Sunday features a six-game main slate starting at 6 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
Tyrese Maxey has taken his game to another level to start the season. He was already one of the best young point guards in the league, but he’s averaged a ridiculous 35.2 points and 9.4 assists through his first five games this season. He’s scored at least 52.0 DraftKings points in all five contests, including more than 60 DraftKings points in four straight.
Maxey will take the floor in one of the best possible spots Sunday. For starters, the team is going to be without Joel Embiid. Paul George was already out for the 76ers, so Maxey is going to get to carry the offense. In his lone game without Embiid so far this season, Maxey scored 43 points with a season-high 36.9% usage rate. He’s seen a +2.0% usage bump with Embiid off the floor, so he gets a sizable boost in scoring upside.
Maxey also draws an elite matchup vs. the Nets. Their defense hasn’t just been bad to start the year; it’s been an outright disaster. They’re allowing more than 129 points per 100 possessions, which would shatter the previous record for worst defense in NBA history. It’s nearly 10 points worse than the Jazz’s league-worst mark in 2024-25.
Maxey ultimately ranks second at the position in projected Plus/Minus, and he’s No. 1 in terms of projected ceiling. That makes him an elite starting point for lineups.
Value
The Grizzlies are going to have to survive without Ja Morant on Sunday. He made some negative comments about the coaching staff following Friday’s NBA Cup loss, and he was subsequently handed a one-game suspension.
His loss should be Cam Spencer’s gain. Spencer has played well in limited minutes this season, averaging 1.08 DraftKings points per minute. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in four straight games, despite playing 18.9 minutes or fewer in all of them.
Spencer is expected to crack the 20-minute threshold without Morant, and he’s currently projected for 23 minutes in our NBA Models. If he can maintain his fantasy output with more minutes, he has the potential to be one of the best values of the day.
Fast Break
On the other side of that matchup, Immanuel Quickley is a potential buy-low target for the Raptors. He’s not off to a good start, averaging just 13.3 points and 6.8 assists while shooting below 40% from the field and under 30% from 3-point range. However, the Grizzlies have played at the fourth-fastest pace this season. It’s a great spot for him in the rest of the Raptors offense to try to get right, and Quickly ranks third at the position in projected Plus/Minus.
Josh Giddey absolutely torched the Knicks in his last outing. He scored 32 points and finished one assist shy of a triple-double, ultimately racking up 63.5 DraftKings points. It was his third straight game with at least 46.75 DraftKings points, yet his salary has remained very reasonable at $8,800. He gets a matchup vs. the same Knicks’ squad Sunday, and he doesn’t figure to command much ownership.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
Keyonte George continues to show signs of a breakout. He’s still struggling to find his shot from deep, but his scoring and assist numbers are way up overall. He’s averaged 21.2 points and 9.2 assists through his first five contests, resulting in an average of 1.23 DraftKings points per minute.
George has posted a positive Plus/Minus in each game to start the year, and he’s had at least 43.5 DraftKings points in three straight. That’s elite production for someone who is priced at just $7,100.
George is in a great spot to keep the production going Sunday. He’s taking on the Hornets, who rank seventh in pace and 28th in defensive efficiency so far this season. This game has a total of 238.5 points, which is tied for the top mark on the slate. George has the top ceiling projection among Sunday’s shooting guards, and he ranks third in projected Plus/Minus.
Value
John Konchar is another player who could see a bump for the Grizzlies with Morant out of the lineup. He’s dirt cheap at $3,200, resulting in a 91% Bargain Rating, and he’s projected for 19 minutes in our NBA Models.
That’s still not a ton of playing time, but it should give Konchar a chance to return value. He’s averaged 0.83 DraftKings points per minute for the year, and he’s historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +1.30 with a comparable salary and minute projection (per the Trends tool).
Spencer ultimately stands out as the superior value target for the Grizzlies, but it’s possible to play both together in stars-and-scrubs builds.
Fast Break
Like Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe is also going to have to do a bit more heavy lifting with Embiid out of the lineup. Edgecombe has proven to be up to the task as a rookie, and he’s seen a +4.1% usage bump with Embiid off the floor for the year. He’s averaged 1.12 DraftKings points per minute in that scenario, and only Maxey is projected for more than his 38.5 minutes on Sunday’s slate. Edgecombe had 45.5 DraftKings points in his only full game without Embiid this season, and that was against a much tougher defense than the one he’ll see Sunday.
On nights where Ayo Dosunmu shoots the ball well, he has much more upside than his $4,400 price tag suggests. He’s had two such nights in his past three outings, and he’s responded with 29.75 and 42.5 DraftKings points. Overall, he’s averaged 0.99 DraftKings points per minute for the year, and he could see around 30 minutes vs. the Knicks on Sunday. He’s an interesting pivot off some of the chalkier Grizzlies values.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Lauri Markkanen has been on a mission through his first five games. He’s averaging 33.8 points per game with elite shooting efficiency, resulting in an average of 1.33 DraftKings points per minute. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in all five games, and he has one eruption for 77.0 DraftKings points.
Markkanen should be able to keep the scoring train rolling vs. the Hornets, and he has the clear top ceiling at a weak position. No other SF is within eight points of his ceiling projection, so he’s a very viable pay-up option.
Value
Kelly Oubre is another member of the 76ers who should be asked to do a bit more than usual. He’s already been a steady contributor of late, posting a positive Plus/Minus in four straight games, and he’s playing all the minutes he can handle. He’s logged at least 37.4 minutes in four straight contests, including two straight with 40-plus.
Oubre also went off in his lone game without Embiid this season. He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and his work on the glass has been a nice addition to his fantasy profile. He’s averaged 10 boards over his past three games, and with Embiid out of the lineup, they’re going to need him to help out in that department once again. His salary has yet to reflect his boost in production this season, giving him the top projected Plus/Minus at the position.
Fast Break
The Knicks are leaning much more on their reserves to start the year, but OG Anunoby is still getting plenty of burn. He’s projected for 35 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged 1.0 DraftKings points per minute for the year. He had 41.5 DraftKings points vs. the Bulls in his last outing, and there’s no reason he can’t do it again. $6,100 is simply too cheap for a player of his caliber.
Royce O’Neale continues to show why he’s one of the most undervalued role players in basketball. He’s capable of doing a bit of everything, resulting in an average of 0.89 DraftKings points per minute. He should continue to see a bit of extra burn with Dillon Brooks out of the lineup, and he’s scored 27.25, 31.25, and 55.75 DraftKings points in his past three outings. You’ll gladly take that at $5,500.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
The Cavaliers were extremely shorthanded in their last outing. Darius Garland and Max Strus have yet to suit up this season, and they were joined on the sidelines by Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen on Friday. Mitchell and Allen are questionable once again for Sunday’s matchup vs. the Hawks, so they could be thin once again.
In that scenario, Evan Mobley would become one of the clear top studs on the slate. He’s increased his offensive output so far this season, and he had a season-high 29 points with Mitchell and company sidelined vs. the Raptors. He posted a 28.5% usage rate in that contest, representing a significant increase from his year-to-date mark.
Mobley finished with 51.0 DraftKings points in that outing, despite providing less value than usual in the peripheral categories. He had just eight rebounds and three assists, so if he can add some better numbers there, he has the potential for a big performance. Make sure to monitor the injury situation leading up to tip-off.
Value
The Jazz are currently playing without Walker Kessler, which opens up some additional minutes in the frontcourt. Kyle Filipowski could be one of the biggest beneficiaries. He has not fared well to start the year, resulting in a significant price decrease. He was priced at $5,700 for his first game of the year, but he’s down to just $4,700 vs. the Hornets.
That makes him a clear buy-low target. Filipowski was awesome on a per-minute basis last year, and he’s currently projected for 24 minutes in our NBA Models. Once his shot starts falling again from his current 36.4% mark, he should be able to pay off his reduced salary pretty easily.
Fast Break
Michael Porter has moved from one of the NBA’s best teams to one of its worst. The good news is that means he gets all the shot attempts he can dream of. Porter is a gifted scorer, so that has led to some strong fantasy numbers. He’s scored at least 35.0 DraftKings points in three of his past four games, and he’s had at least 48.25 in two of them. That gives him nice upside at $6,700, especially against a 76ers’ squad that has struggled defensively.
The Raptors are still playing without starting center Jakob Poeltl. He’ll miss his third straight game, and Collin Murray-Boyles has started the past two in his absence. He struggled in his last outing, finishing with just 11.0 DraftKings points in 20 minutes, but he delivered solid value in his first start. He’s averaged 0.80 DraftKings points per minute for the year, so he should be able to pay off his salary with around 20 minutes.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
There is no denying that Victor Wembanyama has ascended to superstardom. That’s true for both real and fantasy purposes. Wembanyama has been an absolute monster to start the year, averaging 30.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 4.8 blocks per game. The result is an average of 1.99 DraftKings points per minute. To put that in perspective, that’s more than the unquestioned fantasy GOAT Nikola Jokic has ever averaged in a season.
We’ll see if Wemby can keep that pace up all season, but for now, he belongs in the same tier as guys like Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. None of those players is available on this slate, so Wemby has the top ceiling projection by default.
The gap between Wemby and the field at center is absolutely massive. He has the top ceiling projection at the position by nearly 20 points, and he also stands out as one of the better pure values. His $11,800 salary comes with a 94% Bargain Rating, so his salary has yet to reflect his dominance on DraftKings.
Value
Jusuf Nurkic continues to absolutely feast in his limited playing time. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five straight games, and he’s logged at least 22.25 DraftKings points in three of them. He’s done that despite playing 18.2 minutes or fewer in each contest.
With Kessler out of the lineup, there’s a chance that Nurkic eclipses the 20-minute mark for the first time on Sunday. Even if he doesn’t, he should still be able to pay off his meager $4,100 salary. Nurkic has averaged a stout 1.33 DraftKings points per minute for the year, so he doesn’t need a ton of playing time to do damage.
Fast Break
Andre Drummond is another potential option at center. He’s not the same per-minute beast that he was in his prime, but he’s still averaged a very strong 1.29 DraftKings points per minute for the year. He played 23.4 minutes in his first game without Embiid this season, giving him plenty of upside at just $4,100.
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been a pretty steady producer for the Hornets as a rookie. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in four of six games, and he just narrowly missed in a fifth. His optimal lineup rate is above 25% in Sim Labs, and with several value options soaking up ownership, he could be somewhat overlooked.
Pictured: Victor Wembanyama
Photo Credit: Scott, Wachter, Imagn
