Tuesday’s card was pretty ugly. We had just five games in total, and many of them were hampered by injury reports. That will be a trend for the rest of the season, though, as the injury report shows later on.
After a meager five-game card on Tuesday, we’re back to a full 11-game ledger here. That makes the player pool massive, and there’s a lot to decipher with so many injuries out there. If that’s not enough, we also have five teams playing a back-to-back. Dallas, New Orleans, and Sacramento are in the back half while Atlanta and Boston start their B2B here. That’ll surely cause chaos as well, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
Check out today’s NBA Layup from FanDuel 
Schedule and Odds
- POR at CLE (POR -3) O/U: 220
- NYK at IND (IND -2) O/U: 218
- BOS at ORL (BOS -6) O/U: 215.5
- CHI at PHI (PHI -1) O/U: 216
- TOR at WAS (WAS -3) O/U: 218
- ATL at BKN (BKN -4.5) O/U: 218
- LAC at MIN (LAC -) O/U: 217
- DEN at MEM (MEM -2) O/U: 213
- DAL at SAS (SAS -1) O/U: 216
- CHA at GSW (GSW -6) O/U: 225
- NOP at SAC (SAC -5) O/U: 218
Injury Report
Core Plays
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,400 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
Jokic will probably be in this section or the cash game section every day from here on out. The simple fact is, this is the most reliable player in fantasy basketball. The big man has a 42-point floor and a 60-point average dating back to last season. We also don’t mind that Memphis owns a 23rd OPRK against opposing centers, either.
Tuesday’s card was pretty ugly. We had just five games in total, and many of them were hampered by injury reports. That will be a trend for the rest of the season, though, as the injury report shows later on.
After a meager five-game card on Tuesday, we’re back to a full 11-game ledger here. That makes the player pool massive, and there’s a lot to decipher with so many injuries out there. If that’s not enough, we also have five teams playing a back-to-back. Dallas, New Orleans, and Sacramento are in the back half while Atlanta and Boston start their B2B here. That’ll surely cause chaos as well, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
Check out today’s NBA Layup from FanDuel
Schedule and Odds
- POR at CLE (POR -3) O/U: 220
- NYK at IND (IND -2) O/U: 218
- BOS at ORL (BOS -6) O/U: 215.5
- CHI at PHI (PHI -1) O/U: 216
- TOR at WAS (WAS -3) O/U: 218
- ATL at BKN (BKN -4.5) O/U: 218
- LAC at MIN (LAC -) O/U: 217
- DEN at MEM (MEM -2) O/U: 213
- DAL at SAS (SAS -1) O/U: 216
- CHA at GSW (GSW -6) O/U: 225
- NOP at SAC (SAC -5) O/U: 218
Injury Report
Core Plays
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,400 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
Jokic will probably be in this section or the cash game section every day from here on out. The simple fact is, this is the most reliable player in fantasy basketball. The big man has a 42-point floor and a 60-point average dating back to last season. We also don’t mind that Memphis owns a 23rd OPRK against opposing centers, either.
Karl-Anthony Towns (C – MIN): $10,600 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
With D’Angelo Russell missing this game, KAT should get all the work he can handle. Towns was still doing damage before D-Lo went down, averaging 49 DraftKings points per game. That makes him one of the best options on the board, and it’s not like the Clippers have a frontcourt that can slow him down.
Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $10,300 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
Embiid is another guy in a great spot due to injury. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris are expected to miss this game, putting Embiid in line for 20 shots and a 40 percent usage rate. We love that for a guy this talented, with Embiid flirting with a 50-point average. Don’t forget about Embiid’s 92 DK points he dropped on the Bulls last year!
Cash Game Considerations
James Harden (PG/SG – BKN): $10,200 DraftKings, $9,900 FanDuel
It’s still bizarre to see Harden hover around $10K. This dude was closer to $12,000 for the majority of last season, and he’s eventually going to get back there with Kyrie out of the picture. James has scored at least 37 DK points in every game this season, dropping 53-plus in each of his last two games.
De’Aaron Fox (PG – SAC): $8,500 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
This FanDuel price is incredible. Fox has been a breakout since the beginning of last season, averaging over 35 fantasy points per game. That makes him an easy pivot in a matchup like this, with the Pelicans sitting 25th in defensive efficiency ratings. Not to mention, Fox dropped at least 63 DK points in all three of their meetings last year, averaging 41.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 10,3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
OG Anunoby (SF – TOR): $7,700 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel
Anunoby has become the go-to guy in Toronto, with Kyle Lowry out of the picture. In fact, OG is leading the team with 37 DraftKings points per game, and he’ll do even more here with Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes out as well. He’s doing that damage despite struggling with his shot, posting career-highs in usage rate, minutes played, and shot attempts. That looks even better with Washington surrendering the third-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.
GPP Targets
Collin Sexton (PG/SG – CLE): $6,300 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
Sexton is the definition of a GPP play right now. His volatility has made him a tough bet, but he’s got 50-point potential every time he steps on the floor. A big reason we can trust him here is the matchup, with Portland ranked 29th in total defense last year while having one of the worst defensive point guards in the NBA.
Jaren Jackson Jr (PF/C – MEM): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
JJJ has been terrible this season, but he’s another guy with monster upside. The reason we’re willing to ride him here is this price drop. It’s strange to see someone this talented sitting below $6K and a 40-burger would make him one of the values of the day. He’s had month-long stretches where he posted an average like that!
Marcus Smart (SG – BOS): $5,600 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
Smart just called his teammates out on Monday, and you better believe he’ll be playing with fury after that. Despite shooting below 30 percent from the field, Smart is averaging over 25 DK points per game. That’s all you can ask for from a sub-$6K player, and it’d be scary to see what he could post if he gets hot.
Value Plays
Steven Adams (C – MEM): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
This DK price is insane. Adams has been all over the map, but a 28-point average from a $4,500 player is truly absurd. If you’re going to stack Jokic, Adams would be a great pairing with the two matching up.
Tyrese Maxey (PG/SG – PHI): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
Maxey was already starting in the absence of Simmons, but he should see a boost in usage and shot attempts with Harris out as well. That’s big news for a guy averaging 25 DK points per game as the starter, making him an incredible value south of $6,000.
Matisse Thybulle (SF – PHI): $4,000 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel
Thybulle saw 27 minutes in the first game without Simmons and Harris, and you better believe he’ll stay between 25-30. That’s huge for a defensive stud like this, with Thybulle averaging a fantasy-point-per-minute for his career. If we get that with this boost in playing time paired with this price, Thybulle could be a beast. We also think he could see extra playing time to cover all of the dangerous wings the Bulls possess.
Advantageous Pricing
- Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $10,100 FanDuel, $11,100 DraftKings
- Montrezl Harrell (PF/C – WAS): $7,700 FanDuel, $6,600 DraftKings
- Norman Powell (SF – POR): $5,600 FanDuel, $4,600 DraftKings
- Damian Lillard (PG – POR): $8,300 FanDuel, $9,700 DraftKings
- Lonzo Ball (PG – CHI): $6,000 FanDuel, $7,400 DraftKings
- Steven Adams (C – MEM): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
