Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Friday's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Jim McCormick, Joe Kaiser and Kyle Soppe, plus DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Renee Miller -- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
There's a lot to like on this slate, and narrowing it down to one player to build around is tough, but James gets one of the best positional matchups of the night and is playing with a lot of determination right now. He has scored at least 30 points in five of the Cavs' past 10 games, adding double-digit rebounds or assists in six of those. This game has one of the higher totals of the night (222 points), and while Cleveland is the decent home favorite, I think James enjoys high enough usage (30.4 USG) and efficiency (29.9 PER) -- both tops among small forwards and top 10 in the league overall -- to put up another 55-plus fantasy-point game.
Kyle Soppe -- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
I've gone to this well before and I'm back in tonight. Ricky Rubio is out, something that should result in Mitchell having the ball in his hands even more than normal ... and that's saying something, given that the rookie ranks 22nd in the usage rate. Yes, his price tag is on the rise, but you're looking at a player who is averaging nearly 18 shots a night this month and offers sneaky versatility by averaging 6.0 rebounds-plus-assists to go along with 1.4 steals in November. That sort of involvement is more than worth investing in, considering that the Nets (fastest-paced team in the NBA and the seventh-least-efficient defense) aren't going to consistently slow anyone, not even the occasionally stagnant Jazz.
Joe Kaiser -- Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers
Pick a Laker, any Laker. Step right up. That's the approach on Friday, as the Lakers host the Suns, a team that surrendered 90 points in the first half to the Rockets on Thursday. Don't expect Phoenix's defense to be any better while playing in the second game of a back-to-back, and with all the Suns' defensive struggles in the frontcourt, I expect Kuzma to have a monster game as a scorer and rebounder.
Jim McCormick -- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
The Nets are surrendering 44 fantasy points per game to point guards using FanDuel's scoring key, which is the fourth-worst allowance in the league. Rubio, who is ninth in the NBA with 85.5 touches per game, has been ruled out for this contest. This means Mitchell, who is already enjoying a rewarding surge in usage and offensive freedom of late, can enjoy this matchup with the fastest-paced team in the league.
Players to fade
Renee Miller -- Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
There are a lot of ways to spend money tonight, but PG isn't my favorite. I think you can do very well in the Jeff Teague/Jrue Holiday range, where a high floor and good matchup provide some value. Westbrook faces the Spurs in one of the slowest, lowest-scoring games. The Spurs aren't the top defensive team they have been in the past but still rank in the bottom of the league in fantasy points allowed to point guards. As I've said a few times here, Westbrook isn't the triple-double threat he was last season with new talent around him. Let his price drop another $1,000 or so before considering him on these deep slates.
Kyle Soppe -- Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
Love is capable of getting hot at a moment's notice, but this is a spot I'm willing to pass on him. With Kyrie Irving in Boston and Isaiah Thomas still sidelined, common logic was that Love would be as involved as ever in the first half of this season, but that really hasn't been the case (his usage rate is actually down a touch from last season). His rebounding numbers have been sporadic (three games with at least 13 boards this month and three games with no more than six) and with him playing less than 30 minutes in five of eight November games, I'm not sure the ceiling is as high as we assume. The potential one-on-one matchup with Blake Griffin is also a major concern, because if they square off, foul trouble feels inevitable. There are enough frontcourt options to fade Love on this full slate.
Joe Kaiser -- Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
In order for Love to reach his salary value, he needs to have a big game as a rebounder, and that won't come easy against a Clippers frontcourt with one of the game's best -- DeAndre Jordan -- as well as Griffin. Jordan, in fact, is third in the league with 13.4 rebounds per game. This makes Love too risky, since he'll likely have to rely heavily on scoring in order to reach his salary value against the Clips.
Jim McCormick -- Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Mavericks are 27th in defensive rating this season, allowing 108.6 points per 100 opponent possessions. This would imply a soft matchup for Butler, but the combination of his still lofty pricing, highly variant scoring pattern this season and the fact the Mavs are 20th in pace and prone to slow things down all serve to deflate my expectations for him tonight. I could be wrong about this one, since we've seen Butler's offense wake up at times over the past week, but on such a huge slate, there are too many unchecked boxes for me to invest in Butler.
