This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
Sunday's DraftKings NBA main slate brings plenty of interesting options to the table.
There are six games for this one, beginning with an instate battle between Miami and Orlando at 7 p.m. ET and concluding with Toronto and Chicago at 9.
Trailblazers at Timberwolves tips at 8 and is tied with Clippers at Pelicans (9 p.m. ET) for the highest total on the slate at 234. I would tend to lean toward targeting players from Minnesota and Portland, though be wary it is the second half of a back-to-back for both teams.
Raptors at Bulls carries a total of 231.5 while the Bulls also play at one of the fastest paces in the league. That could mean more opportunities for Toronto, who are still missing several key players.
Other teams with less-than-ideal health on this slate include the Rockets, Timberwolves, Magic and Heat. Let's go ahead and take a deeper look at the injury report.
Injuries to Monitor
Bam Adebayo, MIA (knee)/Status: OUT
Adebayo hasn't played since before the All-Star break because of a knee injury. Kelly Olynyk has delivered a couple of big performances starting in his place while Jimmy Butler has shouldered a bigger load.
Terrence Ross, ORL (knee)/Status: QUESTIONABLE
Ross isn't the only player on Orlando listed on the injury report, but he's the only one whose status is in question. Aaron Gordon (ankle), Evan Fournier (groin), Cole Anthony (ribs) and James Ennis (ribs) have all already been ruled out. If Ross ultimately plays, he would look great with a $6,900 salary. If he is held out, Nikola Vucevic will command a lot of usage while Michael Carter-Williams, Dwayne Bacon, Chasson Randle will all represent great value.
John Wall, HOU (knee) and Eric Gordon, HOU (calf)/Status: OUT
Like the Magic, the Rockets' injury report is long. In addition to Wall and Gordon, they are also still missing Christian Wood (ankle). Danuel House (knee) is listed as out, P.J. Tucker is going to be traded, and David Nwaba is questionable with a wrist injury. Kevin Porter Jr. has posted back-to-back 40-plus fantasy point performances and is still only $5,000. There will be plenty of value on Houston tonight.
Malik Beasley, MIN (suspension)/Status: OUT
Beasley is still serving a 12-game suspension and D'Angelo Russell (knee) has been out since February. This has led to the emergence of Anthony Edwards and an increased role for Jaylen Nowell.
Fred VanVleet, TOR (COVID-19 protocols)/Status: OUT
VanVleet, along with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, has been sidlined the past couple of games due to the league's health and safety protocols. The main benefactors from this have been Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell and Chris Boucher.
Other notable injuries:
Patrick Beverley, LAC (knee)/Status: OUT
Garrett Temple, CHI (ankle)/Status: OUT
Elite Players
All the top options look pretty good today. Damian Lillard ($10,300) leads the way against a Minnesota defense that ranks among the bottom-five defenses in the NBA. The Timberwolves also boast a top-five pace which should help Lillard as he looks like a solid bet to bounce back from a 7-of-19 shooting performance on Saturday.
Nikola Vucevic ($9,900) will be the focal point for Orlando, which has been decimated by injuries. He also will face Kelly Olynyk in the post, a matchup he should take advantage of. Jayson Tatum ($9,500) could smash against the Rockets, though that game is a major blowout risk.
Jimmy Butler ($9,400) looks good against Orlando but won't fly under anyone's radar. Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,100) is at a great salary considering he put up 34 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday against Portland.
Finally, Kyle Lowry ($8,600) has recently suffered a poor stretch of shooting. That said, he still will command a lot of usage and upside against a Chicago squad that likes to play fast.
Expected Chalk
Players on Orlando and Houston should be highly rostered on this slate. Kevin Porter Jr.'s ($5,000) salary rose $1,800 from the last slate and still might be too cheap. He attempted 25 shots in the Rockets' last game, but will have to deal with the return of Victor Oladipo. Still, Porter is likely to reach value here. Kenyon Martin ($4,500) should also make plenty of lineups. Chasson Randle ($3,400) should be a popular value play today as the Orlando guard has played 30 minutes in each of the past two contests.
Chris Boucher ($7,000), Norman Powell ($7,400) and Kyle Lowry ($8,600) all have appeal this slate, but Lowry looks to be the best value of the three.
Key Values
Kevin Porter Jr., HOU vs. BOS ($5,000)
The Rockets are a mess right now and Porter Jr. has benefitted from it the past couple of games, including 27 points (11-25 FG) to go with eight assists against Utah over 38 minutes. He should continue to see huge minutes given the lack of available players for Houston.
Chris Boucher, TOR at CHI ($7,000)
This is Boucher's highest salary of the season, but for good reason. The Raptors' big man is a great point per minute player while injuries to Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam help his case even further. Boucher has scored 32 or more fantasy points in each of his past four games, including 50.3 against Atlanta. Chicago's post defense is atrocious, so he should be able to feast in this matchup.
Kenyon Martin, HOU vs. BOS ($4,500)
Martin Jr. is another rookie playing big minutes for Houston. He smashed value in the Rockets' last game by putting up 38 fantasy points despite being at minimum salary. Even though his salary increased significantly for Sunday's game, he's still worth a look with P.J. Tucker now out.
Other value plays to consider: Chasson Randle, ORL vs. MIA ($3,400); Jaylen Nowell, MIN vs. POR ($5,100); Michael Carter-Williams, ORL vs. MIA ($5,900)
