We close out the work week with a seven game NBA DFS main slate which features some top tier matchups and top stars like  Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis  and Jayson Tatum. This slate could also feature the debut of Pascal Siakam as a member of the Pacers with Indiana taking on the Portland Trail Blazers in the 10pm ET window. 

NBA DFS Tools to dominate tonight's NBA DFS slate!

Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based off their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

 

Check out today's NBA DFS Playbook Preview Show

Notable NBA Injury Updates

Out

Questionable

Teams on Back-to-Backs

Second Leg

First Leg

Pace Up Spots

Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.

*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.

Green = Fast Paced team

Blue = Neutral Paced team

Red = Slow Paced team

Notable NBA Game Totals

Top Tier Core Plays

Joel Embiid, C Philadelphia 76ers

Do you need me to tell you why to play Joel Embiid? The man just went head-to-head with Nikola Jokic and finished with 41 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and one block for 68 fantasy points. He is an absolute monster that not even the best in the league can deal with right now. Love the fact that this game is only a five point spread as well because if we have a close, competitive game then that means we get nearly 40 minutes of Joel Embiid on the floor.

Anthony Davis, PF/C Los Angeles Lakers

Looking to save a little cash from JoJo tonight? Anthony Davis is giving us 60+ fantasy points on the regular and has dual position eligibility as well which we love to see. The Nets are in Los Angeles here and while we like Nic Claxton, we also know he can get in foul trouble with the best of them and Anthony Davis is surely going to put that to the test!

LaMelo Ball, PG Charlotte Hornets

Cover of the playbook today! It's rare that we see the Hornets as favorites but that is what we get here tonight as they face a Spurs team that will be without Victor Wembanyama. I honestly do not understand this price tag for Ball who has gone for at least 47 fantasy points in the three games since returning from injury which includes back-to-back games of 49 fantasy points. He is going to be VERY popular on this slate and for a good reason.

Pascal Siakam, PF Indiana Pacers

By all reports, Siakam is expected to make his debut for the Pacers here tonight. The price tag is more than reasonable for Siakam and he now joins a high paced offense in a matchup against one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. We don't know yet if Tyrese Haliburton will be active or not for this game but either way I look for Siakam to make a big first impression with his new team.

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Dejounte Murray, PG/SG Atlanta Hawks

With Trae Young ruled out there is going to be a lot of ownership moving in the direction of Murray here today in the Hawks matchup against the Miami Heat. With Young off the floor this season Murray has a 27.8% usage rate and averages 1.25 FP/Min.

Jalen Johnson, PF/SF Atlanta Hawks

Like Murray, Johnson also gets a nice boost with Trae Young off the floor as he is averaging 1.14 FP/Min. We've seen strong production from Johnson since his return from injury which includes a handful of double-doubles. The pricing at the power forward position tonight leaves a lot of options for pivots but I'd expect Johnson to be the popular play here.

Anfernee Simons, PG Portland Trail Blazers

Simons draws a great matchup here against a Pacers team that will be on the second leg of a back-to-back and could still be without Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam among other notables. Simons is going to play big minutes and should lead the Trail Blazers in shot attempts in this contest.

C.J. McCollum, PG New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans vs Suns matchup should be a fun game to watch and get exposure to on this DFS slate. McCollum is averaging nearly 38 FP over the last four games while going for 40+ FP in three of the last five. He draws a good offensive matchup here against the Suns with neither Devin Booker or Bradley Beal being considered as great defensive players.

Jimmy Butler, SF Miami Heat

Which version of Jimmy Butler shows up tonight? We love the matchup here against the Atlanta Hawks in an extreme pace up spot for the Heat. Butler gave us 33 fantasy points in 31 minutes during their blowout loss to the Raptors last time out but the game before that he dropped 46 fantasy points against the Nets. We know he can be a monster FP/Min player and the Hornets tend to bring ceiling games out of their opponents. The price point here is too appeal given the ceiling.

Miles Bridges, PF/C Charlotte Hornets

Listen, I get the Bridges has hit a bit of skid here but this is still a guy more than capable of giving us 40-to-50 FP on a nightly basis and we only need 35 FP for 5x return here on the tag over on DraftKings. Now add in the matchup against the Spurs who are among the worst defensive teams in the NBA and they will be without Victor Wembanyama in that front court which will make things that much easier.

Value Tier Core Plays

Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG Atlanta Hawks

It's too bad we lost his small forward eligibility on DraftKings but Bogdanovic is going to be a popular value play tonight as he likely enters the starting lineup for the injured Trae Young. With Young off the floor this season Bogdanovic has the second highest usage rate behind only Dejounte Murray and averages a fantasy point per minute.

Saddiq Bey, SF/PF Atlanta Hawks

Yes, this playbook is full of Atlanta Hawks but when Trae Young goes down that impacts everyone. Bey already plays 30 minutes a night but could see that move towards the 35 minute range if they go with shortened rotations. He, like Bogdanovic, averages close to a fantasy point per minute with Young off the floor at 0.97 FP/min.

Grayson Allen, SG/SF Phoenix Suns

I know it is tough to go back to Allen after he just had a monster game because it's unlikely he has a ceiling performance however we have seen Allen be very consistent with his floor level of production and on a slate where, at the present, there isn't a ton of obvious value, I think the floor is worth the consideration when we've seen what the ceiling can be when he gets hot.

Markelle Fultz, PG Orlando Magic

He got 30 minutes for the Magic the other night off the bench and it is only a matter of time before he enters the starting lineup where he began the season. We've seen glimpses of the player that was taken with the first overall pick all those years ago and as he continues to get healthy he is a guard that can score and fill up the stat sheet tonight. He may also have some added motivation here as he faces the organization that drafted him and then gave up on him after his early struggles.

Larry Nance, C New Orleans Pelicans

Another Pelicans role player that makes an impact on the floor. Nance continues to be a fantasy point per minute monster for us and his athleticism allows him to cover a few positions. He is aggressive on both ends of the floor here as well which is what we like about this play, along with the price tag.

Chuma Okeke, SF Orlando Magic

Still starting for the Magic and continues to be a great value. The matchup against the 76ers is not the greatest but he is giving us 20 fantasy points as a floor since becoming a starter for this Orlando team.

Jordan Hawkins, PG/SG New Orleans Pelicans

As we discussed on the show this morning, Hawkins has taken over for Jose Alvarado as the bench backup point guard and that is great news for GPP players out there because Hawkins is looking like an absolute bucket. He gets on the floor and looks for his shots as often as he can until he gets taken off the floor and when he gets hot the team will let him stay out there.

Check out today's NBA DFS Playbook Live Show at 5pm ET

Roster Lock News

Nick Richards - OUT

Pascal Siakam - ACTIVE

Tyrese Haliburton - ACTIVE

Zach Collins - ACTIVE

Player Pool

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