This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Following a light four-game slate Monday night, the NBA roars back with a 10-game ledger Tuesday that has no shortage of newsworthy items attached. Not only are there several intriguing matchups, but a host of big-name injuries that have the potential to open up plenty of opportunity for players whose salaries haven't caught up to their expanded roles.
Slate Overview
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We have a wide variety of spreads on the big slate, as there's one double-digit favorite and three other games with lines of five points or fewer. However, the much more encouraging aspect from a metrics standpoint is in the projected totals, as eight of the 10 contests are sporting tallies of 232.5 points or higher.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
LeBron James, LAL (foot): OUT
In James' absence due to the foot injury he suffered against the Mavericks on Sunday, Troy Brown is likely to enter the starting five, while the likes of Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and especially Anthony Davis should see major bumps in usage.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (ankle/abdomen): OUT
In Gilgeous-Alexander's ongoing absence, Isaiah Joe should remain in the starting five at point guard.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (quadriceps): PROBABLE
Antetokounmpo is expected to return from a one-game absence and should be in for his usual elevated usage.
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
If Davis suits up as expected, he should be in line for even higher usage than usual with LeBron James (foot) sidelined.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (wrist): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox sit out Tuesday, Davion Mitchell could draw a start at point guard while the rest of the starting five should see a significant bump in usage.
Jamal Murray, DEN (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Murray isn't able to suit up, Reggie Jackson and Bruce Brown are likely to handle the majority of point guard minutes.
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS (knee): DOUBTFUL
In Porzingis' likely absence, Deni Avdija is likely to remain in the starting five, while the rest of the first unit should see more usage than usual.
Other notable injuries:
Stephen Curry, GSW (lower leg): OUT
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (calf): OUT
Andrew Wiggins, GSW (personal): OUT
Jordan Clarkson, UTA (thumb): OUT
Steven Adams, MEM (knee): OUT
Devin Vassell, SAN (knee): OUT
Anfernee Simons, POR (ankle): OUT
D'Angelo Russell, LAL (ankle): DOUBTFUL
Jusuf Nurkic, POR (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Rudy Gobert, MIN (illness): PROBABLE
Aaron Gordon, DEN (ribs): PROBABLE
Draymond Green, GSW (knee): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have seven players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Tuesday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($12,200), Luka Doncic ($12,000), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800), Damian Lillard ($11,200), Anthony Davis ($11,000), Kawhi Leonard ($10,500) and Ja Morant ($10,000).
Jokic just went off for another triple-double against the Clippers in Sunday's OT victory, racking up 83.4 FD points in the process. He's eclipsed 60 FD points in six of his last 12 games overall.
Doncic has scored 55.4 to 65.3 FD points in three of the last five games and faces a Pacers team he should be able to win his fair share of matchups against.
Antetokounmpo should be rested after playing only six minutes since play resumed following the All-Star break, and he has tallies of 51.1 and 72.3 FD points in two prior meetings against the Nets.
Lillard exploded for 71 actual points and 85.2 FD points against the Rockets on Sunday, and he'd eclipsed 50 FD points in five of the previous six games as well.
Davis sports a 31.6 percent usage rate and averages 63.6 FD points per 36 minutes without LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell this season, and he's coming off having scored 65 FD points against the Mavericks on Sunday with James on the floor.
Leonard has tallies of 52.4 and 67.8 FD points in two of the last four games, and he just scored 33 actual points against the Nuggets in Sunday's OT loss.
Morant has put together back-to-back subpar outings coming out of the All-Star break in which he's scored 29.1 and 36.4 FD points, but he's facing a depleted Lakers team Tuesday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Trae Young, ATL ($9,800)
Young is on an eight-game heater that's seen him average 50.7 FD points per contest while putting up 26.9 points, 11.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals across 34.1 minutes.
Kyrie Irving, DAL ($9,700)
Irving has been under 40 FD points in his last two games, but the combination of his upside and his very favorable matchup against the Pacers should keep him very popular.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,600)
Sabonis could potentially take the floor without De'Aaron Fox and should be highly rostered under any circumstance considering he's eclipsed 40 FD points in seven of the last nine games, a span that includes two tallies over 50.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,400)
Edwards continues to operate without Karl-Anthony Towns and has scored over 50 FD points in two of his last four.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA ($8,600)
Markkanen will take the floor without Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, a scenario in which he boasts a 26.5 percent usage rate.
Key Values
Daniel Gafford, WAS at ATL ($6,000)
Gafford is averaging 40 FD points per 36 minutes without Kristaps Porzingis on the floor this season, and Gafford's frontcourt partner is expected to miss Tuesday's game. The Hawks already come in allowing the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.7), along with 54.1 FD points per game to the position in the last 30 games. Gafford does have a couple of clunkers in the last four games due to foul trouble, but he's still eclipsed 30 FD points in six of the last 14 contests alone.
Talen Horton-Tucker, UTA vs. SAN ($5,900)
The Jazz's starting backcourt of Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson will sit out Tuesday's game, and Horton-Tucker sports a 25.2 percent usage rate while averaging 40.4 FD points per 36 minutes without his pair of teammates on the floor. The fourth-year pro has scored 31.4 and 29.2 FD points while drawing consecutive starts in the last two games, and he's averaging 31.1 across 26.9 minutes in the last seven games overall. The Spurs make for very appealing targets as well, considering they're allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating (24.9) to shooting guards, as well as 47.2 percent shooting, including 40.2 percent from deep, to the position. San Antonio is also conceding the second-most FD points per game to two-guards in the last 30 games (45.8), furthering Horton-Tucker's case.
Malik Beasley, LAL at MEM ($5,200)
Beasley has already enjoyed success in his new Lakers digs, eclipsing 30 FD points in two of his first four games and recording 22.6 FD points in a third contest in that sample. With LeBron James now sidelined and D'Angelo Russell also likely to sit out Tuesday, Beasley should be in for an elevated role as the starting shooting guard. The veteran guard is sporting a 26.9 percent usage rate and is averaging 40.5 FD points per 36 minutes without either player on the floor thus far in his Lakers tenure, and he should be able to overdeliver on his very modest salary on sheer volume alone.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jalen Williams, OKC vs. SAN ($6,100); Dennis Schroder, LAL at MEM ($5,500); Isaiah Joe, OKC vs. SAC ($5,300); Keegan Murray, SAC at OKC ($5,200)
