This is one of the unique slates of the season. What’s weird is that it starts at 1ET and will be over by 6ET. The reason for the early slate is fairly obvious because most eyes will be fixated on the big game in the NFL. In any case, we still get five games here, and it should make for some fun before you all hit your watch parties!

If you have any comments or questions, reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel.

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Most Value Per Dollar 

Below is a list of the top-10 players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.

While we haven’t had any spreads released yet, it looks like the Clippers game is the only one that could be a double-digit spread. The Washington-Charlotte game should have the highest total, while the Indiana-Utah and New York-Miami games should be the lowest.

If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros.

Jimmy Butler (MIA) $8,700:
Butler has been bludgeoning opponents recently, and we’ll discuss that more in the studs section later on.

Cody Zeller (CHA) $5,800:
Zeller is in the best stretch of his career right now, averaging 32.2 FanDuel points per game across his last six outings. That might increase with P.J. Washington sidelined, especially against the worst defense in the NBA.

Myles Turner (IND) $6,900:
This price tag is too cheap. Turner is averaging 37 FD points per game and will be needed to play big minutes opposing Rudy Gobert.

Tristan Thompson (BOS) $4,200:
With Daniel Theis, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart all potentially missing this game, Thompson should be rebounding at will. That’s big news with him averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds over his last three games, especially at just $4,200.

LaMelo Ball (CHA) $7,800:
LaMelo has been starting recently, and it’s been a long time coming. He’s scored at least 35 FD points in four of his last five games while averaging 42.3 fantasy points per game in that span. We obviously love that against the fastest pace team in the NBA.

Jeremy Lamb (IND) $6,000:
Lamb has been in this section a lot, and it’s easy to see why. He’s scored at least 29 FD points in five of his last seven games, which is a huge total from a $6K player.

Kemba Walker (BOS) $5,700:
Walker has a usage rate north of 25 percent, and he should only get better as the season progresses. If Smart and Brown are both out here, Kemba’s impossible to fade at just $5,700.

Elfrid Payton (NYK) $5,100:
Payton averaged over 25 FD points per game in the first three weeks and has scored at least 35 fantasy points in each of his last two games. A terrible stretch before lowered his price to this number, but it makes him worth a shot in a GPP.

Kawhi Leonard (LAC) $9,900:
Kawhi should crush in this matchup, and we’ll discuss that more in the next section.

Mitchell Robinson (NYK) $5,200:
It’s weird to see Robinson in this $5K range. He’s got a 50-point upside with his impressive per-minute career averages, and he’s one of the only guys with legit 10X upside.

Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day

Studs Worth Their Salary

• Bradley Beal (WAS) $10,800: Beal just had the worst game of his season on Friday, but that has lowered his price. Before that, Beal had at least 40 FD points in every game this season en route to a 50-point average. That’s really no surprise when you see that he leads the NBA in usage rate and shots taken.
• Jayson Tatum (BOS) $10,200: Tatum was already the man before all of Boston’s injuries, but he’s a usage beast now. He’s scored at least 55 FD points in back-to-back games while taking at least 26 shots in both of those outings. Look for that to continue with Smart and Brown both out.
• Kawhi Leonard (LAC) $9,900: Kawhi has scored at least 33 FD points in every game this season, scoring at least 49 fantasy points in 11 of his 20 games. Today, we love him because of this matchup, with the Kings ranked dead-last in defensive efficiency. That was on full display when Kawhi dropped 58 FanDuel points on them just three weeks ago. If Paul George is out, Kawhi should be in every lineup out there.
• Jimmy Butler (MIA) $8,700: Since returning from the COVID list, Butler has been a stat-stuffing machine. In fact, he’s averaging 22 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, scoring at least 45 FD points in all four fixtures since his return.

 Notable Players to Fade

• Devin Booker (PHO) $7,400: Booker’s scoring has been fine, but this guy is just not doing much else with Chris Paul stealing all the assists and Deandre Ayton swallowing up rebounds. In fact, Booker is averaging just 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game for the year, failing to crack 30 FD points in five of his last six games. We obviously can’t trust that against a stingy Celtics defense.
• Buddy Hield (SAC) $6,500: Hield is one of those guys who thrive on good matchups. That’s definitely not the case here, likely garnering a date with either Kawhi or PG13. In his last three meetings with the Clippers, Buddy is averaging just 19.7 FD points, shooting 10-of-29 from the field. He also went 1-of-11 from the field on Saturday as well.
• Tyler Herro (MIA) $5,800: With Butler both back, Herro’s usage drops. He was actually relegated to bench duties on Friday, and one would have to believe his fantasy production will keep falling as well. Facing a second-ranked Knicks defense certainly won’t help either.
• Devonte’ Graham (CHA) $5,500: With LaMelo in the starting lineup, Graham’s role is bound to fall off. That’s scary with his 35 percent field goal percentage, and one would have to believe he’ll be relegated to the bench sooner rather than later. UPDATE: Graham has been ruled out because of a groin issue.

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Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. Our Lineup Optimizer allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players we’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.

Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.