The Mavericks face the Spurs without Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving or Santi Aldama, and their cheap starters shape the whole slate. The Spurs are 15.5-point favorites with a 122.5 implied total. The 76ers carry the highest implied total at 123.8 as 12.5-point favorites over the Bucks. The five-game DraftKings main slate locks at 7:30 PM ET with Bucks–76ers and Nets–Cavaliers. Wizards–Bulls and Spurs–Mavericks tip at 8:00 PM ET, and Rockets–Hawks follows at 8:30 PM ET.
Wizards–Bulls carries a 244.5 total with the Bulls favored by 1.5, and the Bulls' 123.0 implied total is second on the slate. Rockets–Hawks sits at a 227.5 total with a 50% win chance for each side. The Cavaliers are 11-point favorites over the Nets at a 228.6 total. LeBron James is out for the 76ers, AJ Dybantsa for the Wizards and Nic Claxton for the Bulls.
Injury Watch
- Cooper Flagg (Mavericks, out)
- LeBron James (76ers, out)
- Kyrie Irving (Mavericks, out)
- AJ Dybantsa (Wizards, out)
- Nic Claxton (Bulls, out)
- Santi Aldama (Mavericks, out)
- Zaccharie Risacher (DK $4,600) (Mavericks, probable)
- Max Christie (DK $4,500) (Mavericks, questionable)
Point Guard
Marcus Sasser (DK $4,400)
Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving are out, and Sasser is the Mavericks' projected starter at point guard against the Spurs. His 30-minute projection sits above the 24 and 27 minutes he played in his first two games. The Hero Projection has him at 27.5.
Sasser averaged 19.4 DK points over his first two games, and his 6.25 value is the top mark at point guard. He is 36.8% owned with a 43.1% optimal rate.
Tyrese Maxey (DK $8,200)
Maxey's 24.4-point props line tops the 76ers against the Bucks with LeBron James out, and he projects for 38 minutes. His 46.3 Hero Projection leads point guards. The field's interest in him comes with a 27.4% optimal rate.
Trae Young (DK $7,900)
Young's Wizards play the Bulls in a game with a 244.5 total. With AJ Dybantsa out, he holds a 10.6-assist props line over a 35-minute projection. He is a popular play with a 25.1% optimal rate.
Shooting Guard
Zaccharie Risacher (DK $4,600)
Risacher holds a 30-minute projection on the Mavericks' wing against the Spurs with Santi Aldama out. He played 32 minutes against the Pacers on October 23 and scored 28.5. His average over two games is 25.8.
Hip soreness put him on the injury report. He is probable for an 8:00 PM ET tip, which makes him a late-swap check after lock. He is 29.7% owned with a 42.4% optimal rate, and his leverage of 12.7 is the top mark at shooting guard.
Jaylon Tyson (DK $3,900)
Tyson scored 18.5 against the 76ers on October 22 in 24 minutes, the same minutes he projects for against the Nets. He is 12.1% owned with an 18.4% optimal rate, a leverage play to let Build & Sim size.
Dylan Harper (DK $6,600)
Harper joined the Spurs' starting lineup to open this season, and he carries a 16.7% optimal rate against the Mavericks. He projects for 34 minutes with a 17.3-point props line. He averaged 30.3 DK points over his first two games.
Small Forward
Naji Marshall (DK $4,800)
Marshall projects for 33 minutes as a starter on a short-handed Mavericks roster against the Spurs. His Hero Projection is 35.0, and his props line sits at 18 points and 4.6 assists.
His first two games produced a 31.8 DK average, and his 7.28 value is the top mark at small forward. He is 49.1% owned with a 58.2% optimal rate.
Dyson Daniels (DK $5,900)
Steals drive Daniels' scoring, and he carries a 20.8% optimal rate. His props line sits at 2.2 steals against the Rockets, and he averaged 41.4 DK points over his first two games. He projects for 33 minutes in a coin-flip game and carries a leverage of 4.9.
Jaylen Brown (DK $7,700)
Brown draws a 35-minute projection for the 76ers against the Bucks, with a 23.6-point props line and a 17.3% optimal rate. He averaged 39.8 DK points over his first two games, and his 64.4 ceiling is the top mark at small forward.
Power Forward
Julius Randle (DK $7,100)
Randle took on a heavy playmaking load for the Nets in the preseason and led them in assists. His props line against the Cavaliers sits at 20.2 points and 4.9 assists. He projects for 35 minutes with a 38.5 Hero Projection.
The field is on Randle, and the sims back that call with a 26.8% optimal rate, second at power forward. His 5.42 value comes with a 59.3 ceiling.
Anthony Davis (DK $8,700)
Davis anchors the Wizards' frontcourt against the Bulls. His props line sits at 23.1 points and 10.9 rebounds over a 32-minute projection. He is a crowd favorite with a 21.9% optimal rate.
Peyton Watson (DK $5,000)
Watson starts for the Cavaliers against the Nets with a 30-minute projection and a 12.2-point props line. He is 13.8% owned with a 14.5% optimal rate.
Center
Joel Embiid (DK $8,000)
The 76ers carry the highest implied total on the slate at 123.8 against the Bucks. Embiid draws a 23.5-point props line with 8.2 rebounds. He averaged 40.3 DK points over his first two games.
Minutes hold at a 30-minute projection, and the Hero Projection sits at 46.7. He is 30.6% owned with a 37.8% optimal rate, the top optimal rate at center.
Day'Ron Sharpe (DK $5,500)
Sharpe starts at center for the Nets against the Cavaliers and projects for 30 minutes. He played the same 30 minutes when he scored 27.5 against the Hornets on October 21. His props line sits at 8.5 rebounds, and his 18.5% optimal rate is second at center.
Jalen Smith (DK $5,200)
Nic Claxton is out, which opens minutes for Smith, who projects for 27 against the Wizards with a 16.4% optimal rate. He scored 39.8 against the Bucks on October 23 for a 34.1 average over two games. His 5.74 value is second at center.
What The Market Is Saying
The market builds around cheap Mavericks with Cooper Flagg out, led by Marcus Sasser (DK $4,400), Naji Marshall (DK $4,800) and PJ Washington (DK $5,300). It pairs Tyrese Maxey (DK $8,200) with Joel Embiid (DK $8,000) in Bucks–76ers as its main stack. The market splits on the Mavericks, between heavy exposure and none at all, and on Victor Wembanyama (DK $10,700), whose 11.4% optimal rate sits below his 21.1% projected ownership. DFS Hero has Marshall at a 58.2% optimal rate. A contrarian view leans on cheap centers Day'Ron Sharpe (DK $5,500) and Jalen Smith (DK $5,200), and on extra Wizards exposure through Anthony Davis (DK $8,700), while the crowd watches seven teams on the second night of a back-to-back for late scratches and minutes limits.
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The content in our articles is based on data available at the time of publishing. Always double-check your lineups before locking in your players.
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