Navigating a short two-game FanDuel NBA DFS slate can be tricky, especially when injuries and shifting NBA starting lineups tighten the player pool. This breakdown helps you make informed decisions using NBA player projections and the latest NBA injury report to evaluate value plays and studs alike. With recent fantasy basketball news and projections for NBA matchups, we highlight where the best edges may appear. Try our FanDuel NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, Dec. 9 @12:00 p.m. ET:
Miami Heat at Orlando Magic (+1) (O/U: 235.5)
New York Knicks (-5) at Toronto Raptors (O/U: 225.5)
We're primed for two competitive games Tuesday if oddsmakers are proven right, and the Knicks' projected advantage over the Raptors would narrow further if Karl-Anthony Towns is deemed unavailable. Projected totals are also adequate enough to suggest strong DFS environments, and the Heat-Magic game still carries plenty of potential in that regard despite the absence of Franz Wagner.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Towns can't suit up, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby's usage will climb even further, while Mitchell Robinson will be set for a spot start.
Franz Wagner, ORL (ankle): OUT
In Wagner's absence, Desmond Bane, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs are the likeliest beneficiaries in the form of increased usage, while Tristan da Silva should draw a spot start at small forward.
RJ Barrett, TOR (knee): OUT
In Barrett's ongoing absence, Ja'Kobe Walter may remain in the starting five, while Scottie Barnes will be due for continued elevated usage.
Other notable injuries:
Miles McBride, NYK (ankle): OUT
Immanuel Quickley, TOR (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Tyler Herro, MIA (toe): PROBABLE
Davion Mitchell, MIA (groin): PROBABLE
Elite Players
There are no players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate, but the highest-salaried players are Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,100), Scottie Barnes ($9,000) and Jalen Brunson ($8,900).
Towns' availability will naturally bear monitoring, but if he's cleared, he'll naturally be a popular choice, especially after a recent salary drop due to some sub-40-FD-point tallies.
Barnes will continue to see even more usage than usual due to the absence of RJ Barrett and checks in with three tallies of more than 47 FD points within the last four games, including 60.7 three games ago against the Lakers.
Brunson would be due for a bump on his already robust usage if Towns sits out, and he comes in having eclipsed 41 FD points in three straight.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Bam Adebayo, MIA ($8,200)
Adebayo just lit up the Magic for 53.5 FD points two games ago and also has a tally of 59.3 on his resume within his last four contests, performances that should make him extremely popular at his salary on the small slate.
Tyler Herro, MIA ($7,900)
Herro is expected to be ready for a return from a two-game absence and has shot well in his first few games of the season, so he should be on plenty of rosters Tuesday.
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($7,700)
Banchero will be due for a potential bump up to his normal workload in his third game back from a groin injury, considering the Magic will be without Franz Wagner.
Josh Hart, NYK ($7,500)
Hart has earned a recent salary bump by averaging 42.2 FD points in his last eight games, a sample that includes six games with more than 40 FD points.
Desmond Bane, ORL ($7,300)
Bane should have ample opportunity to overdeliver on his modest salary Tuesday considering both his upside and the fact he averages 40.9 FD points per 36 minutes with Wagner off the floor.
Key Values
OG Anunoby, NYK at TOR ($6,600)
Anunoby scored 38.4 FD points Sunday against Orlando in his second game back from an extended absence due to a hamstring injury. The talented veteran has been exceedingly efficient when on the floor this season, shooting 48.5 percent, including 40.9 percent from behind the arc, across 14 games. Anunoby has yet to face his former team this season, but he thrived against Toronto last season with tallies of 36.3 to 46.4 FD points in three games. The Raps check in allowing a generous 46.4 FD points per game to power forwards in the last 15 contests as well, along with 40.4 percent three-point shooting in the last three games overall.
Anthony Black, ORL vs. MIA ($6,000)
Black should be due for some extra opportunity Tuesday in the absence of Wagner, and the third-year pro already comes in enjoying a career-best season and playing perhaps his best stretch of basketball yet. Black has been surging over his last 11 games, averaging 32.5 FD points on the strength of 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 30.8 minutes per contest off the bench. He also carries a 25.4 percent usage rate and averages 40.5 FD points per 36 minutes when not sharing the floor with Wagner, and he just went off for 35.6 FD points against the Heat two games ago.
Mitchell Robinson, NYK at TOR ($4,200)
Robinson could even be due for a spot start Tuesday if Towns sits, but even if the latter is available, the former shapes up as a potentially rewarding value play at his very modest salary. Robinson produced 29.6 FD points against the Magic on Sunday in a spot start in Towns' stead, and he's averaging 19.7 FD points over his last six games overall despite coming off the bench in five of those contests. Toronto is giving up 49.1 FD points per game to centers in the last seven contests as well, and given Robinson's propensity for supplementing his fantasy production with blocks, it's worth noting the Raps have conceded the fourth-most blocks per home game (5.9) and 7.3 per contest overall in the last three.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jaime Jaquez, MIA at ORL ($6,500)
