DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Friday 4/9/21

With nine games to choose from on Friday's slate -- which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST -- let's look at the top options across all five positions for NBA DFS.

Be sure to check out our projections, which are updated throughout the day as news breaks, and our other DFS tools such as advanced stats and a matchup heat map.

Here are some of the top plays on today's DraftKings slate. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Stephen Curry ($9,900) - Curry has no doubt been playing some great ball. He's averaging 36.5 points on 52.9% shooting and 40.4% from three over the last four, resulting in 53.3 DraftKings points per game in that span. In his two games at home, he's managed to knock down better than 55% of his shots in route to 51.75 and 55.0 DK points, respectively, building on his year-long success at the Chase Center. But the biggest reason to play Curry is beyond his individual stats. With the Warriors squaring off with the Wizards, we get a game featuring the NBA's fastest and third-fastest teams since the break, according to NBA.com.

T.J. McConnell ($5,600) - The Indiana Pacers are at what you would call less than full strength. They are going to be without Myles Turner, and both Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis -- the team's other primary distributors -- are questionable against the Orlando Magic. Although McConnell hasn't received a starting nod in Brogdon's absence, he has played 32-plus minutes in three of the last four and has an average of 33.4 DK points to show for it. He most recently racked up 15 assists in a high-scoring game with Minnesota, and that may not change against another inexperienced team in Orlando.

Shooting Guard

Bradley Beal ($9,300) - Again, this game is going to pile up the points, as indicated by its 241-point over/under at NBA Finals odds. No matter which side you're favoring to out-score the other, you can feel good starting at the top. And while Beal is playing just his second game back from injury, his minutes should exceed the 30 he played last time out, when he tallied up 26 points and 39.75 DK points. Beal is a prime tournament pivot to Curry and his cash-game appeal.

P.J. Dozier ($3,300) - As with Indiana, Denver has been dealing with an injury to their usual starting point man. Jamal Murray has sat out two straight games with a sore knee that renders him questionable to play Friday versus San Antonio. Monte Morris and Facundo Campazzo have drawn starts in his place, but Dozier has been the one stepping and doing more on both ends. Over the last two games, he's averaged 25.6 DK points a game thanks to contributions on the boards and on the defensive side of the ball. He doesn't have giant upside, but Dozier is one of a few decent values to target below $5,000.

Small Forward

Jaylen Brown ($8,000) - Of players in the $7,500 to $9,000 range, Brown possesses as high of a ceiling as anyone. Not only is he averaging 40.5 DK points for the year, but he's upped that to 41.2 when limited to only home games. In this stretch of five straight in Boston, he's averaged 22.4 points and 38.8 DK points, yet over a mere 31.8 minutes a night. Brown's averaged 34 to 35 minutes throughout most of the year, so he should play more so long as the game remains close. Mix in a Minnesota team that, per FantasyPros, allows 22.1 points and 44.4 DK points to small forwards, and you have the makings of a monster night.

RJ Barrett ($6,600) - Speaking of teams that do poorly versus the small forward position, Memphis comes into tonight dead last. Their 46.3 DK points against make them the only team allowing more than 45 per game to their opponents, or 1.5 points clear of Orlando. As for Barrett himself, the minutes and shots are still there. In the last 10 matchups, he's turned 35.9 minutes and 15.4 shots into 18.9 points and 32.6 DK points per game -- an average that includes six games above this evening's salary-implied output. He's poised to take advantage of the fantasy-friendly spot.

Power Forward

Draymond Green ($6,700) - There's no such thing as too much exposure in what will almost assuredly be the highest-scoring contest of the evening. You can look to Kelly Oubre or someone at a lower salary tier, but at this point, Green is a steal in the middle tier. He's been doing a lot of playmaking alongside Curry, and in the last three games he's scored in double digits, he has 28 combined assists, 2 double-doubles and no fewer than 34.75 DK points. He needs just 33.5 DK points to hit five-times value -- something that should come easier given the high-octane pace.

Bobby Portis ($5,700) - Believe it or not, Portis has been comfortably above one DK points per minute for the entirety of the season. And lately, he's enjoyed some big games both before and after the Giannis Antetokounmpo injury. Since March 22nd, the big man's managed 29.6 DK points per game despite only 21.6 minutes a game. Last time out, he reaped the benefits of his 28 minutes, as he posted a double-double and 33.75 DK points. Of course, this assumes Giannis is out due to his left knee concerns.

Center

Wendell Carter Jr. ($6,000) - Since moving from Chicago to Orlando, Carter has been almost fully unleashed. Though he's played an OK 26.8 minutes a game, he has shot 9% from the floor with much better scoring and rebounding numbers, not to mention 1.2 blocks on a per-game basis. Tonight, he'll look to convert his newfound groove into more production, facing a Pacers team that could be down to their third center in the middle. You could do a lot worse than save some $4,000 by going Carter over someone like Joel Embiid at this position.

Onyeka Okongwu ($4,000) - If you're into conserving your fantasy dollars at center, look no further than Okongwu. The 20-year-old rookie stepped up to make his second start of the season on Wednesday, with which he tallied 13 points, 11 boards and 33.75 DK points. After missing that one, Clint Capela has been deemed questionable for Friday and could be more likely to sit as he deals with Achilles soreness. If he's confirmed to be inactive, Okongwu could and should be highly-rostered everywhere.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.