Today’s schedule of games features a five-game slate that tips off at 2:30 p.m. EST. The Toronto Raptors and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the only two teams that are operating on a back-to-back, with the remaining teams have had at least one day of rest. As always, ensure you’re keeping an eye on injury statuses throughout the day.

Check out today’s NBA Layup from FanDuel

Point Guard

The Dallas Mavericks are in a major value spot, as all of Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Dorian Finney-Smith have been ruled out for today’s contest. Trey Burke will likely draw the start at point guard today and is coming off back-to-back 20-plus point performances. If given free will to jack up shots, Burke could put together a tremendous performance in which he crushes value. Goran Dragic, on the other hand, is returning from his own two-game absence. Dragic was playing really well prior to those two games, topping 30-plus points in three straight. Kendrick Nunn’s absence should create a few more opportunities for Dragic.

Shooting Guard

Tyler Herro is coming off a monster performance in which he totaled 47.6 FanDuel points. While his ceiling is sure to drop due to the return of guys like Dragic, he could still factor in heavily in the Miami Heat’s rotation, and he could ultimately start today. It’s not often that you can slot in a player of Victor Oladipo’s caliber for his reduced price tag. There’s a reason for it — his injury, but Oladipo has played in 34, 31, and 27 minutes in his past three games. For his price, he may be in play, even in a tough matchup against the Heat.

Small Forward

You’re going to see me revisit the Mavericks often today, and Tim Hardaway is the second option to make the list. Hardaway has struggled mightily in his past two contests (11.4 and 9.4 FanDuel points), but he has played in 35-plus minutes in all of his past three. As a result, he should get a ton of usage tonight with his teammates (who are their best scorers) sidelined. Jae Crowder is another more solid-yet-unspectacular option in DFS, and that’s proven by his totals, which typically hover right around value. Crowder is one of a few potential value options at the three-spot, particularly if Dragic is ruled out.

Power Forward

MPJ isn’t much of a value play anymore, and with good reason — the man has scored 47-plus FanDuel points in his past four games and has topped 53-points twice over that same timeframe. MPJ’s workload has also experienced a significant spike — he’s played 40-plus minutes twice in his past four games. While the matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers is tough, MPJ is worth betting on, as he’s likely the hottest player in the bubble right now. Hey, look — another Maverick! This time, Maxi Kleber makes the list. He isn’t a flashy option, but he’ll draw a start tonight with Porzingis and company sidelined. At his price tag, Kleber becomes an excellent big-man option that is likely to see a lot of run and some potential offensive usage.

Center

Brook Lopez is coming off an insane 48.4-point performance, but approach him with caution — he takes on the Toronto Raptors’ dominant defense and Marc Gasol tonight. Still, Lopez is priced fairly for a big that is likely to experience 30-plus minutes of playing time and can play a stretch role while accumulating three-point scores. The value options at the center spot dry up pretty quickly, but Javale McGee could be an option for those looking to pay-down at the position. He could factor in more heavily if Anthony Davis and/or LeBron James’ workloads are scaled back.

5 Studs Worth Their Salary

• Kyle Lowry (TOR) $6,800: As long as Lowry gets a full workload, this price is simply too cheap for a player of his caliber. While the Raptors don’t have anything to play for, they may elect to give their starters one last strong push to gain steam against the Milwaukee Bucks.
• Michael Porter Jr. (DEN) $8,000: As I mentioned above, MPJ is simply playing too well for you to fade him at this price tag. While a lot of his intrigue floated away with his increased price, he could still reach value on any given night, mainly due to his scoring ability.
• T.J. Warren (IND) $7,500: If Warren plays, he should be a strong option on today’s slate. Warren slightly cooled off against the Phoenix Suns only to rebound against the Lakers in his last game by scoring 39 real-life points. Warren is playing like a man possessed right now.
• Bam Adebayo (MIA) $7,900: Adebayo has experienced some inconsistency since kicking off the bubble, but he still carries a tremendous ceiling and at a reduced price tag. Surely, Jimmy Butler’s return will dampen his intrigue to some degree, but Adebayo is playing solid minutes and is a threat to triple-double on any given night.
• Anthony Davis (LAL) $9,200: Always approach the Lakers with caution, as they simply have nothing to play for right now. That said, this price tag for AD is very hard to pass on. AD’s still playing a solid number of minutes (35 in his last game) and is still one of the more dominant players in the league. He might be worth exploring as a contrarian option on this slate.

5 Notable Players to Fade

• Pascal Siakam (TOR) $7,300: Siakam is coming off a fantastic performance yesterday against the Memphis Grizzlies, but his matchup toughens up considerably — the Bucks rank first in defensive rating, and he’s likely to draw the individual defense of Giannis rather often.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) $11,000: Likewise, on the other end of the matchup, the Raptors also happen to be no joke defensively — they rank second in the NBA in defensive rating. In addition, Giannis should get his workload scaled back to some degree, and he too will face a tough individual defender in Siakam.
• Donovan Mitchell (UTH) $7,700: Not only is Mitchell questionable for this contest with a leg injury, but he also could miss an entire quarter of play if the Utah Jazz score as many points as they should against a Mavericks team that’s resting three starters.
• Fred VanVleet (TOR) $6,800: VanVleet has been one of the bubble’s MVP’s to this point, but he has typically struggled with the length of the Bucks’ defense. While you should expect that to continue, his price tag absorbs some of the potential regression for today.
• Nikola Jokic (DEN) $8,500: Jokic has the potential to be both a tournament-winner and a soul-crusher on any given slate. While he’s coming off a dominant 58.7-point performance, be wary — that game went to overtime, and he wasn’t against the Lakers’ third-ranked defense.

Check out today’s NBA Layup from FanDuel

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