This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Per usual on a Saturday, FanDuel is excluding the earliest game, offering a five-game main slate to kick off 2022. Tip-off for the first contest is at 7:00 p.m. ET.
SLATE OVERVIEW
SAS (-4.5) @ DET O/U: 222.5
CHI (-2) @ WAS O/U: 215.5
BKN (-11) vs. LAC O/U: 216
DEN (-6) @ HOU O/U: 222.5
UTA (4.5) vs. GSW O/U: 222
The start times for the five games are bunched up, so there isn't a lot of late-swap opportunity to be had today. Most injuries are either solid outs or probable to play, so we aren't saddled with many wait-and-see scenarios, either.
INJURIES
SAS Dejounte Murray (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
Derrick White ($7,900) should continue to see a boost in Murray's absence, and Bryn Forbes ($3,600) will also provide backcourt support.
DET Cade Cunningham (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DET Jerami Grant (thumb) - OUT
DET Cory Joseph (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DET Frank Jackson (ankle) - OUT
DET Trey Lyles (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DET Isaiah Stewart (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DET Saben Lee (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DET Josh Jackson (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DET Killian Hayes (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
Although the Pistons should provide some budget value, the only sure-fire selection here is Saddiq Bey ($6,700), who has an unbelievable salary. Hamidou Diallo ($6,800) is also in line for another big game after exploding for 63 FP in his last outing. Things get a little shaky below Diallo, but Derrick Walton ($4,500) is also a decent value add.
CHI Lonzo Ball (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
CHI Alex Caruso (foot) - OUT
CHI Alfonzo McKinnie (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
Coby White ($7,900) continues to be the best backcourt pivot option.
WAS Spencer Dinwiddie (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
WAS Montrezl Harrell (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
WAS Aaron Holiday (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
WAS Raul Neto (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
WAS Brad Wanamaker (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
The Wizards have a major backcourt piece to fill. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($5,000) will likely replace Dinwiddie, forcing Bradley Beal to the point position. Corey Kispert ($3,800) will also see a production boost.
LAC Paul George (elbow) - OUT
LAC Ivica Zubac (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
LAC Nicolas Batum (ankle) - OUT
Serge Ibaka ($4,000) is in line for a start at the five, while Marcus Morris ($6,900) and Terance Mann ($5,400) are favorite pivots in this scenario.
DEN Aaron Gordon (hamstring) - QUESTIONABLE
DEN Monte Morris (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DEN Jeff Green (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DEN Bones Hyland (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
DEN Austin Rivers (thumb) - QUESTIONABLE
I'll highlight some favorite Denver plays later in the article.
HOU Alperen Sengun (ankle) - OUT
HOU Garrison Mathews (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
The Rockets haven't been this healthy in a while, and these injuries are relatively inconsequential.
GSW Draymond Green (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
The Warriors take a huge hit defensively without Green in the lineup. Juan Toscano-Anderson ($4,300) should start in his absence, and Andre Iguodala ($3,700) could also show up as a defensive pivot.
ELITE PLAYERS
It's no surprise to see Nikola Jokic ($11,700) atop the player pool, and on such a small slate, we'll be taking the reliable numbers when we can get them. Jokic should have one of the best totals for the evening against the Rockets. The same sentiment holds for Brooklyn's elites, as it's a perfect time to single out James Harden ($11,300) and Kevin Durant ($11,600) against the short-handed Clippers. I expect Durant to have a field day without Paul George to hinder his progress. Rudy Gobert ($9,000) might be the best big-man target for value, as he carries an excellent salary against a Warriors team without Draymond Green.
Stephen Curry ($10,300) is a solid play as usual, but the tough matchup against Utah details his projection just a bit. I prefer Bradley Beal ($8,700) over Curry due to his increased load. DeMar DeRozan ($8,800) and Donovan Mitchell ($8,600) round out the elite pool with exploitable matchups against Washington and Golden State respectively.
Also consider: Zach LaVine, CHI ($8,400) @ WAS
EXPECTED CHALK AND VALUE PLAYS
We will combine these two sections due to the slate size. My favorite calls from the injury section are Coby and Derrick White, Walton, and Saddiq Bey.
Kyle Kuzma, WAS ($6,500) vs. CHI
Although there's no direct correlation to Kuzma amid Dinwiddie's absence, the Wizards will need to step up at every position. The former Laker duo of Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma tend to excel when the Wizards are short-handed, and Kuzma proved his value in the last game with 42 FP during Dinwiddie's first absence. He provided a decent second option to Beal for the Wizards.
Andrew Wiggins, GSW ($6,400) @ UTA
Wiggins will need to turn on his defensive mettle against the Jazz, as the Warriors will be without Green. In his days with Minnesota, Wiggins was often singled out for his defensive play, and it's often overlooked in his enhanced scoring role with the Warriors. His talents will be sorely needed to shore up the defense against the Jazz, who are almost 100 percent healthy.
Jakob Poeltl, SAS ($6,200) @ DET
The short-handed Pistons represent an excellent spot for Poeltl, and due to the lack of positional eligibility for tonight's centers, he is probably a less-popular contrarian pick with guys like Gobert coming in at attractive prices. I'm a fan of multiple Spurs due to Detroit's slew of absences, with Keldon Johnson ($6,200) and Devin Vassell ($4,400) representing value at other positions. Thaddeus Young ($3,500) is one of my favorite bargain-basement plays on the slate, as well.
Reggie Jackson, LAC ($6,000) @ BKN
The Clippers are undoubtedly happy to have Jackson back in the fold, and he's got a lot of experience lining up against the Beard, who isn't known for shutting down opposing point guards. Eric Bledsoe ($6,300) will also be around to provide support at the position, but his salary is too high with Jackson back in action.
Will Barton, DEN ($5,800) @ HOU
I don't expect Aaron Gordon (hamstring) to be back Saturday, so Barton should be in line for a great stat line with the right amount of opportunity. The Nuggets got a little break due to a postponement, so while that might spur a return for Gordon, the correlation between the two isn't strong enough to discount Barton, who beat 5x value in two consecutive games prior to the one-game break.
Also consider: Christian Wood, HOU ($7,800) vs. DEN, Royce O'Neale, UTA ($4,300) vs. GSW
