Tuesday's seven-game FanDuel NBA DFS slate features several lopsided spreads, but a heavy injury report adds volatility and creates significant fantasy basketball value. Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Jalen Williams and Devin Booker are among the notable absences, opening the door for expanded roles, condensed usage and mid-range salary relief. High-end options such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham and Joel Embiid headline the elite tier, while frontcourt injuries in Denver and Utah elevate the appeal of multiple value plays. Monitoring NBA injury news leading up to lineup lock will be critical for FanDuel contests tonight.
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FanDuel Main Slate NBA Games Today
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.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 2:00 a.m. ET:
Portland Trail Blazers (-7) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 233.5)
Sacramento Kings at New York Knicks (-13.5) (O/U: 230.5)
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers (-10.5) (O/U: 220.5)
New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder (-14.5) (O/U: 234.5)
Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns (-8.5) (O/U: 212.5)
Detroit Pistons (-6) at Denver Nuggets (O/U: 218.5)
Los Angeles Clippers (-8.5) at Utah Jazz (O/U: 232.5)
As alluded to, there's more large favorites than ideal Tuesday, but as we've repeatedly seen this season, those spreads can be significantly deceptive. Additionally, the status of some of the players sporting questionable tags will likely play a large part in how competitive the night is overall, so it will be important to monitor RotoWire for the latest updates leading up to lineup lock.
NBA Injury Report Today
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Markkanen remains sidelined, Kyle Filipowski and Taylor Hendricks could handle the majority of minutes at power forward.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Leonard sits out, Kobe Sanders could enter the starting five, while James Harden and Ivica Zubac should see significant usage boosts.
Devin Booker, PHO (ankle): OUT
In Booker's absence, Grayson Allen should remain in the starting five.
Deni Avdija, POR (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Avdija isn't able to return, Siddy Cissoko is likely to remain on the first unit, while the rest of the starting five will continue to see elevated usage.
Other notable injuries:
Nikola Jokic, DEN (knee): OUT
Keyonte George, UTA (rest): OUT
Aaron Gordon, DEN (hamstring): OUT
Kevin Porter, MIL (oblique): OUT
Jalen Williams, OKC (hamstring): OUT
Ajay Mitchell, OKC (abdomen): OUT
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC (calf): OUT
Noah Clowney, BKN (back): OUT
Jusuf Nurkic, UTA (illness): DOUBTFUL
Paul George, PHI (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Zach LaVine, SAC (back): QUESTIONABLE
Bilal Coulibaly, WAS (back): QUESTIONABLE
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): PROBABLE
Jamal Murray, DEN (hamstring): PROBABLE
Elite NBA DFS Picks
We have five players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,300), Tyrese Maxey ($10,600), Cade Cunningham ($10,400), Joel Embiid ($10,100) and Jamal Murray ($10,000).
SGA has eclipsed 62 FD points in two of his last three games and hasn't been under 43 FD points just once in his last nine games overall, making him one of the safest plays on the slate as usual.
Maxey had scored over 40 FD points in five straight games before a 25-minute outlier performance against the Hornets last time out, and he has a favorable matchup against a short-handed Bucks squad.
Cunningham just put up 58.5 FD points against the Kings last time out and has a favorable matchup against the Nuggets.
Embiid is likely to take the floor and has been excellent of late, scoring 45.5 to 66 FD points in his last four contests.
Murray is expected to play through his probable designation and has eclipsed 41 FD points in three of his last four games.
Expected NBA DFS Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Deni Avdija, POR ($9,900)
If Avdija is cleared to play, he should be of interest to plenty of DFS players given his typical upside.
James Harden, LAC ($9,800)
Harden should be highly rostered under any circumstance, but especially if Kawhi Leonard is sidelined.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($9,100)
If Leonard has the green light to suit up, he should find himself in plenty of lineups given a recent surge that's pushed his average on the season to 46.9 FD points.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,800)
Brunson bounced back to his usual level of production with 44 FD points his last time on the floor and has seen his salary dip below $9K, factors that should lead to him getting into plenty of lineups.
Trey Murphy, NOP ($8,200)
Murphy has flashed a ceiling north of 60 FD points this season and is always in play for at least 35-40 FD points, so he should retain a high roster rate.
Key NBA DFS Values
Toumani Camara, POR at WAS ($5,900)
Camara checks into Tuesday in the midst of a stretch of well-rounded production, as he's averaged 30.8 FD points over his last three games via 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest. Camara has been outstanding with his efficiency in that span, draining 64.3 percent of his shots, including 53.3 percent from three-point range. Camara has had a solid January overall with an average of 26.5 FD points across 35.3 minutes in a 12-game sample, and his matchup against a Wizards team surrendering the third-most FD points per game to shooting guards (45.1) on the season serves to up his chances of extending his hot hand, whether or not Deni Avdija is available.
John Collins, LAC at UTA ($5,400)
Collins is another sub-$6K player with a recent body of work befitting a higher salary, as he's averaging 29 FD points via 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals across 28.8 minutes over his last 12 games. Collins is draining 67.3 percent of his shots, including 59.6 percent from three-point range, and he's scored 29.2 and 30.9 FD points in his two previous games against his old Jazz squad this season. Utah will be short-handed in the frontcourt since Jusuf Nurkic is expected to sit out with an illness, and the Jazz also comes in surrendering an NBA-high 52.4 FD points per game to power forwards in the last 15 contests.
Tobias Harris, DET at DEN ($5,300)
Harris' production does go through its fair share of fluctuation, so he's ideally suited for tournaments. The veteran has flashed his upside with three tallies of 27.9 to 42.4 FD points in the last six games, and he's averaging a solid 25.3 FD points over the entirety of that span. Harris is also shooting an improved 38.5 percent from behind the arc in the sample, and Tuesday, he's facing a Nuggets squad that will remain short-handed in the frontcourt and that's giving up a Western Conference-high 50.6 FD points to power forwards in the last 30 games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Myles Turner, MIL at PHI ($5,300); Isaiah Collier, UTA vs. LAC ($5,000)
