This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The quarterfinal round wraps up its Game 1 matchups Sunday with another four-game slate. Oddsmakers are projecting less-than-ideal game environments for DFS purposes with one exception, with that unsurprisingly being the contest involving the Wizards. With eight very talented teams in action, there are certainly plenty of appealing players to choose from at each point on the salary scale.
Slate Overview
Here's a closer look at the two games with the highest projected totals:
Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers (Projected total: 228.0 points)
The Wizards allowed 113, 141 and 127 points to the 76ers in their three regular-season meetings and allowed an NBA-high 118.4 points per game when factoring in their two play-in contests. The 76ers yielded 108.1 points per contest while putting up 113.6 per game, and both teams play at a top-10 pace (Washington- 108.1 possessions per game/Philadelphia- 103.5 possessions per game). With the likes of Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris taking the floor, this total is certainly within reach.
Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz (Projected total: 216.0 points)
The Grizzlies averaged an impressive 116.6 points per road game, nearly seven points more than their home figure. However, the Jazz allowed an NBA-low 104.2 points per home contest. However, the three games between these teams during the regular season finished with totals of 231, 236 and 218 points, so this total is doable. That's particularly true with Utah getting Donovan Mitchell back from his ankle injury and Memphis at full health. The Jazz also put up 117.4 points per home game while the Grizzlies surrendered 113.9 points per road tilt, further supporting the notion this contest could finish with a combined total north of 220.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate.
Anthony Davis, LAL (shoulder)/ Status: PROBABLE
Davis should be able to take the floor without restrictions Sunday after playing 42 minutes against the Warriors on Wednesday.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle)/ Status: PROBABLE
James should be able to take the floor without restrictions Sunday after playing 35 minutes against the Warriors on Wednesday.
Other notable injuries:
Cam Reddish, ATL (Achilles)/ Status: OUT
Matisse Thybulle, PHI (hand)/ Status: GTD
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Sunday's slate: Russell Westbrook ($12,000), Anthony Davis ($10,800), LeBron James ($10,500) and Joel Embiid ($10,100).
Westbrook has averaged 61.4 FD points over the last 22 games - including the two play-in contests - and has posted over 50 FD points in two of three against the Sixers. Philly did a reasonably good job against Westbrook, which is worth noting when considering his chances of delivering at least a 5x return on his hefty salary.
Davis and James should be in for their usual robust workloads against the Suns. Davis racked up 78.9 FD points in his one game against the Suns this season, while James posted 59.0 FD points in his one encounter versus Phoenix.
Embiid scored 38.9 to 68.1 FD points in his three outings against the Wizards and Washington was susceptible to allowing fantasy production to centers throughout the regular season. His raw FD-point totals dipped at times down the stretch, but that came in contests where he saw a reduction in playing time due to game script.
Healthy players with salaries in the high four figures capable of also delivering elite scores include Julius Randle ($9,800), Bradley Beal ($9,200), Trae Young ($8,700) and Clint Capela ($8,600), with all four expected to see hefty usage in what should be competitive matchups.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned in the prior section, other likely chalk plays include:
Jonas Valanciunas, MEM ($8,800)
Valanciunas' production tumbled to 24.9 FD points in the play-in win over the Warriors, but he'll undoubtedly be highly rostered after an extremely productive regular season.
Ja Morant, MEM ($8,200)
Morant's stellar 58.2 FD-point haul against the Warriors in the play-in elimination will be fresh on DFS players' minds.
Rudy Gobert, UTA ($8,000)
Gobert remained one of the steadiest fantasy options at centers all season and scored over 40 FD points in two of his three apperances against the Grizzlies during this campaign.
Donovan Mitchell, UTA ($8,000)
Mitchell should be very popular despite missing the last 16 games of the regular season as he posted 47.9 and 52.0 FD points in his two games against the Grizzlies while shooting 60.0 percent, including 71.4 from three-point range.
Chris Paul, PHO ($7,900)
Paul racked up 42.8 and 52.6 FD points in two of his three matchups against the Lakers this season. He also averaged 41.2 FD points over the last 15 while shooting 55.1 percent, including 50.0 percent from deep.
Key Values
Alec Burks, NY vs. ATL ($5,200)
Burks often proved to be a key source of second-unit scoring throughout the regular season and delivered over 5x return on his current salary in 20 of 49 games. The veteran sharpshooter faces a Hawks team that finished ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to shooting guards (23.2 percent) and gave up 57.5 FD points per contest to the position on the season. Atlanta also was much more generous in allowing three-point shooting on the road (36.7 percent) compared to home (33.1 percent), which is certainly relevant when factoring in Burks shot a career-best 41.5 percent from distance this season.
Seth Curry, PHI vs. WAS ($4,900)
Curry is another player who can rack up fantasy production in a hurry via long-distance marksmanship, as he finished the season with a 45.0 percent success rate from behind the arc. The veteran averaged 24.8 FD points over his final nine games while shooting a sparkling 57.8 percent, including 58.0 percent from three-point range. Curry also scored 24.0 to 37.5 FD points in his three games against the Wizards during the regular season, and Washington finished the campaign allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency to two-guards (25.2 percent), along with the third-most FD points per game to the position (61.0).
Kyle Kuzma, LAL at PHO ($4,500)
Kuzma should enjoy a solid role off the bench and sports a particularly reasonable salary for a player of his upside. He accumulated 31.2 FD points over 36 minutes in his one outing against the Suns this season, and Phoenix finished the regular campaign ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to second units (42.9 percent), partly the byproduct of yielding the second-highest shooting percentage to bench players (47.6). Kuzma also boosts his case having provided better than a 5x return on his current salary in 38 of 68 games.
