This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
As the All-Star break inches closer, we have a compact four-game slate Tuesday following a big Monday night. On the surface, it looks like a night of mismatches, but as customary, there could be some unexpected outcomes. Fortunately, the injury report is relatively light, giving us a fairly solid player pool to work with while trying to differentiate sufficiently for tournaments.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, 2/11 @12:00 a.m. ET:
Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers (-8) (O/U: 226.5)
New York Knicks (-1) at Indiana Pacers (O/U: 238.5)
Detroit Pistons (-4.5) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 237.5)
Memphis Grizzlies (-4) at Phoenix Suns (O/U: 242.5)
Spreads point to a mostly competitive night, and even the Raptors-76ers game could be closer than projected if Joel Embiid sits out. Projected totals paint an even rosier picture, and the fact there are particularly elevated scoring expectations for three of the four games is unsurprising considering the suspect defenses that will be in action.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Embiid can't suit up, Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond would be set to handle the majority of minutes at center, while Tyrese Maxey and Paul George would be even more elevated than usual.
RJ Barrett, TOR (concussion): OUT
In Barrett's ongoing absence, Ja'Kobe Walter could draw a start at small forward while Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes will see bumps in usage.
Other notable injuries:
Jakob Poeltl, TOR (hip): OUT
Bradley Beal, PHO (toe): OUT
Myles Turner, IND (neck): QUESTIONABLE
OG Anunoby, NYK (foot): QUESTIONABLE
Josh Hart, Knicks (knee): PROBABLE
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (illness): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate – Joel Embiid ($10,600), Cade Cunningham ($10,500) and Tyrese Maxey ($10,000).
If Embiid is able to play through his knee issues, he'll look to build on the totals of 44.4 and 51.4 FD points he's amassed in two consecutive starts while facing a short-handed Raptors frontcourt.
Cunningham scored 50 FD points Sunday against the Hornets in his return from a one-game absence and has now recorded at least that amount in six consecutive contests.
Maxey could be poised for even more usage than usual if Embiid sits out and checks in having scored over 53 FD points in three of the last four games, including 53.3 alongside Embiid on Sunday against the Bucks.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,500)
Towns had a dip in production in his most recent game against the Celtics on Saturday, but he posted 55 in the contest prior and has carried a five-figure salary at times this season.
Devin Booker, PHO ($9,300)
Booker just tallied 69.7 FD points two games ago versus the Jazz and draws a favorable matchup against the Grizzlies.
Scottie Barnes, TOR ($9,100)
Barnes has eclipsed 40 FD points in three straight games and will be operating without both RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl once again Tuesday.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND ($8,700)
Haliburton does have the occasional dud but has scored over 42 FD points in six of the last seven games while shooting 43.1 percent from three-point range.
Paul George, PHI ($7,600)
George may be taking the floor without Embiid on Tuesday and has delivered at least 5x return on his current salary in 11 of 33 games thus far this season.
Key Values
Tobias Harris, DET at CHI ($6,500)
Harris scored 41.2 FD points five games ago against this same Bulls squad, an impressive tally he's followed up with efforts of 32.8 and 38.3 FD points within the subsequent four games. The veteran big man has exceeded 31 FD points in eight of the last 15 contests overall, and he's shooting 55.1 percent in his last six. Chicago continues to be an excellent team to target with power forwards as well, considering they have a No. 30 ranking in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to fours (28.9) and have given up the fourth-most FD points per game to the position (50.0) on the season.
Matas Buzelis, CHI vs. DET ($5,800)
Buzelis makes for an intriguing option on the other side of the Bulls-Pistons clash, as the rookie has been an ascendant player over the last several games. Buzelis has drawn starts in his last two games and made good use of the opportunity, posting 36.5 and 31.3 FD points while shooting 50.0 percent. He has also supplied 28.4 and 32.6 FD points off the bench on two other occasions within the last five games, and he could therefore stick on the first unit Tuesday even with Ayo Dosunmu expected to play through his illness. The Pistons, like the Bulls, have been exploitable by power forwards of late, yielding the fourth-most FD points per contest to the position in the last 15 games (52.3) and ranking No. 25 in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to fours on the season (27.2).
Guerschon Yabusele, PHI vs. TOR ($5,400)
Yabusele has been a consistent complementary contributor to the 76ers' frontcourt throughout the myriad of injuries to Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond and the departed Cody Martin, and he could be set for another turn with the first unit Tuesday with Embiid questionable to suit up. Yabusele came off the bench Sunday against the Bucks and generated 24.9 FD points in 25 minutes, and he'd averaged 31.2 FD points per contest over the eight consecutive starts he'd logged prior to that game. The Raptors will be down Jakob Poeltl again for Tuesday's game and already come in ranked No. 24 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to frontcourt players (27.2) while also surrendering 58.2 FD points per game to centers on the season. Additionally, Toronto is yielding the fifth-most rebounds (53.4) and third-most blocks (5.8) per game, enhancing Yabusele's case further.
ALSO CONSIDER: Santi Aldama, MEM at PHO ($5,300); Ja'Kobe Walter, TOR at PHI ($4,200)
