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Renee Miller -- DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans
Cousins looked good Wednesday after missing two games with an ankle injury, playing 40 minutes and locking down a huge double-double with six assists and a block. Tonight, the Pelicans take on the Sacramento Kings, who have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers over their last 10 games. The total is relatively high, and New Orleans is a big favorite at home. Cousins is priced below $10K but is averaging more than 60 fantasy points in his last three games. And as I often say, Boogie has as much upside as anyone in the game. There, I've written four sentences about why Cousins is a good play tonight without mentioning revenge. I don't always buy into the narrative, but this is a narrative made for Cousins. His "Loyalty Collection" of clothing echoes his values, and new teammate Jordan Crawford has advised fans to have their popcorn ready for tonight's game. I think it's safe to say both that Cousins is in a terrific position skill-wise and matchup-wise to succeed tonight and that his new team will have his back in that endeavor 100 percent. If you missed out on the NFL Steve Smith Sr. revenge narrative (7 catches, 139 yards and 2 TDs in his first game against his former Carolina Panthers team), here's your chance to redeem it.
Joe Kaiser -- DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans
How can you not take a stroll down narrative street with this one? Cousins will be playing with a massive chip on his shoulder in this revenge game against the Kings team he played on for the first six-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career. That alone is worth paying up for Cousins on Friday, but it's also encouraging to see that he's scored 29 points or more in each of his last three games. He added 16 rebounds in two of those games too. If there were ever a time to buy into the revenge game narrative, this is it.
Kyle Soppe -- Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies
Marc Gasol has missed three straight games with a foot injury, and while he is still considered day-to-day, what motivation do the Grizz have to rush him back? They aren't likely to move in the standings over the final two weeks of the season. If Gasol does sit (or is significantly limited), Z-Bo will get the majority of the frontcourt minutes against the worst rebounding team in the NBA (Dallas Mavericks). The rebounding total feels like a given, so when you notice that Randolph has attempted at least 15 shots in a season-high three straight games since Gasol went down, we are looking at a high floor for the veteran tonight. With the 19th-highest usage rate in basketball this season (ahead of Blake Griffin and Giannis Antetokounmpo) and a nice matchup, DraftKings players should look for plenty of exposure, while FanDuel owners should consider him locked into all lineups.
Players to fade
Renee Miller -- James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden is a legitimate MVP candidate playing in the highest point total game of the slate and looking to avenge Tuesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors. He triple-doubled against them in that loss but is clearly dealing with a sore left wrist. Being on the second half of a back-to-back, on the road, and at less than 100 percent, as the Rockets prepare for the playoffs, I'm nervous about paying more than $12K for Harden on this slate. There are a ton of ways to spend the salary cap tonight ... you don't have to use it on Harden.
Joe Kaiser -- Skal Labissiere, Sacramento Kings
The rookie has been a popular bargain/value play in recent weeks, but tonight's matchup against the Pelicans' towering frontline of Cousins and Anthony Davis presents massive challenges for the skinny first-round pick. Avoid the temptation of using Labissiere tonight, regardless of his low price point, as it will be a longshot for him to reach double figures in either points or rebounds.
Kyle Soppe -- Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
I've recently been informed that I passed my limit on number of times in a month that I could fade Carmelo Anthony ... so I will say that I am not not fading him in this spot. As for Beal, I would still prefer him long term to Klay Thompson, but that's not the case tonight, despite them being priced in the same tier this evening. I'm not going to make this any more complicated than it needs to be: focus on the matchup. The Jazz are the third-most efficient defense in the league, and they function at the slowest pace in the NBA, so expectations need to be lowered before you dig deeper. But if you look through Beal's game logs, you'll notice that he is averaging 14.9 percent fewer points when Washington fails to score 100 points, a number I don't think they get to tonight. If that is in fact the case, you are counting on Beal producing fantasy points in a different fashion, and that's simply not the percentage play. The Wizards shooting guard has failed to record more than five assists-plus-rebounds in six of his last eight games and this isn't a great spot to reverse that trend. Why go with Beal when you have various options in the Rockets/Warriors game who are cheaper, or even a sneaky option in Josh Richardson?
