This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
A modest five-game slate is on tap Sunday evening, which naturally narrows our pool of viable candidates. However, the injury report - which does include a handful of big names - isn't extensive and there are plenty of healthy superstars and talented value plays to consider. There aren't any truly high projected totals expected, which does lower overall offensive expectations as the only two on the board at FanDuel Sportsbook early Sunday morning check in well under 220 points.
Slate Overview
Here's a further look at the two games with projected totals as of early Sunday morning, along with what's likely to be perhaps the one with the largest total whenever it is released:
Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks (Projected total: Off board as of early Sunday)
This game remains off the board as of early Sunday because of the uncertain status of Trae Young, who's questionable with a back injury. He's been playing through the issue and averaging 40.5 points over the last two, so his presence here will naturally boost offensive expectations. But given the Bucks are at full health and averaging 119.5 points per game, there should still be plenty of scoring on their end while the Hawks could muster a fair share of points themselves even without Young.
Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic (Projected total: 215.0 points)
The Hornets have dropped four straight and given up 116.7 points per game over the last three, while the Magic are yielding 110.4 per contest. With both teams ranked in the bottom-10 in pace, this does shape up as more of a grind-it-out affair. It's also worth noting Orlando is only averaging 101.8 points per game at home, the third-lowest in the NBA.
New York Knicks at Portland Trail Blazers (Projected total: 213.5 points)
The modest total isn't surprising, as the Knicks have been one of the league's best defensive squads and the Trail Blazers are missing both CJ McCollum (foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) for the foreseeable future. New York comes in allowing the fewest points per game overall (102.8) - including 101.4 per road contest - while also playing at the league's slowest pace at 99.2 possessions per game. Portland is averaging 114.9 overall and playing at a top-10 pace, but the combination of the Knicks' defense and the absence of McCollum's 26.7-point average certainly should affect their overall output.
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.
Trae Young, ATL (back)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Young has previously played through this injury designation. But if he were to sit out Sunday, the usage rates of John Collins and Clint Capela would particularly see a boost while Rajon Rondo and Brandon Goodwin would be set to absorb the majority of minutes at point guard.
Russell Westbrook, WAS (quadriceps)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Westbrook has been sidelined since Jan. 8, although he's only missed two games due to the Wizards' COVID-19 postponements. If the All-Star guard can't suit up, Raul Neto - who's questionable with a groin injury - would be in line to start if he suits up.
Jayson Tatum, BOS (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Tatum's ongoing absence Sunday should continue to result in elevated usage rates for Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown.
CJ McCollum, POR (foot)/ Status: OUT
In McCollum's ongoing absence, Rodney Hood is likely to see another start while Damian Lillard and other members of Portland's first unit should see a bump in usage.
Dejounte Murray, SAN (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Murray is unable to go today, Lonnie Walker and Patty Mills could be in line for plenty of extra minutes with the likes of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge most likely seeing extra usage.
De'Andre Hunter, ATL (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Hunter sits out Sunday, Danilo Gallinari could be in for a start at small forward.
Rui Hachimura, WAS (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Hachimura's absence, along with that of Davis Bertans, should afford Isaac Bonga a start at power forward.
Other notable injuries:
Davis Bertans, WAS (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Raul Neto, WAS (groin)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Payton Pritchard, BOS (knee)/ Status: OUT
Austin Rivers, NYK (Achilles)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
Despite there being only five matchups on the evening slate, there are four players with five-figure salaries in Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300), Trae Young ($10,500), Bradley Beal ($10,300) and Clint Capela ($10,000). Young carries a questionable designation due to a back injury as noted earlier, but also comes in on a blazing run that includes tallies of 45.9 to 64.8 FD points over his last four outings. Meanwhile, it's hard to know what type of performance Beal might produce after the Wizards last played two weeks ago, while Capela will have the unenviable task of trying to follow up performances of 79.2 and 68.8 FD points in his last two.
There are also several players with salaries in the high four-figures that offer the ability to deliver elite scores, including Russell Westbrook ($9,900) - who's questionable to return from his quadriceps injury - Damian Lillard ($9,700), Nikola Vucevic ($9,500), Julius Randle ($9,100) and Andre Drummond ($8,600). From that group, it's worth noting Lillard will be taking the floor without both CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, and Dame carries a 31.6 percent usage rate and averages 1.25 FD points per minute without his teammates this season. And Vucevic, Randle and Drummond all have above-average positional matchups.
Expected Chalk
All of the names mentioned in Elite Players section are naturally going to be very popular Sunday. And with just 10 teams taking the floor, they should be pretty densely rostered. Additionally, John Collins and Capela should both be even more covered than usual if Trae Young does sit out, while Lillard, Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter are likely to also see plenty of clicks on their name with McCollum and Nurkic out.
Key Values
LaMarcus Aldridge, SA vs. WAS ($5,600)
It's relatively shocking to find Aldridge at this salary, considering the big man's past body of work and overall upside. Aldridge is also coming off posting 41.8 FD points against the Mavericks on Friday, his fourth game with at least 30 FD points across 13 this season. The veteran's usage is slightly down this season, but he's still taking a solid 13.8 shots per game and will face a favorable matchup against a defensively challenged Wizards' team that hasn't taken the court since Jan. 11 and allowing the second-most FD points per game to centers (59.4).
Alec Burks, NY at POR ($5,400)
Burks has scored 20.5 and 20.0 FD points in his first two games back from an ankle injury, logging 31 and 27 minutes in those contests. The sharpshooting veteran's production has been capped by some rusty shooting, as he's gone just 5-for-21 from the floor over that span. Burks is still shooting a jaw-dropping 54.5 percent from behind the arc and he'll face a Portland team Sunday allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency to second-unit players (47.6 percent) along with 47.8 percent shooting. Burks had scored 36.5 and 26.9 FD points in his first two this season before the injury, offering a glimpse at the upside he can provide at this salary.
Carmelo Anthony, POR vs. NY ($4,100)
Like Aldridge, Anthony is a highly decorated veteran whose salary is particularly low at the moment. There are more cumulative scoring opportunities on the Blazers with CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic out of action and Anthony - who boasts a 24.8 percent usage rate with both teammates off the floor this season - could be in position to thrive against one of his old teams Sunday. Anthony supplied 28.6 FD points against the Spurs in Portland's last matchup Monday and has delivered over 5x on his current salary in five of 13 games. With rested legs and what should be a solid allotment of playing time off the bench, Anthony should offer a good chance for a strong return Sunday.
ALSO CONSIDER: Keldon Johnson, SA vs. WAS ($6,600); Evan Fournier, ORL vs. CHA ($5,500); Rodney Hood, POR vs. NY ($5,000); Devin Vassell, SA vs. WAS ($4,300)
