This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
FanDuel's featured NBA slate kicks into high gear right after your fantasy football league finals are decided. You can either drown your sorrows or use some of your winnings with our recommendations with a five-game slate starting at 6:00 p.m. EST.
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.
The ATL/TOR Vegas numbers are appealing, and they helped us break some ties as we debated the merits of Houston and Miami options. The SAS/MIN total was tough to swallow, yet we still made some value selections.
INJURIES
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report. Below are some of the most recent and relevant injuries for Sunday. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list. Use your best judgment when evaluating ongoing injury scenarios elsewhere on the slate.
MEM Ja Morant (shoulder) - OUT
MEM Santi Aldama (ankle) - OUT
MEM Marcus Smart (finger) - OUT
MEM Brandon Clarke (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
I'm mentioning this injury scenario first as two players will get a lot of exposure in my lineup builds. Scotty Pippen ($5,700) and Jaren Jackson ($8,300) are positioned well for success against the Thunder. Jackson has been virtually matchup-proof of late, and Pippen offers a lot of upside if he can find the bottom of the basket a little more often.
MIA Jimmy Butler (illness, conditioning) - OUT
Butler didn't make the road trip, and I believe in a few of his teammates in a key matchup against the Rockets. I'll mention my favorite play below, but you can also get some mileage out of Jaime Jaquez ($5,400). Duncan Robinson ($4,200) is a risk-reward pick who relies on success beyond the arc, though you could do a lot worse.
BOS Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE
BOS Jrue Holiday (shoulder) - QUESTIONABLE
I'll buy into a Boston elite play soon, but expect Al Horford ($4,900) to get a bump if Porzingis misses out. Payton Pritchard ($5,700) represents the budget target if Holiday can't go again.
TOR Jakob Poeltl (groin) - QUESTIONABLE
The Raptors carry a lengthy injury report, yet Poeltl's potential absence is the most significant. Kelly Olynyk ($4,600) had some success in a recent spot start, but I don't think he produces enough to qualify for an endorsement. I wish we had some historical data for the matchup against Atlanta, though the high total will probably lure us into some dart throws on Toronto's end.
ATL Dyson Daniels (illness) - OUT
ATL Bogdan Bogdanovic (leg) - OUT
ATL Onyeka Okongwu (knee) - OUT
The wing positions continue to be a source of weakness for the Hawks, so Daniels' missing support is significant. I'm forced to disregard Clint Capela as Okongwu's replacement as his recent scoring has been disappointing. We'll make an Atlanta endorsement below.
OKC Luguentz Dort (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE
OKC Cason Wallace (quad) - OUT
Dort may return, but his potential absence will hurt the Thunder's defensive gameplan. I'd consider Aaron Wiggins ($4,400) if Dort is out.
HOU Dillon Brooks (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE
HOU Tari Eason (leg) - QUESTIONABLE
I'll give Amen Thompson ($6,900) an upgrade if both these tags hold up at game lock.
ELITE PLAYERS
We have three players with at least $10k salaries. And though all three should perform well, I'm not especially interested in spending up for them and more inclined to do my spending at $8k and above.
We have 12 other elites after passing the top three, and my attention goes immediately to Jalen Johnson ($9,200) as a much better option to account for Onyeka Okongwu's absence. I'll also take a swing with Jaylen Brown ($8,600), who lit up the Pacers on the front end of this tilt and I expect a similar result in the rematch at the Garden. We have to be mindful of how much we spend at this level because there's a lot to like, but I'm going all-in with Tyler Herro ($8,000) at an excellent salary. I'm also going to take the scout and lock in RJ Barrett ($8,200) over Scottie Barnes as my aforementioned Toronto dart throw.
EXPECTED CHALK AND VALUE PLAYS
I think most of the chalk is at the elite level while most of my endorsements will be found at $5k and below due to spending up for some quality options. You'll find some lower-salaried options here:
Julius Randle, MIN ($7,500) vs. SAS
Randle's record is a little rocky over two chances against the Spurs, though it's hard to argue against his steady floor in a matchup where Rudy Gobert will square off more often against Victor Wembanyama. It'll come down to a matchup between Randle and Jeremy Sochan ($6,600), and I'm fine with both as alternates if we have to swap out one of our high performers to balance out the lineup.
Andrew Nembhard, IND ($5,300) @ BOS
Nembhard's knee isn't listed on the injury report, and I expect him to return to his usual production against the Celtics. The guard has carved out a decent role alongside Tyrese Haliburton and represents a much better option relative to the salary differential between his teammate. Based on where we spent already, there's still room for Nembhard at PG or SG.
Donte DiVincenzo, MIN ($4,900) vs. SAS
I told you that the picks in this section would be a little strange! I have a lot of faith in my elite picks, and the remaining average salary for the builds hovers just below $5k. DiVincenzo and his dual eligibility ended up at SG for many of my projected lineups. And though we've been lighter on Minnesota than we probably should be for Sunday's player pool, we can take a chance on some upside here for DiVincenzo after waking up for 39.8 FDFP against Houston last time out. I'll also give Naz Reid ($5,000) a close look if I can fit him in at this salary.
Julian Champagnie, SAS ($4,600) @ MIN
Champagnie was a welcome sight as we continued our value hunt, and he stepped up as one of the team's leading scorers behind Wembanyama against the Nets. While his body of work reeks of variance, he offers the budget upside we're looking for in the 4k range. The Timberwolves represent a much stiffer challenge, but we need players like DiVincenzo and Champagne to offset our elite buys.
Bargain Basement Forwards
Haywood Highsmith, MIA ($4,000) and Chris Boucher, TOR ($4,500)
I didn't want to make too many sacrifices, but budget forwards became a necessity as I moved Jaylen Brown and RJ Barrett to the chopping block in some builds. You have to hold your nose for these calls, though Highsmith is worth a flyer during Butler's absence, and there's an argument for Boucher keeping Olynyk on the bench if he finds early success against Atlanta.
