Today's slate is one for the history books in possibly the worst way. So many players are ruled out and by the time lineup lock rolls around. Below, I've listed all the teams playing for something and talked through my process in the player breakdowns as well for teams that aren't playing for anything. It does matter that a team is playing for something at this point because we can reliably count on their stars playing big minutes, at least we think so, this is the NBA. Be sure to check out our NBA DFS projections, powered by FanJections, NBA DFS Lineup Generator, and all of the rest of our NBA DFS content and tools! Let's break down James' top plays of the day for DraftKings and FanDuel!

 

Teams Playing for Something Today

  • Kings
  • Lakers
  • Warriors
  • Heat
  • Nets
  • Raptors
  • Pelicans
  • Grizzlies
  • Hawks
  • Mavericks

Notable NBA Injury Updates

Highest NBA Game Totals

Best Pace Matchups

Best DRtg Matchups

Favorite Players to Use for DFS Lineups

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

So despite having the season on the line, the Mavericks have ruled out Kyrie Irving, Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway, Josh Green, and Maxi Kleber. That means Luka Doncic essentially has the team to himself. Not essentially. He does. Without those guys on the floor, Doncic has a 40.3% USG and averages 1.5 FP/min. Top spend on the board.

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

So our concern with Trae Young when Quin Synder initially arrived was the minutes. Well, now that he’s playing 39+ minutes there’s no reason his price point is still where it is. They’re going to face a shell of the normal 76ers here too. This total is very appealing as it’s at the top of the list for me regarding game environments.

Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls

Barring Vucevic suits up, he’s one of the top overall plays of the day. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are out, which means the keys to the team are in the hands of Vooch. It’s a small sample without DeRozan and LaVine but has a 27.4% USG and averages 1.17 FP/min without them.

Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks

You give Portis 30 minutes and the sky’s the limit. He’s played 30 minutes in back-to-back games and he’s put up 50+ DKP and now has the team to himself. Without the Bucks Big 3 and Brook Lopez he has a 28.9% USG and averages 1.28 FP/min.

Houston’s Top Three Options

I love how the Houston Rockets are just letting their guys play all the minutes and it’s hard to exclude Alperen Sengun, Kevin Porter Jr., and Jalen Green. Charlotte is 20th in DRtg this year and 10th in pace. I’d rank them Sengun, Green, and Porter, but love them all.

Favorite Value Players for DFS Lineups

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-