This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA serves up a hefty post-Christmas serving of action with a second consecutive 10-game slate, including nine games on FanDuel's main evening ledger. There are plenty of notable names in action, as Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are all projected to take the floor.
Consequently, there will be plenty of choices on who to pay up, for making mid-salary/value options especially important - especially for tournaments. We also have several games projected over 225.0 points, potentially affording us some very appealing game environments for DFS purposes.
Without further ado, let's dive into Sunday's nine-game evening slate!
Slate Overview
Here's a further look at the three games with the highest projected totals on Sunday's evening slate:
Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte Hornets (Projected total: 230.0 points)
The new-look Nets have been a hit over their first two games and have averaged 124.0 points per contest. The Hornets are putting up a more modest 110.5 thus far but also pack plenty of offensive punch with the likes of Terry Rozier, Devonte' Graham and Gordon Hayward. Both squads are in the middle of the pack in pace during the early going, but oddsmakers clearly expect some fireworks - particularly from the Nets. Charlotte faces the tougher test, as Brooklyn has given up the fewest points per game (97.0) so far.
Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards (Projected total: 229.0 points):
With these sides combining for 250 points Saturday night and Washington particularly not looking any better defensively than last season in its first two games, there's the expectation plenty of points will be repeated despite this being the second game of a back-to-back set. Orlando has shown some strong offensive production with an average of 121.5 points over its first two contests, while the Wizards' new backcourt tandem of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal is unsurprisingly already thriving. The pace should once again be through the roof here, as both squads rank in the top-10 in that category and the Wizards typically force the opposition to play fast when looking at last season.
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans (Projected total: 227.5 points)
The surprising Spurs are 2-0, and it's no wonder this game carries a high projected total with some talented offensive players on each side of this matchup. San Antonio checks in at No. 3 in points per game at 125.0, while New Orleans has been much more subdued with 105.5. Nevertheless, the Spurs have given up an average of 116.5 points and are averaging a robust 109.0 possessions per game early on, lending credence to the notion the points could eventually pile up.
Positional Breakdown
PG: If Russell Westbrook plays on the second game of the back-to-back set, he'll head up a deep pool that also counts Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry as top options and the likes of De'Aaron Fox, Dejounte Murray, Malcolm Brogdon,,Jrue Holiday and Chris Paul as excellent upper mid-salaried selections. Terry Rozier, Lonzo Ball, Darius Garland and Markelle Fultz are among the notable names with salaries under $7K.
SG: There's a nice combination of upside and savings at SG, with Bradley Beal requiring the highest investment at a very reasonable salary of $8.5K. DeMar DeRozan ($8K) also has the talent to overdeliver at his current salary, while Khris Middleton, Zach LaVine, Devin Booker, D'Angelo Russell and Collin Sexton are among those who could do the same at their sub-$8K figures.
SF: LeBron James and Kevin Durant head up the SF pool, while Jaylen Brown, Brandon Ingram and Gordon Hayward may usually offer upside that's a tier below the top duo, but each carries $8K-or-below salaries. Tobias Harris and RJ Barrett are two players that have gotten off to uneven starts and check in with sub-$6.5K salaries that aren't reflective of their ceiling.
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis are the two most expensive options at PF, and Davis has the calf injury concern as noted earlier. Jayson Tatum, Domantas Sabonis, Zion Williamson and Julius Randle are among the top alternatives for those who can't quite foot the bill for the top-shelf players, while depth at the position could get a boost if Draymond Green (foot) makes his debut.
C: The big question will be Karl-Anthony Towns' status due to a wrist injury. Even if he sits out, Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond and Nikola Vucevic could all offer similar upside at four-figure salaries. Then, Deandre Ayton, Myles Turner, Montrezl Harrell and Steven Adams are among those who can provide even more savings and still offer strong returns on their current salaries.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate.
Key Injuries:
Anthony Davis, LAL (calf)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Davis is considered legitimately questionable with a right calf bruise, with his status potentially to be decided during pregame shootaround.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle)/ Status: PROBABLE
James is expected to play against the Timberwolves and would enjoy a significant usage bump should Anthony Davis sit out with his calf bruise.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (wrist)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Towns is reportedly dealing with significant left wrist soreness and therefore appears legitimately questionable for Sunday night's showdown with the Lakers. Naz Reid and Ed Davis would be slated to take over center duties in his stead, while the usage rates of every remaining member of the starting five would certainly bump up should KAT sit out.
Draymond Green, GSW (foot)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Green was able to practice Saturday and could therefore make his 2020-21 season debut Sunday against the Bulls. Eric Paschall would presumably head back to a bench role were Green to return.
Marquese Chriss, GSW (lower leg)/ Status: OUT
Chriss' absence versus the Bulls should result in a bump in minutes for Kevon Looney behind starting center James Wiseman.
Other injuries of note:
James Ennis, ORL (hamstring)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Kevin Porter, CLE (personal)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Thaddeus Young, CHI (lower leg)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Matthew Dellavedova, CLE (back)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Al-Farouq Aminu, ORL (knee)/ Status: OUT
Immanuel Quickley, NYK (hip)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Obi Toppin, NYK (calf)/ Status: OUT
Omari Spellman, NYK (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Edmond Sumner, IND (illness)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
NOTABLE LONGER-TERM INJURIES: Kemba Walker, BOS (knee); Rui Hachimura, WAS (eye); Jeremy Lamb, IND (knee); Cody Zeller, CHA (hand); Derrick White, SAN (toe); Dario Saric, PHO (quadriceps); Austin Rivers, NYK (groin); Dylan Windler, CLE (hand); Romeo Langford, BOS (wrist); Goga Bitadze, IND (ankle); Abdel Nader, PHO (concussion)
Elite Players
There are five players sporting five-figure salaries on the slate, with Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500), Russell Westbrook ($11,200), LeBron James ($10,800), Anthony Davis ($10,600) and Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,200) all fitting the bill. However, there are injury concerns hanging over Davis and Towns in particular as covered earlier. Antetokounmpo also finds himself in a potential blowout scenario against the Knicks, while there's at least a small chance the Wizards opt to hold out Westbrook on the second game of a back-to-back - although that's far from certain.
There's also plenty of potential for elite production from a number of four-figured players, beginning with Joel Embiid ($9,900) and continuing with Jayson Tatum ($9,800), Ben Simmons ($9,600), Kevin Durant ($9,500). Kyrie Irving ($9,400), Domantas Sabonis ($9,100); Bradley Beal ($8,500) and Stephen Curry ($8,300), just to name a few. Beal and Curry have especially appealing valuations relative to their upside, but all the names listed are naturally fine options for either cash games or tournaments.
Expected Chalk
All of the names mentioned in Elite Players section are naturally going to be very popular Sunday, although there should be a good amount of variety in lineups with 18 teams taking the floor on the main slate. Two big injury-related sources of chalk to keep in mind naturally involve Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns. If the former sits out, LeBron James should be even more popular than usual, while the likes of D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley could see a significant bump in their rostering rates if the latter is sidelined.
There could also be plenty of popular value plays, several which will be covered in the following section.
Key Values
Montrezl Harrell, LAL vs. MIN ($6,200)
Harrell may have switched LA jerseys this offseason, but the energetic big man hasn't missed a beat so far with the Lakers. Displaying the same high motor that was his calling card over the last three seasons with the Clippers, Harrell has compiled 35.5 and 34.4 FD points over his first two games. That leaves him as a very appealing play at a salary that's bound to go up in coming days should he continue to thrive. The Timberwolves make for a good target as well, as Minnesota could be without Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) down low Sunday and are ranked in the bottom-10 in offensive efficiency rating in the paint (58.5) over the first two contests following the same slotting over a much larger sample size last season.
T.J. Warren, IND vs. BOS ($5,300)
Warren burned quite a few DFS players with his season-opening performance versus the Knicks, when he shot 2-for-8 from the floor across 23 minutes on his way to five points. The veteran wing looked much more like himself Saturday versus the Bulls posting 23 points over 27 minutes, a performance that helped lead to 34.7 FD points. Warren will look to keep up the momentum in what should be a competitive game against the Celtics, a team he shot 51.9 percent against last season - including 50.0 percent from three-point range across 32 minutes over two contests.
Terrence Ross, ORL at WAS ($4,600)
Ross has significantly outpaced his current salary in each of his first two games by posting 24.1 and 32.9 FD points against the Heat and Wizards, respectively. He now gets another crack at defensively-challenged Washington, which allowed 130 points to Orlando on Saturday and the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating (45.6) to opposing second units last season. The Wizards are at it again in the early going this season, already surrendering 52.9 percent shooting to bench players in their first two games with Ross having a big part to play in that figure after draining nine of 14 attempts against them Saturday night.
Other value plays to consider: Kevin Love, CLE at PHI ($6,500); Darius Garland, CLE at PHI ($6,200); Devonte' Graham, CHA vs. BKN ($5,400); Alec Burks, NY vs. MIL ($5,200); Keldon Johnson, SA at NO ($5,100); Anthony Edwards, MIN at LAL ($4,800)
