This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After some busy nights Sunday and Monday, we're down to a compact three-game slate Tuesday. The reduced player pool coupled with some big-name injuries does make it a bit more challenging to build lineups, but there are still some solid options across the salary cap to take advantage of.
Slate Overview
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Two of the night's three games have decent totals, but the Clippers-Trail Blazers clash carries just a 214-point figure due to the absences of Paul George, Damian Lillard and Kawhi Leonard. Fortunately, there are still some talented players on both squads that can produce strong DFS scores. The Warriors-Mavericks tilt carries the highest total (228 points) and also has a very appealing 1.5-point spread that should give us confidence that the likes of Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic will play heavy minutes.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Damian Lillard, POR (calf): OUT
With Lillard out, Anfernee Simons and the remainder of the starting five should continue to log heavy usage.
Paul George, LAC (hamstring): OUT
In George's ongoing absence and that of Kawhi Leonard, Amir Coffey and Terance Mann could remain in the starting five while the usage of the likes of Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac should remain elevated.
Cade Cunningham, DET (lower leg): OUT
In Cunningham's continuing absence, Killian Hayes is likely to draw another start at point guard.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC (ankle): OUT
With Leonard and Paul George both out, both Amir Coffey and Terance Mann should remain on the first unit.
Other notable injuries:
Jaden Ivey, DET (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Marvin Bagley, DET (migraine): QUESTIONABLE
Bojan Bogdanovic, DET (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate: Luka Doncic ($12,000) and Stephen Curry ($11,200)
Doncic scored 45 FD points across 35 minutes in another faceoff with an elite player in Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sunday, and he'd put up over 50 in five of his previous six games. He also scored between 46.4 and 66.5 FD points in three of the four regular-season meetings versus the Warriors last season and averaged 32.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 block across 38.2 minutes over five games against Golden State in the Western Conference Finals.
Curry is shooting 55.5 percent, including 47.1 percent from three-point range, across 12 games in November, putting up 52.3 FD points per game in the process. However, he only eclipsed 50 FD points once in four regular-season meetings with Dallas last season. He was also held to 44.4 percent shooting by Dallas in the Western Conference Finals, although he did generate a 43.9 percent success rate from distance during the series.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,600)
Brunson should be highly popular after scoring 43 to 50.5 FD points in each of his last three games.
Anfernee Simons, POR ($8,400)
Simons should continue to see elevated usage with Lillard still out, and he's scored 43.3 to 55.1 FD points in three of the last five.
Jerami Grant, POR ($8,200)
Grant exploded for 44 actual points two games ago and has scored over 40 FD points in the last two games, which should keep him in plenty of lineups on the small slate.
Julius Randle, NYK ($7,800)
Randle offers the upside of a higher-salaried player and has scored 37.7 to 41.7 FD points in each of the last three games.
Ivica Zubac, LAC ($6,900)
Zubac's mammoth 31-point, 29-rebound double-double from Sunday night is going to be fresh in plenty of DFS players' minds, and he'll have an opportunity for elevated usage again with George and Leonard out.
Key Values
Norman Powell, LAC at POR ($6,000)
Powell makes for appealing cost-effective exposure to the Clippers in the absence of George and Leonard, with the veteran wing boasting a 29.8 percent usage rate and averaging 35.6 FD points per 36 minutes with his two teammates off the floor. Powell could have a bit of extra incentive playing against one of his former squads as well, and Portland comes in giving up 40.2 FD points per game to small forwards, upping Powell's prospects.
Mitchell Robinson, NYK at DET ($5,700)
Robinson can always be a bit of a wild card, but at his salary and with his upside, he's worth a roll of the dice in tournaments. The big man has scored 26.6 and 39.4 FD points in his last two games, and he now draws a matchup against a Pistons team allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (33.3), along with 52.5 FD points per game to the position. Detroit is also giving up an NBA-high 7.7 blocks per home game, a relevant stat when considering Robinson due to his 2.3 blocks per game and the fact he just swatted five shots against the Grizzlies on Sunday.
Dorian Finney-Smith, DAL vs. GSW ($4,900)
Finney-Smith's involvement in the Mavs' offense can fluctuate, but he can contribute nicely in non-scoring categories also and comes in having put up over 30 FD points in each of the last two games and 22.1 three games ago. Finney-Smith is also taking a career-high 5.5 three-point attempts per contest, while Golden State is allowing the fourth-highest three-point percentage (40.2) on the road. Finney Smith has delivered at least a 4x return on his current salary in eight of 19 games, and given what should be a fast-paced, competitive affair, he could have a good chance of delivering versus a Warriors squad allowing just under 47 FD points per game to power forwards.
