This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
FanDuel has opted to omit the early Clippers-Cavaliers matchup, leaving us seven games for Sunday's featured slate. You must enter and make picks for Knicks-Trail Blazers by 6:00 p.m. EDT with an hour of downtime to fill out your roster before the rest of the matchups begin. Let's run down the Vegas numbers, show the relevant injuries, and make some top DFS selections.
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.
MIL/ATL wins the title of highest projected total, and warning bells should be chiming for the low total of NOP/CHA in a battle of basement dwellers.
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.
DET Cade Cunningham (calf) - QUESTIONABLE
DET Dennis Schroder (quad) - QUESTIONABLE
DET Tobias Harris (Achilles) - QUESTIONABLE
Ausar Thompson ($6,400) will start for Harris if he's unavailable while the combined absences of Cunningham and Schroder would give Marcus Sasser ($4,600) a significant boost.
NOP Zion Williamson (back) - OUT
NOP CJ McCollum (foot) - OUT
NOP Kelly Olynyk (Achilles) - QUESTIONABLE
NOP Jordan Hawkins (back) - QUESTIONABLE
Due to a meaningless game against the Hornets, all of these tags will probably hold. Bruce Brown ($4,900) and Yves Missi ($5,200) are my preferred Pelicans pivots.
PHI Tyrese Maxey (finger) - OUT
PHI Kelly Oubre (knee) - OUT
PHI Andre Drummond (toe) - OUT
Adem Bona ($5,100) drew the start at center on Saturday, but they elected to put Guerschon Yabusele ($5,800) alongside him. With the playoffs out of the picture, kicking the tires with the rookie makes sense. I'll take Bona here, and it's hard to go wrong with Quentin Grimes ($8,700) and Jared Butler ($5,700).
CHA Mark Williams (rest) - OUT
Williams is one of several absences on Charlotte, so we have a few players to mention. Jusuf Nurkic ($4,700) will start for Williams and we should look at KJ Simpson ($4,800) with Lonzo Ball shut down for the season. Nick Smith ($4,300) and DaQuan Jeffries ($4,200) also hold some value.
TOR Immanuel Quickley (rest) - OUT
TOR Jakob Poeltl (rest) - OUT
I'll take Jamal Shead ($5,500) as a pivot here and fade the center spot.
POR Anfernee Simons (forearm) - QUESTIONABLE
POR Scoot Henderson (concussion) - OUT
If Simons is unable to go, we'll probably see Dalano Banton ($4,500). Check on Simons' status before making this call.
HOU Tari Eason (rest) - OUT
Though Amen Thompson ($8,600) is a great add independent of Eason's absence, he could top all Houston first-unit scorers. I'd also give Dillon Brooks ($4,800) a slight boost. Keep an eye on Thompson as he may be rested so he's fresh to face the Lakers on Monday.
ELITE PLAYERS
We have two players at $10k or more atop the player pool for Sunday, and both are justifiable starts despite their lofty salaries. Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,000) is much easier on the wallet, so I'd prefer him over Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,900) and his tougher matchup against Atlanta. I don't think either is a must-start, and you'll have to make corresponding sacrifices to use them.
In the $9k range, Alperen Sengun ($9,000) offers decent value against Phoenix and Trae Young ($9,300) should excel against a shorthanded Milwaukee backcourt.
Miles Bridges ($8,400) and Josh Hart ($8,000) are my favorite calls in the $8k tier. Deni Avdija ($8,100) will also be a quality option to consider.
EXPECTED CHALK AND VALUE PLAYS
Dyson Daniels, ATL ($7,900) @ MIL
If Young is too expensive, I'll also endorse Daniels as a worthwhile option against the Bucks. His record against the opponent this season has been a mixed bag, yet his secondary category production is excellent. And Daniels' rebound and assist totals can offset any potential scoring deficiency.
RJ Barrett, TOR ($7,200) @ PHI
Barrett is off the injury report and available against the Sixers. With Quickley taking a seat, Barrett will have a great opportunity to rack up points. Absences kept him from Toronto's previous appearances against Philly, so the opposition will scramble to account for his addition.
Rudy Gobert, MIN ($6,800) vs. DET
Gobert has rattled off three consecutive double-doubles, and he's rounding into form as the playoffs approach. They'll need him to keep up the production as they try to hold position in the West with the Clippers and Warriors within striking distance.
Shaedon Sharpe, POR ($6,400) @ NYK
The negative correlation between Sharpe and Avdija has made me wary of using the former this season, though that scenario has evened out a bit. If Simons is out, Sharpe should end up making more of an impact as a backcourt force where both players would benefit. It's a conditional add based on Simons' forearm.
Kyle Kuzma, MIL ($6,300) vs. ATL
Giannis will play, but he's a bit banged up and overworked. If there's one player who can effectively spell him to prepare for the playoffs, it's probably Kuzma. The rest of the team is also trying to keep the production up amid Damian Lillard's extensive absence, and Kuzma has delivered. I'd like to see a slightly lower salary, yet he's still viable.
Malik Beasley, DET ($5,400) @ MIN
Beasley may face a tough matchup against the Timberwolves, though the potential absences of Harris and Cunningham will be a net positive if the tags hold. If we find both are out near game lock, a swap for Beasley should reap benefits.
Our best values are in the injury section, but here are a few other budget options to help manage the salary cap.
SG Ryan Rollins, MIL ($5,000)
PF/C Jonathan Mogbo, TOR (($5,000)
PF/C Isaiah Stewart, DET ($4,300)
