NBA DFS Primer: Sunday (11/14)

Yesterday was an interesting slate with the optimal lineup on DraftKings not having any player above 9K. It also only required players from three of the six games. Ironically, those three games — Washington at Orlando,  Detroit at Toronto, and Boston at Cleveland — included three teams who each had one of their star players out and were the main sources of value. The optimal lineup ended up being a very balanced build, but it sheds light on how important it is to pay close attention to injury reports and all other news that comes out before tip so you can take full advantage of the value. It paid off in a big way yesterday, and it proved essential to take down tournaments.

Today’s slate has two different start times depending on whether you play on FanDuel or DraftKings. We get six games with a 6:00 p.m. EST lock over at FanDuel, and a five-game, 7:00 p.m. EST lock over at DraftKings. So without further ado, let’s go ahead and get into Sunday’s schedule as well as the key injuries. We’ll then jump into the core, GPP, and cash game candidates, along with today’s top value plays.

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Schedule and Odds

• MIL @ ATL (-1.5) O/U: 219- 6:00 PM EST (Start of FanDuel slate)
• GSW @ CHA (+5) O/U: 226.5- 7:00 PM EST (Start of DraftKings slate)
• PHX @ HOU (+8.5) O/U: 221.5
• BKN @ OKC (+9) O/U: 213.5
• DEN @ POR (+6.5) O/U: 213
• CHI @ LAC (-3.5) O/U: 218

Injury Report

• Brook Lopez (back) OUT
• George Hill (back) GTD
• Khris Middleton (COVID-19) OUT
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle) GTD
• Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) OUT
• De’Andre Hunter (wrist) OUT
• Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) GTD
• Damion Lee (hip) GTD
• Klay Thompson (Achilles) OUT
• James Wiseman (knee) OUT
• P.J. Washington (elbow) OUT
• Deandre Ayton (lower leg) GTD
• John Wall (not injury related) OUT
• Paul Millsap (personal) OUT
• Kyrie Irving (personal) OUT
• Nicolas Claxton (illness) OUT
• Michael Porter Jr. (back) OUT
• Jamal Murray (knee) OUT
• Damian Lillard (andomen) OUT
• Coby White (shoulder) OUT
• Nikola Vucevic (COVID-19) OUT
• Patrick Williams (wrist) OUT
• Marcus Morris (knee) GTD
• Kawhi Leonard (knee) OUT

Core Plays

CJ McCollum (SG/PG – POR): $7,600 DraftKings, $7,500
With Damian Lillard (abdomen) already ruled out for today’s game, it’s going to be very hard to get away from McCollum when he is this cheap. CJ benefits the most when Lillard is off the court, as he gains a team-high 4.7 percent usage increase and averages 28.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in his absence. This Portland’s offense will run through McCollum on Sunday, and with him being under-priced, he should be a staple in most lineups across the board.