This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The first few days of the Orlando restart have been amazing so far and we're looking for more majestic play here. We have another full day of basketball ahead of us, so let's go ahead and get into it.
If you have any questions, comment me here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel
Slate Overview
WSH-BKN: These are two of the worst teams in the Orlando restart. That's why we have a short 1.5-point spread in favor of Brooklyn with a monstrous total of 235. This is where all of your value is going to come from with so many studs missing this game.
POR-BOS: Boston enters this matchup as a 4.5-point favorite with a game total of 229.
SAN-MEM: Memphis comes in as a 2.5-point favorite. It's expected to be yet another high-scoring battle, with a total of 234.5
SAC-ORL: This might be the lowest-scoring game of the day, with a total sitting at 221. That sounds funny to say, but that's where we are right now. Orlando also enters as a 3.5-point favorite.
MIL-HOU: In a battle between two of the best offenses in basketball, we're looking at a 241-point total. That's the highest total I've seen since an All-Star game, with Milwaukee entering as a short 3.5-point favorite.
DAL-PHX: Yet another high-scoring matchup, where Dallas enters this game as a 5.5-point favorite with a game total of 235.5.
Positional Breakdown
PG: Russell Westbrook ranks tops here at $9,900, while Damian Lillard sits at $9,000. De'Aaron Fox and Ja Morant make up the mid-$7,000s while Ricky Rubio is at $6,300. Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier all hover in the low-$5,000s. Markelle Fultz, Tyler Johnson and Chris Chiozza all make for decent value plays below that.
SG: James Harden and Luka Doncic represent the studs above $10,000. Devin Booker, DeMar DeRozan and Caris LeVert are all around $8,000. Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum are right around 7K and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dillon Brooks have nice upside around $5,000.
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo comes in as the highest-priced player on the board at $11,200. No one is above $6,500 with Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown in this group. If you want value here, Joe Harris, Troy Brown, Carmelo Anthony, Danuel House and Jonathan Isaac all are at $5,000 or below.
PF: Kristaps Porzingis is coming off a monster game on Friday and is the highest here at just below $10,000. Jayson Tatum ranks next at $8,200, but is coming off a terrible game. Aaron Gordon, Rui Hachimura, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Robert Covington all sit around $6,000. Richaun Holmes and Brandon Clarke represent solid value plays.
C: This is my favorite position for value. Up top, we have Nikola Vucevic and Deandre Ayton around 8K. Jusuf Nurkic and Jonas Valanciunas are interesting in the $7,000s. Jarrett Allen is a great value at $6,500, as is Jakob Poeltl at $5,900. And don't forget about Thomas Bryant at $5,400.
Injuries to Monitor
Brooklyn Nets (BKN)
They'll continue to be without Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jamal Crawford, Michael Beasley and Taurean Prince.
Eric Bledsoe/Pat Connaughton (MIL)
Bledsoe will miss today's contest as he had COVID a couple of weeks ago and is still working his conditioning up to the level it needs to be. Same goes for Connaughton.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (PHX)
Oubre injured his knee right before the season came to a halt and it's unclear if he'll be ready to play in these games.
Bradley Beal/John Wall/Davis Bertans (WSH)
Wall is still rehabbing from an Achilles injury while Beal and Bertans are sitting out the restart.
Marvin Bagley III (SAC)
Bagley injured his foot and looks unlikely to play in this Orlando restart.
LaMarcus Aldridge (SAN)
Aldridge underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the season. There's also some chatter that Marco Belinelli, Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills could sit here too.
Eric Gordon (HOU)
Gordon will be out at least two weeks due to an ankle issue.
Elite Players
We have Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and James Harden above $10,000. This is the same group as my Friday article and we chose correctly with Harden. We're going to take a different route here and go with Giannis. He gets to face a Houston defense who just allowed 147 points and his size is going to be a serious problem against a lineup with no players above 6'7". Milwaukee and Houston actually faced off in the opener, with Antetokounmpo dropping 65 FD points in only 29 minutes of action.
Expected Chalk
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL ($11,200)
We just discussed why Giannis is going to be chalk. Honestly, this is chalk you may have to swallow. The superstar MVP dropped 68.5 fantasy points in his return to action on Friday and that might be the floor in a matchup like this. Even though he's chalk, take the free square and build your lineup from there.
Caris LeVert, BKN ($7,800)
LeVert was actually in this section on Friday and I assume we're looking at another chalky day here. The reason for that is because Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince and DeAndre Jordan are all out of the picture. That means LeVert will be looking at a usage rate north of 30 percent and people are surely aware of the fact he faces a Washington club who sits last in total defense.
Key Values
Jarrett Allen, BKN ($6,500)
Allen is going to remain in the value section until he's priced above $7,000. The thing that makes him valuable is the absence of DeAndre Jordan. In the nine games without DJ, Allen is averaging over 37 fantasy points per game across 33 minutes of action. That looks even better when you consider this matchup, with Washington ranked last in nearly every defensive statistic. Don't be surprised to see Allen flirt with a 15-15 game while blocking three shots.
Jaren Jackson Jr, MEM ($5,900)
Jackson was all over my lineups on Friday and he provided us with 41.6 FanDuel points in an absolute gem. That's the guy we love to see and it's all about upside for the big man. JJJ has shown flashes of that upside all season long and anybody below $6,000 with 50-point upside is in play. Getting to face San Antonio isn't too shabby either, with the Spurs owning a 22nd OPRK against PFs this season.
Thomas Bryant, WSH ($5,400)
This was probably the most encouraging thing we saw on Friday. Bryant provided 29 FD points but, more importantly, played 33 minutes. If this guy is playing 30-plus minutes with Bradley Beal, John Wall and Davis Bertans all gone, he could easily average 40 fantasy points per game. The icing on the cake is the matchup though, with Brooklyn surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.
