This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a bigger than usual Tuesday slate, as there are eight games on the docket. Big injuries and a suspension are opening up some value opportunities, but fortunately, the player pool remains more than ample to differentiate in tournaments and build solid cash game lineups.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
There are more larger spreads than usual Tuesday, as five games have lines of six points or greater as of late morning. There's more optimistic news on the DFS front when looking at projected totals, however – six games sport figures of 229 points or higher.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (knee): PROBABLE
Antetokounmpo is fully expected to play through his knee soreness and could be taking the floor without Jrue Holiday (neck).
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Davis is expected to continue playing through his foot issue and should once again shoulder plenty of extra usage with LeBron James (foot) sidelined.
Ja Morant, MEM (suspension): OUT
Morant's ongoing absence will afford Tyus Jones another start at point guard after he turned in a stellar 25-point, 12-assist, five-steal showing Sunday against the Clippers in the first game of Morant's absence.
Jalen Brunson, NYK (foot): QUESTIONABLE
If Brunson were to sit again, Immanuel Quickley, who put up a career-high 38 points against the Celtics on Sunday night in a spot start, would likely remain in the starting five at point guard.
Jrue Holiday, MIL (neck): QUESTIONABLE
If Holiday were to be sidelined, Jevon Carter could draw a start at point guard while Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo would be among the primary beneficiaries in terms of elevated usage.
Kyle Kuzma, WAS (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Kuzma were to remain out for a second straight game, Anthony Gill could remain in the starting five while Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis enjoy extra usage.
Other notable injuries:
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (calf): OUT
LeBron James, LAL (foot): OUT
Andrew Wiggins, GSW (personal): OUT
Steven Adams, MEM (knee): OUT
Ben Simmons, BKN (knee): OUT
Collin Sexton, UTA (hamstring): OUT
Jalen Williams, OKC (wrist): QUESTIONABLE
D'Angelo Russell, LAL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Wendell Carter, ORL (hip): QUESTIONABLE
Bojan Bogdanovic, DET (Achilles): GTD
Jalen Duren, DET (ankle): GTD
Draymond Green, GSW (hand): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have seven players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Tuesday's slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,200), Luka Doncic ($12,000), Joel Embiid ($11,800), Anthony Davis ($11,500), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800), James Harden ($10,600) and Julius Randle ($10,000).
Antetokounmpo has scored at least 54.6 FD points in three of his last four games and could take the floor without Jrue Holiday, a scenario in which the big man is averaging 61.3 FD points per 36 minutes.
Doncic has scored at least 58.6 FD points in three of his last five games and his usage continues to essentially be as elevated as before Kyrie Irving's arrival on many nights.
Embiid has put up over 50 FD points in his last two games and in six of his last eight games overall.
Davis is averaging 59.3 FD points over the first four games he's played during LeBron James' current absence and draws a favorable matchup against a Grizzlies frontcourt still missing Steven Adams (knee).
Gilgeous-Alexander went off for 60.4 FD points against the Jazz on Sunday in his return from COVID-19 protocols and ankle/abdomen injuries, his third tally over 60 in the last five games alone.
Harden is on a month-plus tear that's seen him average 49.4 FD points per contest over the last 13 games while shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Randle has 58.3 and 43.8 FD points in his last two games and draws a highly favorable matchup against a Hornets frontcourt that he already has one tally of 48.4 FD points against this season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS ($9,700)
Porzingis could take the floor without Kyle Kuzma again and already checks in with back-to-back 50-FD-point tallies.
Stephen Curry, GSW ($9,500)
Curry didn't show too much rust in his return from an 11-game absence Sunday against the Lakers, recording 39.4 FD points over 32 minutes, and he's therefore likely to be rostered without hesitation Tuesday.
Mikal Bridges, BKN ($8,500)
Bridges has taken on much more usage since arriving in Brooklyn and checks in having scored 44.9 to 57 FD points in four of the last five games.
Desmond Bane, MEM ($8,200)
Bane has scored 41.5 to 51.8 FD points in three of the last four contests and averages 45.1 FD points per 36 minutes without Ja Morant on the floor.
Tyus Jones, MEM ($7,500)
Jones contributed 61.6 FD points in his first start for Morant on Sunday and is averaging 42.3 FD points per contest overall in 10 starts this season.
Key Values
Cameron Johnson, BKN at HOU ($6,000)
While fellow ex-Phoenix Sun wing Mikal Bridges has stolen plenty of the spotlight since his and Johnson's move to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant, Johnson has done more than his fair share since his arrival as well. The fourth-year forward has averaged 30.1 FD points across his first nine games with the Nets on the strength of 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per contest, and he now faces a Rockets team that's been a sieve defensively most of the season and is allowing 38.4 percent three-point shooting to small forwards specifically. Houston is also yielding the fourth-most FD points per game to threes (42.4), and given Johnson's defensive prowess, it's also worth noting the Rockets are conceding an NBA-high 9.1 steals per home game.
Kevon Looney, GSW at OKC ($5,300)
Looney is on an extended stretch of strong play that dates back to Feb. 1, as he's averaging 26.2 FD points per contest over the last 15 games while putting up 8.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists along with 75.0 percent shooting in that span. The big man even has six tallies of over 30 FD points in the sample, a very appealing ceiling for a player of his salary. One of the games in that stretch came against this same Thunder squad, with Looney collecting 25.2 FD points in 22 minutes versus OKC on Feb. 6. The Thunder comes in ranked No. 20 in offensive efficiency allowed to centers (32.3) and have surrendered 55.2 FD points per game to the position on the season; what's more, they rank in the bottom 10 in points in the paint per game allowed (51.2) and give up the second-most blocks per home contest (5.6), giving Looney plenty of paths to fantasy success.
Troy Brown, LAL vs. MEM ($5,000)
Brown has been solid in LeBron James' stead during the last three games of the future Hall of Famer's absence, averaging 28.7 FD points on the strength of his 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. Brown's efficiency has been off the charts, as he's shooting 60.0 percent, including a blistering 58.8 percent from behind the arc on 5.7 three-point attempts per game. The Grizzlies have been one of the most vulnerable teams in the league to three-point shooting on the road – they're conceding a 38.0 percent success rate from deep in that split – and have also given up 40.5 FD points per contest to small forwards on the season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Dorian Finney-Smith, BKN at HOU ($5,600)
