The time off from the daily NBA DFS grind was a much-needed reset, but now it’s time to jump back in with both feet. Things will get interested over these next 20 plus games as teams buckle down to make their postseason push. In our first weekend, post the all-star break, we’ll be looking to tackle a six-game slate with a slightly later than usual, 7:30 pm EST tip-off. It should be a fun one to break down. Let’s dive in.

The Primer is a first look article filled with all the information you need to help get your lineups rolling. We’ll begin with the schedule and odds to highlight which game environments stand out. We follow that up with the injury report, an essential part of any DFS player’s daily process. Then we shed light on some of our top plays of the slate, including core building blocks, GPP candidates, cash game considerations, and salary relief targets. Finally, we’ll always wrap up with our advantageous pricing segment, which uncovers price discrepancies between FanDuel and DraftKings.

So without further ado, let’s jump into another edition of the NBA DFS Primer brought to you by FantasyPros.

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Schedule and Odds

• TOR @ ATL (-2) O/U: 225
• MEM @ CHI (+1) O/U: 236
• SA @ MIA (-7.5) O/U: 224.5
• WAS @ CLE (-7) O/U: 209
• BKN @ MIL (-9.5) O/U: 233.5
• SAC @ DEN (-8.5) O/U: 236

Note: TOR, SA, MIA, WAS are all on the back ends of back-to-backs.

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

• Lou Williams OUT
• John Collins (foot) OUT
• De’Andre Hunter (illness) OUT
• OG Anunoby (finger) OUT
• Dillon Brooks (ankle) OUT
• Lonzo Ball (knee) OUT
• Patrick Williams (wrist) OUT
• Alex Caruso (wrist) OUT
• Zach Collins OUT
• Joshua Primo (wrist) OUT
• Romeo Langford (groin) OUT
• Josh Richardson (shoulder) OUT
• Victor Oladipo (knee) OUT
• Dewayne Dedmon (back) OUT
• Markieff Morris (neck) OUT
• Kristaps Porzingis (knee) OUT
• Bradley Beal (wrist) Out for the season
• Rajon Rondo (toe) OUT
• Darius Garland (back) OUT
• Caris LeVert (foot) OUT
• Collin Sexton (knee) Out for the season
• Goran Dragic (conditioning) DTD
• Kevin Durant (knee) OUT
• Ben Simmons (personal/conditioning) OUT
• Joe Harris (ankle) OUT
• George Hill OUT
• Brook Lopez (back) OUT
• Pat Connaughton (hand) OUT
• Richaun Holmes DTD
• Terence Davis (wrist) OUT
• Zeke Nnaji (knee) OUT
• Jamal Murray (knee) OUT
• Michael Porter Jr. (back) OUT
• Vlatko Cancar (foot) OUT

The injury report can change at any minute, and all player statuses are subject to change whether they’re on the injury report or not. Paying attention to as much news as possible is crucial to long-term success in DFS. It can also give you a severe leg up on anyone in the field who fails to do so. Once the later game information becomes available, be sure to take advantage of late swapping. Late swap allows you to get off the chalk and plug-in value plays that may not have been expected or get to a high upside play in an attempt to take one last run at the top of the leaderboard. Keeping up with all the news and information that comes out can be a lot to manage, but it’s essential.

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Core Plays

Nikola Jokic (C-DEN): $12,000 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel

The man who needs no introduction, Nikola Jokic, makes the article once again. Honestly, it’s pretty much a given if Jokic is on the slate, then he’s going to find his way into this segment or another. The Nuggets and the Kings meet again after playing on Thursday night in Sacramento. The “Joker” neared a triple-double in that first game, finishing the night with 25 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and 65 fantasy points. I expect we will see another vintage performance from the Denver big man tonight on his home court against one of the most porous defenses in the league.

DeMar DeRozan (PF/SF-CHI): $10,500 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel

As he continues his historic scoring run, DeMar DeRozan has been one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA. The man has been on an absolute scoring frenzy; He has scored 30 or more points in nine straight games! I’m putting my money on him making that a 10th straight tonight against the Grizzlies as this game should not only be incredible to watch but also one of the better game environments to target for DFS purposes. With the highest total on the slate at 236, we should get plenty of scoring. DeRozan has scored 50 more DraftKings points in seven of his last eight games. Expect him to continue to thrive on the offensive end at home in this fantasy-friendly game environment.

Bam Adebayo (C-MIA): $8,400 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel

Last night, Bam had a stellar performance against the Knicks, finishing with 16 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. That’s his fifth consecutive double-double and tenth in the past 12 games. I like his chances to continue to clean the glass and be a force down low tonight against a Spurs team who has an OPRK of 25th on DraftKings and 28th on FanDuel. Most of my exposure to Bam will come on DraftKings with his very appealing $8,400 price tag, but I think he still makes for a viable GPP candidate over at FanDuel.

Cash Game Considerations

Dejounte Murray (PG-SA): $10,700 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel

Murray has become one of the premier talents in the NBA. He’s exciting to watch and has become one of the best point guards in the NBA. His length and long arms have helped him become one of the better rebounding guards with 8.4 a game coming in only behind Luka Doncic, and he has tremendous ball-handling skills to go along with it making him a fantastic playmaker, as well. Miami is one of the better defensive teams, but I still like Murray on this slate and I’ll look to ride him coming off a monster triple-double last night where he dropped 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists.

Kyle Kuzma (PF/SF-WAS): $8,800 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel

With Bradley Beal (wrist) out for the rest of the season and Spencer Dinwiddie being traded to the Mavericks, Kuzma has become the focal point of this Washington Wizards offense. He’s scored twenty or more points in four of his last five games, including last night’s overtime thriller against the Spurs, where he dropped 36 raw points and over 60 fantasy points. I like his salary more on FanDuel, but I don’t mind looking Kuz’s way on DK either. 

GPP Considerations

Ja Morant (PG-MEM): $9,700 DraftKings, $9,800 FanDuel

Ja didn’t have his typical “Ja-like” performance last night in their loss against the Timberwolves, but even the best players have off nights. He still managed to put up a decent fantasy night despite not getting it going. I expect an excellent bounce-back game from the young superstar tonight against the Bulls, which should have a ton of scoring leading to a fantasy gold mine. You’re going to want pieces from this game in your lineups, and Ja Morant will be one of the main pieces to target. 

Kyrie Irving (PG-BKN): $9,900 DraftKings, $9,900 FanDuel

While Brooklyn awaits the return of their star Kevin Durant (knee) and the debut of the recently acquired Ben Simmons, they’re searching for someone to lead this offense. Kyrie is the answer to that problem, but unfortunately, he can only suit up for the team’s away games. Luckily they’ll have Kyrie’s services tonight as Brooklyn faces off against the defending NBA Champions Milwaukee Bucks. When Irving has played this year, he’s played well, averaging 24.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists a game. He’s scored 45 or more fantasy points in his last three outings, and I expect similar production, if not better tonight, as the Nets will need him to have a big game if they want to hang with the Bucks.

Jakob Poeltl (C-SA): $7,400 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel

Poeltl is coming off two excellent games, each in which he put up over 50 fantasy points, yet he hasn’t seen much of a price increase which is one of the reasons I’m targeting him tonight. He’s scored at least 28 fantasy points in 24 of his last 25 games and has become a much better all-around player for the Spurs this season, especially on the offensive end. Going up against Miami, who holds the best OPRK against the center position, will be no easy task for the Spur’s big man, but that’s why he’s a good GPP play. I think people will shy away from playing him as they believe he’s going to have some regression coming after his two big games, or he won’t be able to get anything going against a stout Miami defense. On the other hand, I’m going to roll the dice on Poeltl, being able to bang down low with Bam Adebayo and giving us an excellent return on investment.

Value Plays

Brandon Goodwin (PG-CLE): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel

Goodwin should most likely draw the start at point guard tonight for the Cavaliers with Darius Garland (back) and Rajon Rondo (toe) both already ruled out. He has been more than serviceable when he’s gotten the opportunity and can knock the three-ball down. In his most recent outing against Detroit, he put up 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, and a steal in just 24 minutes on the floor resulting in 30 DraftKings points. Granted, that was against a lackluster Pistons defense, but the Wizards aren’t a defense that puts fear in anyone’s heart either. I project Goodwin to see close to 30 minutes and be productive enough to pay off his salary, especially on DraftKings.

Daniel Gafford (C-WAS): $3,100 DraftKings, $3,700 FanDuel

Now let me start by saying there is sure to be some better value that opens up and Gafford isn’t a player I’m going to have a ton of exposure to. With that being said, I will take some shots on him over at DraftKings, where he’s near the minimum salary of $3,100. I think the Wizards will need his size and athleticism against Clevelands all-star center Jarrett Allen. Gafford saw 29 minutes last game and dropped 30.5 DK points. If he sees somewhere around the same minutes tonight, he will easily pay off that $3,100 salary.

Advantageous Pricing

• Daniel Gafford (C-WAS): $3,100 DraftKings, $3,700 FanDuel
• Brandon Goodwin (PG-CLE): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
• Kyle Kuzma (PF/SF-WAS): $8,800 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
• DeJounte Murray (PG-SA): $10,700 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
• Bam Adebayo (C-MIA): $8,400 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
• Zach LaVine (SG-CHI): $8,600 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
• Jarrett Allen (C-CLE): $7,500 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel

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Evan Ritter is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Evan, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter.