NBA Friday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for January 10, 2025
Last updated: Jan 9, 2025, 11:58PM | Published: Jan 9, 2025, 7:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Friday DFS contest begins at 11:10am AEDT on January 10, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Friday and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Friday slate features these games:
- Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers
- Detroit Pistons vs Golden State Warriors
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors
- Phoenix Suns vs Atlanta Hawks
- Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets
- Orlando Magic vs Minnesota Timberwolves
- Utah Jazz vs Miami Heat
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the latest NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best picks on Friday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Trae Young (ATL, PG) | $20,100 | 49.4 | 2.5 |
| Value | Ty Jerome (CLE, PG/SG) | $8,030 | 27.6 | 3.4 |
| Fade | Luke Kennard (MEM, PG/SG) | $11,090 | 13 | 1.2 |
| Cheapie | Lindy Waters (GSW, SG) | $6,500 | 20.8 | 3.2 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Trae Young (ATL) | $20,100 | 49.4 | 2.5 |
| Value | Ty Jerome (CLE) | $8,030 | 27.6 | 3.4 |
| Fade | Luke Kennard (MEM) | $11,090 | 13 | 1.2 |
| Cheapie | Mike Conley (MIN) | $7,940 | 21.9 | 2.8 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Devin Booker (PHX) | $17,530 | 47.4 | 2.7 |
| Value | Ty Jerome (CLE) | $8,030 | 27.6 | 3.4 |
| Fade | Luke Kennard (MEM) | $11,090 | 13 | 1.2 |
| Cheapie | Lindy Waters (GSW) | $6,500 | 20.8 | 3.2 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Amen Thompson (HOU) | $15,990 | 45.6 | 2.9 |
| Value | Max Strus (CLE) | $8,190 | 24.6 | 3 |
| Fade | De'Andre Hunter (ATL) | $11,950 | 23.6 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Buddy Hield (GSW) | $9,430 | 27.7 | 2.9 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kevin Durant (PHX) | $17,860 | 45.7 | 2.6 |
| Value | Kyle Anderson (GSW) | $8,460 | 23.8 | 2.8 |
| Fade | De'Andre Hunter (ATL) | $11,950 | 23.6 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Kelly Olynyk (TOR) | $6,480 | 17.9 | 2.8 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Alperen Şengün (HOU) | $17,990 | 48.7 | 2.7 |
| Value | Jusuf Nurkić (PHX) | $8,030 | 23.6 | 2.9 |
| Fade | Naz Reid (MIN) | $10,990 | 22.1 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Kelly Olynyk (TOR) | $6,480 | 17.9 | 2.8 |
Conclusion
When building your NBA Friday teams, consider starting with a value player like Ty Jerome. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Trae Young is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Lindy Waters.
On the other hand, according to our model, Luke Kennard is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if building out multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Friday slate closes at 11:10am AEDT on Friday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Friday slate. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Friday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
