Thursday's six-game DraftKings slate offers fantasy managers plenty of star power to work with, as well as injury-driven alternatives and young talent. Monitoring NBA starting lineups and the latest fantasy basketball news will be crucial to building winning lineups, and in this article I'll break down today's top picks and value plays with the assistance of RotoWire's DFS optimizer.
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DraftKings Main Slate NBA Games Today
UTA at WAS: Jazz on seven-game slide, 7-23 on road; Wizards on six-game slide, 11-21 at home
DAL at ORL: Mavericks on four-game slide, 7-20 on road; Magic 18-11 at home
GS at HOU: Warriors 12-17 on road; Rockets 20-7 at home
BKN at MIA: Nets on nine-game slide, 7-24 on road; Heat 19-11 at home
DET at SAS: Pistons 21-8 on road; Spurs 21-6 at home
TOR at MIN: Raptors 19-10 on road; Timberwolves on four-game winning streak, 21-11 at home
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.
NBA Injury Report Today
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
UTA - Keyonte George (ankle), Lauri Markkanen (hip): OUT
WAS - Anthony Gill (illness): Questionable; Alex Sarr (hamstring), Kyshawn George (elbow), Anthony Davis (finger), Tristan Vukcevic (thigh), Jamir Watkins (ankle): OUT
DAL - Naji Marshall (finger), Klay Thompson (adductor): Probable; Cooper Flagg (foot), Brandon Williams (quadriceps): Questionable; Marvin Bagley (neck): OUT
ORL - Anthony Black (quadriceps), Wendell Carter (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (knee): Questionable; Franz Wagner (ankle): OUT
GS - Gary Payton (ankle): Questionable; Stephen Curry (knee), Moses Moody (wrist), Will Richard (ankle), Kristaps Porzingis (illness), Seth Curry (neck): OUT
HOU - Alperen Sengun (illness), Amen Thompson (ankle), Jabari Smith (ankle): Questionable; Jae'Sean Tate (knee): OUT
BKN - Egor Demin (foot): OUT
MIA - Nikola Jovic (back), Simone Fontecchio (groin), Norman Powell (groin): OUT
DET - None
SAS - Harrison Barnes (ankle), Mason Plumlee (reconditioning): OUT
TOR - Brandon Ingram (thumb): Questionable; Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb): OUT
MIN - Anthony Edwards (foot), Jaylen Clark (illness): Questionable; Joe Ingles (personal): OUT
Elite NBA DFS Players
Guards
Desmond Bane, Magic 
($7,900) vs. Mavericks
Bane has chipped in 34.0-plus DK points in six consecutive contests and enters a favorable matchup against the Mavericks, who rank 23rd in defensive rating over the last 15 games. The 27-year-old swingman has averaged 27.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 36.2 minutes per tilt over his last six games.
Isaiah Collier, Jazz 
($7,800) at Wizards
With Keyonte George (ankle) unavailable for the second leg of this back-to-back set, Collier should get the starting nod against a lackluster Wizards defense. The second-year point guard notched at least 32.8 DK points in seven of his nine starts in February, averaging 17.0 points, 9.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 33.9 minutes per tilt during those starts.
Forwards/Centers
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs 
($10,900) vs. Pistons
Wembanyama has posted at least 37.0 DK points in 13 straight appearances and 43.0 or more in five of his seven outings since the All-Star break, including 63.3 in a win over Detroit on Feb. 23. Since the break, the star big man has averaged 17.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.6 blocks, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.3 minutes per contest.
Kevin Durant, Rockets 
($9,100) vs. Warriors
Durant has reached the 30-point threshold in three straight games and will aim to remain productive against one of his former teams. The superstar has finished with 40.8-plus DK points in six of his seven outings since the All-Star break, averaging 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 combined steals-plus-blocks in 35.7 minutes per tilt during that period.
Jalen Duren, Pistons 
($8,200) at Spurs
The All-Star center has put up elite numbers recently, racking up six consecutive double-doubles while scoring 20-plus points in five of them. He has recorded 45.0 or more DK points in five of those six outings, including 48.0 in a loss to the Spurs on Feb. 23. During that six-game stretch, he has averaged 25.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2.0 combined steals-plus-blocks and 1.7 assists over 32.0 minutes per game.
Expected NBA DFS Chalk
Cade Cunningham, Pistons ($11,200) at Spurs
Cunningham has supplied 41.5 or more DK points in nine consecutive contests, including 49.5 in Detroit's Feb. 23 loss to San Antonio. Over that stretch, the star point guard has averaged 25.6 points, 10.8 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 combined steals-plus-blocks over 35.7 minutes per outing.
Mid-Range NBA DFS Picks
Stephon Castle, Spurs ($6,900) vs. Pistons
Castle has produced between 25.8 and 41.5 DK points in seven appearances following the All-Star break, with the high end coming in a win over Detroit on Feb. 23. Over that span, the second-year guard has averaged 16.1 points, 6.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals across 25.6 minutes per contest.
Will Riley, Wizards 
($5,600) vs. Jazz
The rookie first-rounder contributed 34.8 DK points his last time out and is likely to remain in the starting five due to Kyshawn George (elbow) being sidelined. Riley has registered at least 25.5 DK points in five of his last six outings (two starts), during which he has averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals across 32.7 minutes per showing.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Kel'el Ware, Heat 
($4,900) vs. Nets
Ware has racked up four double-doubles and at least 33.0 DK points in four of his six outings since the All-Star break, including 39.3 in a win over the Nets on Tuesday. The second-year center has averaged 11.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.2 three-pointers and 1.2 steals while shooting 50.9 percent from the field in 21.0 minutes per game off the bench over his last six appearances.
Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards ($4,900) vs. Jazz
Coulibaly is coming off a down performance in Tuesday's loss to the Magic (17.5 DK points), though he enters a much more favorable matchup Thursday. The third-year forward has recorded 26.3 or more DK points in six of his eight outings since the All-Star break, during which he has averaged 12.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 combined steals-plus-blocks in 22.6 minutes per contest.
Danny Wolf, Nets 
($4,800) at Heat
Wolf closed with 26.3 DK points in Tuesday's loss to Miami and has logged at least 22.5 in four straight outings. During that span, the rookie first-rounder has averaged 16.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 23.3 minutes per game.
