This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
We're back Sunday with another four-game NBA main slate. With three set to tip off before 7 p.m. EDT, we've once again got less games to deal with in the evening.
Cleveland and Washington start at 7 while Sacramento and Golden State conclude things at 10. Bucks/Hawks and Magic/Pacers are the two games in between.
No game really stands out from the rest to me today, although the late contest offers the highest total at 231. We've already got injury news on several key players, so that will likely have a bigger impact on the slate than any matchup today.
Let's go ahead and get into the breakdown that will hopefully bring you success:
Injury News to Monitor
Collin Sexton, CLE (concussion)/Status: OUT
Sexton is out Sunday with a concussion. In his absence, Darius Garland will likely see a usage bump while Matthew Dellavedova could get more minutes.
Rui Hachimura, WAS (knee)/Status: OUT
Hachimura is set to miss his fourth consecutive game due to a knee injury. In addition, Deni Avdija (ankle) suffered a season-ending injury on Wednesday. Look for both Anthony Gill and Davis Bertans to benefit.
Trae Young, ATL (ankle)/Status: OUT
Young missed Friday's contest against Miami with an ankle injury. Brandon Goodwin and Lou Williams could make for interesting value plays.
Clint Capela, ATL (back)/Status: QUESTIONABLE
Capela missed Friday's game with a back injury and his status is once again in question. If he misses again, Onyeka Okongwu will likely start.
Domantas Sabonis, IND (back)/Status: QUESTIONABLE
Sabonis has sat the past three with a back injury and it's possible he misses a fourth. Myles Turner (toe) is also out and Goga Bitadze (ankle) is questionable. If all three are gone, Oshae Brissett and Doug McDermott look like great value.
Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle) and Terrence Ross (back), ORL/Status: QUESTIONABLE
Both Carter and Ross are questionable for the battle against Indiana. If Carter remains out, look for Mo Bamba to start. If Ross is sidelined, we could see value in Dwayne Bacon.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (health and safety protocols)/Status: OUT
Fox had been on a tear of late, but will unfortunately be forced to miss the next 10-14 days due to the league's health and safety protocols. In his absence, Tyrese Haliburton and Delon Wright should benefit.
Other injury news to monitor:
De'Andre Hunter, ATL (knee)/Status: OUT
Cam Reddish, ATL (Achilles)/Status: OUT
Michael Carter-Williams, ORL (ankle)/Status: OUT
Otto Porter Jr., ORL (foot)/Status: OUT
James Ennis, ORL (calf)/Status: QUESTIONABLE
Jeremy Lamb, IND (knee)/Status: QUESTIONABLE
Kent Bazemore, GS (health and safety protocols)/Status: OUT
Elite Players
There are three superstars to choose from in Russell Westbrook ($11,000), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,700) and Stephen Curry ($10,500).
Westbrook has been killing it of late, most recently putting up 71.8 DraftKings points against Oklahoma City. He's scored 60 or more fantasy points in five of his last seven outings. Even at this salary, Westbrook is the safest bet of these choices.
Antetokounmpo faces a great matchup against Atlanta, but the game could quickly turn into a blowout with Trae Young out and Clint Capela questionable. Curry will need to have a monster shooting game to pay off his salary, but that is possible any given night for the league's top shooter.
Malcolm Brogdon ($8,700) and Caris LeVert ($8,400) come in with boosted salaries, but both should see plenty of usage on a banged up Pacers team as they both carry 50-point upside.
Expected Chalk
At this point, we can routinely expect Westbrook to be chalk on any slate he plays in.
I also expect Tyrese Haliburton ($6,200) to be in a lot of lineups with De'Aaron Fox out. I think Darius Garland ($7,200) and Jarrett Allen ($7,100) could also get plenty of looks.
If Domantas Sabonis misses, Doug McDermott ($3,900) and Oshae Brissett ($4,800) will be popular value plays. Brandon Goodwin ($4,200) will also be interesting with Trae Young out.
Key Values
Oshae Brissett, IND at ORL ($4,800)
If Sabonis misses again, then Brissett is too undervalued. The Pacers' frontcourt is injured all over, resulting in Brissett playing 42 and 38 minutes in Indiana's past two games and posting double-doubles in both. If Sabonis is in, you can look elsewhere. But if not, then you'd be taking a huge risk by fading Brissett.
Tyrese Haliburton, SAC at GS ($6,200)
Haliburton will start at point guard for Sacramento with De'Aaron Fox sidelined and gets a matchup with high-flying Golden State. The rookie is averaging 1.1 DraftKings points per minute with Fox off the floor. Haliburton should see more assists and in general have the ball in his hands a lot more. Moreover, his salary isn't yet adjusted for the fact Fox is out. This is the lowest you're going to get Haliburton while that is the case, so take advantage.
Davis Bertans, WAS vs. CLE ($5,100)
Bertans could see around 30 minutes today with Rui Hachimura out. He played 22 in a blowout against Oklahoma City on Friday. Bertans offers potential to hit 30 fantasy points and has to be considered one of the better value options on a four-game slate.
Other values to consider: Delon Wright, SAC at GS ($4,900); Brandon Goodwin, ATL vs. MIL ($4,200); Doug McDermott, IND at ORL ($3,900)
