The 76ers carry the highest implied total on the slate at 116.3, as 8.5-point favorites over the Raptors. The Pistons sit third at 115.8 as 10.5-point favorites against the Wizards, a team they last played on November 9. The four-game slate locks Thursday at 7:00 PM ET. Mavericks–Timberwolves is totaled at 226.0 with the Timberwolves favored by 6 and holding the second-highest implied total at 116.0. Hornets–Suns closes the night with the Suns favored by 6.5, and the Hornets' 104.0 is the lowest implied total.
Injuries open minutes on four teams. The Pistons are without Jalen Duren and the Timberwolves without Anthony Edwards. The Hornets are without Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Dennis Schroder, and the Raptors without Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard. Joel Embiid (DK $8,300) and LeBron James (DK $7,800) are both questionable for the 76ers, whose game tips at lock.
Injury Watch
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves, out)
- Scottie Barnes (Raptors, out)
- Brandon Miller (Hornets, out)
- Kawhi Leonard (Raptors, out)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets, out)
- Jalen Duren (Pistons, out)
- Joel Embiid (DK $8,300) (76ers, questionable)
- LeBron James (DK $7,800) (76ers, questionable)
Point Guard
Daniss Jenkins (DK $5,000)
Jenkins moved into the Pistons' starting lineup for their November 9 game against the Wizards, and he projects to start against them with Jalen Duren out. He scored 48.8 against the Lakers on November 8, then 49.5 against the Wizards on November 9, with a 36.3 average over his last three.
The projection gives him 32 minutes, and the books set his line at 14.5 points and 5 assists. He is a popular play with a 29.8% optimal rate, the top mark at point guard.
Kyrie Irving (DK $7,600)
Irving runs a 28.0% usage rate for the Mavericks against the Timberwolves with Sergio de Larrea out, and he carries a 23.6% optimal rate. He scored 43.5 against the Pacers on November 9, and the books set his points line at 21.8.
Ayo Dosunmu (DK $6,900)
Anthony Edwards is out, and Dosunmu starts in the Timberwolves' backcourt against the Mavericks with a 21.1% optimal rate. His last five games run from a low of 35.3 to a high of 51.0, with a 36.1 average over his last three. The books set his points line at 18.
Shooting Guard
Kevin Huerter (DK $3,900)
Huerter scored 53.3 against the Lakers on November 8, then 22.5 against the Wizards on November 9, for a 29.6 average over his last three. He projects for 31 minutes against the Wizards.
The field piles onto Huerter, whose 6.26 value tops the shooting guards, and he carries a 32.2% optimal rate. The books set his points line at 10.3.
Grayson Allen (DK $5,900)
Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Dennis Schroder are all out, and Allen starts on the Hornets' wing against the Suns. He scored 46.5 against the Cavaliers on November 9 and averages 30.5 over his last three, and the books set his threes line at 3.4. His 30.5% optimal rate ranks second at shooting guard.
Kyshawn George (DK $6,600)
George carries a 24.1% usage rate into the Wizards' game against the Pistons. He scored 40.3 against the Pacers on November 11. He is 17.6% owned with a 21.4% optimal rate.
Small Forward
Cooper Flagg (DK $10,100)
Flagg's last three games average 59.4, capped by 73.0 against the Pacers on November 9, and he carries an 18.6% optimal rate. He faces the Timberwolves with a 30.0% usage rate.
The books set Flagg at 23.7 points and 5.8 assists. His 71.1 ceiling leads the small forwards.
Dillon Brooks (DK $5,800)
The Suns are 6.5-point favorites over the Hornets, and Brooks starts on their wing. Build & Sim can size his leverage of 4.0: he is 7.9% owned with an 11.9% optimal rate.
RJ Barrett (DK $8,300)
Barrett faces the 76ers with Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard out, and he carries a 26.3% usage rate and an 8.3% optimal rate. His last three average 35.0, and his points line sits at 21.8.
Power Forward
Naz Reid (DK $7,500)
The Suns draw Reid after he scored 53.3 against the Cavaliers on November 9, a 41.3 average over his last three. He projects for 30 minutes on a 28.5% usage rate, the heaviest on the Hornets.
His 56.9 ceiling ranks second at power forward, and the books set his points line at 21. The field makes him a popular play, and his 24.0% optimal rate sits level with John Collins (DK $5,200) at 23.9% at the top of the position.
John Collins (DK $5,200)
Collins starts in the Pistons' frontcourt against the Wizards with a 23.9% optimal rate. His newest game was 49.5 against the Wizards on November 9, with a 29.1 average over his last three. His 5.52 value tops the power forwards.
Anthony Davis (DK $9,000)
Davis played through an ankle tag on November 9, then scored 44.3 against the Pacers on November 11, and he faces the Pistons with a 22.5% optimal rate. His last three average 53.2, and his 68.4 ceiling is the top mark at power forward.
Center
Jakob Poeltl (DK $5,500)
Poeltl was cleared from a shoulder injury and moved into the Raptors' starting lineup, and he projects to start against the 76ers. His last three average 33.9, with 19.3 against the Celtics on November 11 as his newest game.
His 5.71 value tops the centers, and the books set his points line at 10.9. He is 24.8% owned with a 27.6% optimal rate, first at the position.
Joel Embiid (DK $8,300)
The 76ers carry the highest implied total at 116.3, and Embiid takes a 27.9% usage rate and a 24.9% optimal rate into that game against the Raptors. His 65.5 ceiling leads the centers.
Rudy Gobert (DK $5,800)
Gobert anchors the Timberwolves' frontcourt with a 30.1 average over his last three and a 16.7% optimal rate. The Timberwolves carry a 116.0 implied total against the Mavericks, and the books set his rebounds line at 10.7.
What The Market Is Saying
The market builds around Pistons–Wizards. Its default stud is Cade Cunningham (DK $9,600), its chalk forward Anthony Davis (DK $9,000) and its value center Jakob Poeltl (DK $5,500), with Tyrese Maxey (DK $8,600) and Rudy Gobert (DK $5,800) filling out the core. It splits on Cunningham and on Joel Embiid (DK $8,300), keys on the questionable tags for Embiid and LeBron James (DK $7,800), and watches reports that the Raptors and Davis play a second night in a row. A minority of the market pivots to Devin Booker (DK $8,200), Ayo Dosunmu (DK $6,900), Immanuel Quickley (DK $6,800) and Trey Lyles (DK $3,700). DFS Hero has Embiid at a 24.9% optimal rate, Poeltl at 27.6% and Davis at 22.5%, while Cunningham carries a 23.7% optimal rate against 32.5% ownership, a leverage of -8.8.
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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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