Opening night gives NBA DFS players a three-game main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel, so ownership will pile onto the same handful of names. The 76ers and Knicks game has the biggest total on the board and the least ownership. Wembanyama is the chalk of the night, and the Spurs are without Tobias Harris.
All Games
| Game | Tip (ET) | Spread | Moneyline | Total | Away Total | Home Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS at DET | 3:00 PM | BOS -1.5 | BOS -115 / DET -105 | 222.5 | BOS 112.0 | DET 110.5 |
| PHI at NY | 7:00 PM | NY -4.5 | PHI +150 / NY -180 | 232.5 | PHI 114.0 | NY 118.5 |
| OKC at SA | 9:30 PM | SA -2.5 | OKC +114 / SA -135 | 231.5 | OKC 114.5 | SA 117.0 |
Green is the best scoring spot on the slate, yellow is the middle and red is the weakest. A green spread means a close game.
All three spreads are inside five points, so I expect the starters to close all three games. The Knicks at 118.5 are the best team total of the night.
Injury Report
| Impact | Player | Status | Role in doubt | Who benefits (with to without) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Chet Holmgren (OKC C) | Day-To-Day, quadriceps | 29.3 MIN, 21.4% USG, 16.7/8.8/1.6 | Jaylin Williams (F, $3,900): MIN 17.9 to 27.8, USG 14.6% to 18.7%; Kenrich Williams (G, $3,300): MIN 12.3 to 24.0, USG 17.8% to 21.6%; Nikola Topic (G, $4,000): MIN 5.6 to 31.3, USG 19.2% to 20.7% |
| 7 | Josh Hart (NY G) | Day-To-Day | 30.7 MIN, 16.6% USG, 11.6/7.7/4.7 | Miles McBride (G, $4,000): MIN 22.5 to 29.2, USG 16.9% to 20.5%; Kevin McCullar Jr. (G, $3,100): MIN 5.2 to 10.8, USG 15.9% to 17.6% |
| 7 | Tobias Harris (SA F) | Out, calf | 29.0 MIN, 19.8% USG, 14.1/5.5/2.3 | Victor Wembanyama (F, $10,500): 30.4 MIN, 31.5% USG season average; Julian Champagnie (F, $4,300): 28.3 MIN, 14.9% USG season average |
Questionable: check before lock
- Chet Holmgren: if he plays, he's a strong value at $5,900. If he sits, Jaylin Williams at $3,900 becomes the cheap big to grab.
- Josh Hart: if he sits, Miles McBride at $4,000 picks up real minutes and becomes a punt in the late swap window.
Full report, updated all day: NBA injury report for DFS
Games to Target
PHI at NY: 232.5 total, NY -4.5
Team totals: PHI 114.0, NY 118.5. Pace: PHI 15th, NY 27th, last season, a slow game on paper.
Injury report: Josh Hart (day-to-day).
Expected starters: not posted yet. Check the lineups before lock.
The angle: The biggest total on the slate carries the least combined ownership, so this is my GPP game.
- Jalen Brunson ($7,600) put up 26.0 points and 6.8 assists in 35.2 minutes a night last season. He should play about 36 minutes for the best team total on the slate, and the Knicks offense still runs through him. He will be popular. I love him here.
- Karl-Anthony Towns ($7,800) went for 20.0 points and 11.8 rebounds a night last season in 30.9 minutes. He should get about 30 minutes, and he comes in with less ownership than Brunson at almost the same price. Foul trouble is the real risk: he has the highest foul risk of anyone on the slate. I like him a good bit in GPPs.
- At $5,300, OG Anunoby gives you about 32 minutes of starter run after scoring 16.9 points a game last season. That's real value on a small slate. He's solid in both formats.
- Jaylen Brown ($8,000) scored 28.7 points a game for Boston last season. Now he shares the ball in Philadelphia with Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James, and most of the field is passing on him. He should play about 31 minutes. He's my favorite leverage play on the slate.
- LeBron James ($7,500) put up 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Lakers last season. His first game in Philadelphia comes with real usage questions next to Maxey and Brown, and he should play about 31 minutes. He's a GPP play only.
- Tyrese Maxey ($8,300) averaged 28.3 points over 38.0 minutes last season. I have him closer to 33 minutes now that Brown and James are here (the NBA rotations and minutes tracker will show how this shakes out). At this price I'd pass.
Matchups to target: Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James
Matchups to avoid: Tyrese Maxey
OKC at SA: 231.5 total, SA -2.5
Team totals: OKC 114.5, SA 117.0. Pace: OKC 19th, SA 14th, last season, a neutral game.
Injury report: Tobias Harris (out, calf), Chet Holmgren (day-to-day, quadriceps).
Expected starters: not posted yet. Check the lineups before lock.
The angle: The late game has the second best total, and the Harris absence opens forward minutes for the Spurs.
- Victor Wembanyama ($10,500) averaged 24.9 points and 11.4 rebounds in 29.1 minutes last season. With Harris out he should play about 30, and he will be the most popular player on the slate. Play him in cash. In GPPs, a lineup without him is the biggest leverage you can get tonight.
- Want off Wembanyama? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200) scored 31.1 points a game in 33.3 minutes last season. He costs $300 less than Wembanyama and draws much less ownership. He's my top GPP pivot.
- Chet Holmgren ($5,900) put up 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 29.0 minutes last season. He is listed day-to-day with a quad injury, and he is popular at this price. If he plays, I like him in both formats.
- Stephon Castle ($6,800) averaged 16.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 30.0 minutes last season. He should play about 29 minutes in a close game, and he fills every column. Fouls are the one worry, since he picks them up at a high rate. I like this spot.
- With Harris out, Julian Champagnie ($4,300) should play about 25 minutes after playing 27.6 a night last season, and few people will roster him. He's my favorite cheap play on the slate.
Matchups to target: Victor Wembanyama, Julian Champagnie, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephon Castle, Chet Holmgren
Matchups to avoid: None
BOS at DET: 222.5 total, BOS -1.5
Team totals: BOS 112.0, DET 110.5. Pace: BOS 30th, DET 16th, last season, a slow game.
Injury report: None.
Expected starters: not posted yet. Check the lineups before lock.
The angle: The lowest total on the slate, but a coin-flip spread keeps every starter on the floor late. This is the cash game, and it will carry the most ownership.
- Cade Cunningham ($9,500) put up 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists in 33.9 minutes last season. He should play about 35 minutes in a game that should stay close, and his usage keeps his floor high. I love him here.
- Jalen Duren ($6,500) averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last season and played 31.8 minutes a night over his last 10 games. The close spread should keep him on the floor late. I like him in cash.
- Jayson Tatum ($9,000) played only 16 games last season and averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in them. He should play about 33 minutes, and the market is higher on his scoring than we are. Boston ranked last in pace last season by our NBA pace stats, and that caps his ceiling. He's solid in cash.
- Pritchard is the easy cash click. Payton Pritchard ($5,400) scored 17.0 points a game in 32.4 minutes last season. He should play about 31 minutes at a mid-range price, and plenty of people will find him. He's a fine cash play.
- Paul George ($6,300) is in Boston now after averaging 17.3 points in 30.6 minutes for Philadelphia last season. He should play about 30 minutes and gets less attention than Pritchard. He's a good GPP piece.
- Jordan Walsh ($3,200) averaged 17.9 minutes last season and 21.2 over his last 10 games. He should play about 23 minutes at the bottom of the price range. He's the punt I trust most.
Matchups to target: Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Paul George, Jordan Walsh
Matchups to avoid: None
Top Plays by Position
| Pos | Rank | Player | Matchup | Salary | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | 1 | Cade Cunningham | DET vs BOS | $9,500 | Cash |
| PG | 2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC at SA | $10,200 | GPP |
| PG | 3 | Jalen Brunson | NY vs PHI | $7,600 | Cash |
| PG | 4 | Tyrese Maxey | PHI at NY | $8,300 | GPP |
| PG | 5 | De'Aaron Fox | SA vs OKC | $6,100 | GPP |
| SG | 1 | Stephon Castle | SA vs OKC | $6,800 | GPP |
| SG | 2 | Josh Hart | NY vs PHI | $6,200 | GPP |
| SG | 3 | Cason Wallace | OKC at SA | $4,600 | GPP |
| SG | 4 | Duncan Robinson | DET vs BOS | $4,600 | GPP |
| SG | 5 | Jared McCain | OKC at SA | $4,300 | GPP |
| SF | 1 | Jaylen Brown | PHI at NY | $8,000 | GPP |
| SF | 2 | Jalen Williams | OKC at SA | $6,600 | GPP |
| SF | 3 | Paul George | BOS at DET | $6,300 | GPP |
| SF | 4 | Ausar Thompson | DET vs BOS | $5,200 | GPP |
| SF | 5 | Mikal Bridges | NY vs PHI | $5,700 | GPP |
| PF | 1 | Jayson Tatum | BOS at DET | $9,000 | Cash |
| PF | 2 | Karl-Anthony Towns | NY vs PHI | $7,800 | GPP |
| PF | 3 | LeBron James | PHI at NY | $7,500 | GPP |
| PF | 4 | Chet Holmgren | OKC at SA | $5,900 | Cash |
| PF | 5 | OG Anunoby | NY vs PHI | $5,300 | GPP |
| C | 1 | Victor Wembanyama | SA vs OKC | $10,500 | Cash |
| C | 2 | Joel Embiid | PHI at NY | $8,100 | Cash |
| C | 3 | Jalen Duren | DET vs BOS | $6,500 | Cash |
| C | 4 | Isaiah Hartenstein | OKC at SA | $4,900 | GPP |
| C | 5 | Neemias Queta | BOS at DET | $4,800 | GPP |
| Pos | Rank | Player | Matchup | Salary | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | 1 | Cade Cunningham | DET vs BOS | $10,000 | GPP |
| PG | 2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC at SA | $9,900 | GPP |
| PG | 3 | Jalen Brunson | NY vs PHI | $8,000 | Cash |
| PG | 4 | Stephon Castle | SA vs OKC | $6,900 | GPP |
| PG | 5 | Tyrese Maxey | PHI at NY | $8,100 | GPP |
| SG | 1 | Jalen Williams | OKC at SA | $7,000 | GPP |
| SG | 2 | Ausar Thompson | DET vs BOS | $6,200 | GPP |
| SG | 3 | VJ Edgecombe | PHI at NY | $5,900 | GPP |
| SG | 4 | Mikal Bridges | NY vs PHI | $5,300 | GPP |
| SG | 5 | Cason Wallace | OKC at SA | $4,300 | GPP |
| SF | 1 | Jayson Tatum | BOS at DET | $9,800 | GPP |
| SF | 2 | Jaylen Brown | PHI at NY | $7,600 | GPP |
| SF | 3 | Paul George | BOS at DET | $7,000 | GPP |
| SF | 4 | OG Anunoby | NY vs PHI | $6,000 | GPP |
| SF | 5 | Josh Hart | NY vs PHI | $5,700 | GPP |
| PF | 1 | LeBron James | PHI at NY | $7,800 | Cash |
| PF | 2 | Chet Holmgren | OKC at SA | $6,800 | GPP |
| PF | 3 | John Collins | DET vs BOS | $5,400 | GPP |
| C | 1 | Victor Wembanyama | SA vs OKC | $11,300 | Cash |
| C | 2 | Joel Embiid | PHI at NY | $7,900 | Cash |
| C | 3 | Karl-Anthony Towns | NY vs PHI | $7,700 | Cash |
| C | 4 | Jalen Duren | DET vs BOS | $6,600 | Cash |
| C | 5 | Neemias Queta | BOS at DET | $5,100 | Cash |
Wembanyama costs $11,300 on FanDuel, so he eats a bigger share of the cap there than on DraftKings. Jaylen Brown is $400 cheaper on FanDuel, and that makes him an easier fit. Towns plays center on FanDuel, and that gives you a second way to fit him next to Embiid.
Every projection lives on today's NBA DFS projections, and you can build around these in the free NBA lineup optimizer.
Final Thoughts
For cash, I start with Wembanyama, Brunson and Duren, and I add Anunoby for the salary room. That core locks in the safest minutes on a slate where the field plays the same names.
In GPPs, Gilgeous-Alexander is the pivot off Wembanyama at almost the same price, and Jaylen Brown is the low-owned way into the best game total. Champagnie and Walsh are the cheap pieces I like most.
Before lock, check Holmgren and Hart. Boston and Detroit tip at 3:00 PM ET, so Spurs and Thunder news comes after that game starts, and the late game is your late swap window.
More slates in the NBA DFS articles archive.
Tools used for this slate
Every number in this playbook comes off the free BankrollSZN NBA tools: today's NBA DFS projections, the free NBA lineup optimizer, the NBA injury report for DFS, the NBA rotations and minutes tracker, and NBA pace stats.