The NBA landscape changes week by week, day by day and – depending on injury news – even minute by minute, making each board unique that requires an ever-changing approach.
With so many changes so fast, we are here with many tools to help you. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer and a bunch of other great features to help give you an edge.
The daily fantasy of the NBA depends a lot on the opportunity, so you need to make sure you are up to date with the main injuries and situations of COVID-19. Our projections are updated until the notice to reflect current news and we also have news updates from players.
We will also come to you with this primer every day, detailing some of the best plays of the day in each position.
Watch: When I’m referring to a player’s worth, it’s the number of fantasy points scored for every $ 1,000 in salary. Typically, a value of 5.0 (that is, 5.0 FanDuel points for every $ 1,000 of salary) is the minimum baseline that we will aim for.
Let’s take a look at who you should be aiming for tonight’s seven-game table, which closes at 8 pm Eastern.
All injury updates are made via the official NBA injury report or news from numberFire players.
Slate overview
This table is obtained from Brandon Gdula’s game sheet – it shows the over / under for each game, as well as the spread of each team and the implicit total. The table also includes the offensive rating of each team, adjusted for the opponent, as well as the defensive rating adjusted for the opponent for the opposing team, including the respective league-wide ratings for each of those ratings.
Teams are classified by their implicit total.
| Team | Opp | On/ Under |
To spread | Implicit Total |
Adj. Offensive Assessment |
Classification | Opp Adj. Defensive Assessment |
Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI | WSH | 234.0 | -5.0 | 119.50 | 114.7 | 14 | 116.1 | 26 |
| NO | CLE | 229.0 | -8.0 | 118.50 | 122.1 | 7 | 114.1 | 21 |
| UTAH | HOU | 216.5 | -16.5 | 116.50 | 125.0 | 4 | 110.7 | 12 |
| DEN | MEM | 227.0 | -3.5 | 115.25 | 124.5 | 5 | 107.4 | 7 |
| WSH | PHI | 234.0 | 5.0 | 114.50 | 108.8 | 21 | 105.4 | 3 |
| SA | ENT | 218.5 | -6.5 | 112.50 | 111.2 | 20 | 114.8 | 25 |
| MEM | DEN | 227.0 | 3.5 | 111.75 | 111.3 | 19 | 112.3 | 15 |
| MIA | CHI | 219.5 | -2.5 | 111.0 | 106.4 | 25 | 114.5 | 23 |
| CLE | NO | 229.0 | 8.0 | 110.50 | 100.9 | 29 | 122.8 | 29 |
| LAL | IND | 216.5 | -4.5 | 110.50 | 113.4 | 17 | 110.1 | 11 |
| CHI | MIA | 219.5 | 2.5 | 108.50 | 113.9 | 16 | 106.4 | 6 |
| IND | LAL | 216.5 | 4.5 | 106.0 | 112.7 | 18 | 102.0 | 1 |
| ENT | SA | 218.5 | 6.5 | 106.0 | 102.5 | 27 | 111.0 | 13 |
| HOU | UTAH | 226.5 | 16.5 | 105.0 | 99.8 | 30 | 104.1 | two |
Point Guard
Beam
Russell Westbrook ($ 10,100) – I highlighted Russ as a well-paid player to be targeted in today’s Studs column for a number of reasons. First, Bradley Beal is hurt and may not fit tonight. Westbrook’s use is bound to go to the limit if Beal sits down. Second, Westbrook has been one of the most consistent fantasy performers. He has averaged 52.9 fantasy points per competition in the last nine games and has accumulated no less than 44.2 in any of the last 11 games. The fact that the Philadelphia 76ers will not have Ben Simmons at hand to defend it does not hurt.
Other nails to consider:
Jamal Murray ($ 7,700) – It has surpassed 41 fantasy points in 7 of its last 10. Denver has the fourth highest total implicit tonight.
Ja Morant ($ 8,300) – Has an average of 48.3 FanDuel points in his last three. The confrontation is difficult, but the positive side is there.
Value Play
Dennis Schroder ($ 5,700) – In his last seven games without Anthony Davis in the line-up, Schroder has an average of 35.3 FanDuel points per game, and that includes only one match with less than 29.6. The confrontation with the Indiana Pacers it may not be as intimidating as people think. In its last 15 games, Indiana has yielded the 11th most fantasy point for opposing shipowners.
Other midrange and value options:
Sterling Brown ($ 3,600) – The rockets will be without Danuel House Jr., Eric Gordon, PJ Tucker, Christian Wood, and (possibly) both John Wall and Victor Oladipo. That’s why Brown is the most projected value of our model across the board.
Michael Carter-Williams ($ 4,900) – He placed 29.3, 37.6 and 44.7 FanDuel points in his last three. Spurs are 28th against shipowners this season.
TJ McConnell ($ 5,200) – Has had over 35 fantasy points in five of his last nine games. The Lakers are an average match for the shipowners.
Shooting Guards
Beam
Donovan Mitchell ($ 8,200) – This is the perfect storm of form meeting. Mitchell has scored at least 41.8 fantasy points in six of his last eight games, including three over 50. Tonight, Mitchell will face a Houston Rockets team that is ranked third worst against centers this season, according to numberFire’s DvP tool. There is a ton of overflow risk here considering the 16.5 point spread, but given Houston’s weakness against the position, we can expect Mitchell to have a big hand in the overflow.
Other nails to consider:
Bradley Beal ($ 10,300) – It is worthy of consideration if he is active. Philly ranks third worst in terms of snipers in the last 15 games, according to FantasyPros.
Collin Sexton ($ 7,800) – Has outputs of 43.5, 54.6 and 54.8 FanDuel points in his last three games. New Orleans has the worst defensive efficiency of any team playing tonight.
Value Play
Dwayne Bacon ($ 3,500) – The Orlando Magic could very well be without Evan Fournier, Terrence Rossand James Ennis tonight, which should leave Bacon with a delicious role. With those three eliminated last night, the 25-year-old got 26.6 FanDuel points in 31.7 minutes of action – a fantastic value for a player on a minimum wage.
Other average and value options:
Seth Curry ($ 5,000) – It is again at stake in the absence of Simmons. Philly has the second highest total implicit tonight and Washington cannot defend.
Ben McLemore ($ 3,500) – Accumulated 23.1 fantasy points in 20.2 minutes for the shorthanded rockets last night. I could have an even bigger role tonight.
Small Forward
Beam
Jimmy Butler ($ 9,600) – The absence of Bam Adebayo it only values Butler’s roof, which has one of the best fantasy floors. Jimmy Buckets had 63.1 FanDuel points last night, adding four consecutive games with more than 52. Butler achieved 47 fantasy points in 14 of his 21 wholesome matches this season. Of the 14 teams playing tonight, the Chicago Bulls play at the third fastest pace, which certainly helps Butler’s prospects.
Other screws to consider:
Lebron James ($ 10,900) – Recorded 56.3, 59.0 and 70.7 FanDuel points in three of their last five games – two of them were against teams that are among the eight most difficult against the position.
Value Play
Kenyon Martin Jr. ($ 3,500) – Martin is another minimum wage player who offers tremendous value tonight. Last night, in his first NBA since January, Martin lost 30.8 FanDuel points in 32.3 minutes. He must see a lot of time on the court again tonight, as the Rockets are extremely limited. Martin is also explosion-proof, as he would apparently be one of the players on the court if Houston was expelled from the water. The newbie is the second best projected value of our algorithm on the slate.
Other midrange and value options:
Kevin Porter Jr. ($ 4,900) – It exploded by 42 fantasy points last night. I could see an even bigger role tonight, especially if Wall can’t make it.
Matisse Thybulle ($ 3,500) – He had 33.3 FanDuel points last night after five steals. It doesn’t take much to pay the minimum wage.
Power Forward
Beam
Zion Williamson ($ 9,000) Those who climbed Zion last night were probably not very excited about his production (only 30 FanDuel points), although this could lead to a lower percentage of escalation than he would normally see on a list like this. Williamson surpassed 45 fantasy points in 9 of his 11 games before the break. The Cleveland Cavaliers they gave up the eighth most fantasy points to give attackers strength, so this is a great recovery point for the 20-year-old.
Other nails to consider:
Domantas Sabonis ($ 8,900) – Best gunner designed for our model in power forward. He has more than 46 fantasy points in 5 of his last 10 outings.
Tobias Harris ($ 7,800) – Disappointed last night, but tonight has an impeccable confrontation. Averages 1.18 FanDuel points per minute with Simmons out of the lineup.
Value Play
Markieff Morris ($ 4,100) – numberFire models project Morris to be the second best point per dollar in the power forward position tonight. Morris recorded 21.5, 23.3, 26.2 and 28.6 FanDuel points in four of his last five games, and he would need only 20.5 for the 5X value tonight (ie 5.0 points) for every $ 1,000 in salary).
Other midrange and value options:
Al-Farouq Aminu ($ 3,500) – The value projected at the top of our algorithm at the position. It has a low floor, but also a solid ceiling for a minimum wage.
Royce O’Neale ($ 4,500) – Houston is the fourth worst against powerful strikers in the last 15 games. O’Neale has had at least 24 fantasy points in 7 of his last 10 efforts.
center
Beam
Joel Embiid ($ 10,700) – Facing the Wizards, Embiid is our model’s top scorer in the seven games tonight. The front MVP has an absurd usage rate of 41.6%, while averaging 1.89 FanDuel points per minute with Ben Simmons off the court. He will face a Washington countryside that has conceded the second highest number of fantasy points to opposing centers this season.
Other nails to consider:
Nikola Jokic ($ 11,700) – He is the top scorer in fantasy and has a ridiculous advantage, but paying $ 1,000 more than Embiid seems a little expensive. Memphis is the eighth best against centers this season.
Jarrett Allen ($ 8,000) – Did not reach 31 FanDuel points in three in a row, so it should not be highly scaled. Pels is the seventh worst against the center in the last 15 games.
Value Play
Kelly Olynyk ($ 4,500) – With Bam out, Olynyk has the potential to be one of the best value moves on the entire list. In his last two games without Adebayo, Olynyk accumulated 38.4 and 40.5 FanDuel points – both totals would return numbers of value better than 8.5 with today’s salary. Tonight’s confrontation is as exciting as possible. The Bulls have allowed the third highest number of fantasy points for opponent centers this season.