This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
We have a seven games featured on the DraftKings main slate for Sunday. The most appealing of the bunch - the Wizards vs the Nets - comes in with a hefty 242 total. It's sure to draw plenty of attention, but it's not the only one that could offer strong fantasy production as two other matchups sit in the 230 range and may be equally as enticing or at least provide us with some value to make everything work. We'll have to keep an eye on injury news, as a handful of players enter the day with questionable tags or potentially returning from being sidelined after extended time away.
Slate Overview
BKN (-8.5) vs. WAS O/U 242
The night starts off at 7:00PM EST with the game expected to have the most fireworks. We have two elite tandems that make up 60 precent of their respective teams usage, which puts all four in the top-20 to start the season. I'm obviously talking about Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. These guys are studs, plain and simple. Their salaries don't come cheap but you should probably find a way to get one or two of them into your lineups. I should also mention these squads both rank in the top-10 in pace so far and that definitely will lend to a positive game atmosphere where we'll want to have some exposure.
LAL (-11) at MEM O/U 222
UTA (-3) at SAS O/U 220
DEN (-8) at MIN O/U 230.5
Another game that should provide some fantasy goodness has the Nuggets taking on the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Nikola Jokic has been nothing short of spectacular to start the year. Coming up one rebound short of what would have been his fifth straight triple-double, the Denver big man has been stuffing the stat sheet at will and should continue his dominance with Karl-Anthony Towns expected to miss yet another game with a wrist injury. The Timberwolves have been playing more team basketball with no one really standing out in the absence of KAT, but we know that D'Angelo Russell's big game is coming with him sitting at a 29.6 usage rate on the season.
LAC (-2) at PHX O/U 217.5
DAL (-5) at CHI O/U 225
POR (-5) at GSW O/U 233.5
The Blazers and Warriors will end the night and will face each other for the second time in three days. Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry led the charge for their respective teams on Friday, with the Blazers coming away with a 21-point victory. Draymond Green made his season debut playing 18 minutes, although his impact was marginal and will look to improve on that performance. And with the Warriors currently playing at the fastest pace in the league at 110.6, there should be plenty of opportunity to get things going on that end.
Injury Situations to Monitor
LeBron James (ankle), Questionable
Despite not missing anytime so far this season, James always seem to pop up on the injury report. He's more probable than questionable, but Anthony Davis and potentially Kyle Kuzma would be tremendous plays if he were to miss this game.
Luka Doncic (quad), Questionable
Coming off his biggest outing of the season, Doncic appears to be dealing with a sore quadricep ahead of the Mavericks' matchup against the Bulls. Should he be unable to go, Trey Burke and Jalen Brunson could see their roles expand.
LaMarcus Aldridge (knee), Questionable
Aldridge has missed that last two games due to a sore left knee. Jakob Poeltl has been getting the start at center in his place, but has mostly been ineffective while DeMar DeRozan has delivered some solid performances while the big man recovers.
Derrick Favors (knee), Questionable
Favors is apparently dealing with a knee issue and remains questionable for the Jazz. He's coming off a 33.8 fantasy point performance, by far his best this campaign.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) Questionable
It doesn't appear KCP will be in jeopardy of missing this game against the Grizzlies, but check back on his status as we get closer to tip-off.
Elite Plays
Russell Westbrook ($10,200)
Westbrook will return to action after missing Thursday's game against Minnesota for rest purposes. Despite his backcourt sidekick garnering more usage to start the season, Westbrook is getting it done in every category and seems to have found a groove with his new team logging triple-doubles in all four games he's played so far. Both teams sit in the top-10 in pace, so this should lead to Westbrook's pedal-to-the-metal style. And given the high game total, we can expect him to flirt with another triple-double performance should this matchup stay close.
Luka Doncic ($10,000)
A nice pivot to Westbrook, Doncic offers the ability to produce triple-double level outings on any night and came close to that feat on Thursday notching a 58.8 fantasy point showcase against the Heat. His questionable tag leaves some concern, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious so we should expect him to suit up and put his league-leading 36.9 percent usage to good use. The Bulls are tied with the Warriors as the fastest-playing teams in the league, so like Westbrook this should be a positive atmosphere to highlight his skills. From a salary standpoint, Doncic may also get overlooked with Nikola Jokic and the aforementioned Westbrook sitting right above.
Mid-Range Targets
DeMar DeRozan ($7,500)
DeRozan continues to remain undervalued in relation to his production, as he's averaging 44 fantasy points per game with the ability to drop 60 in any matchup. The Jazz are in the bottom half of the league in pace at 100.8 and tend to be one of the better defenses, but still allow 106 points per game and a 40-fantasy-point average to opposing forwards so far this season. DeRozan's combination of scoring and assists consistently make him one of the best mid-range options available.
Rudy Gobert ($7,200)
Staying in the same matchup, Gobert has been one of the most reliable sources of fantasy production through the first two weeks of the season. He's coming off a tough game against the Clippers, but prior to that his 40-point fantasy floor was automatic and he should feast against the Spurs with the Jazz leading the league in team rebounds per game at 59.2. That should translate to an automatic double-double regardless if it's Aldridge or Poeltl in the paint.
Key Values
Carmelo Anthony ($4,300)
Despite being mostly scoring dependent, the seasoned vet earns a favorable matchup against the Warriors. He delivered 28.3 fantasy points in this spot on Thursday and has been Portland's strongest bench option playing close to 25 minutes over the first four games. The Warriors have struggled to cover the wing by allowing nearly 40 fantasy points to opposing power forwards, so Anthony could be in for a big night in the slate's second highest total if he can get his shot to fall.
Patty Mills ($3,700)
We'll hopefully get some value to open up as the day progresses, but Mills appears to be one of the better options on the board. Derrick White has already been ruled out, so we could see Mills play in the 25-minute range that has netted him close to 23 fantasy points per contest. At $3,700, we would take that all day on a seven-game slate.
