While most of the sports world will be focused on the NFL Conference matchups, the NBA still has a strong four-game slate that tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET with a two-game wave and a couple of late-night hammers. Taking a look at the opponents and potential opportunities, a few strong matchups stand out. These two key NBA DFS stacks make sense to build around as the core of your fantasy basketball roster for Sunday night.
Especially at this point in the season, it makes sense to start your planning by checking out the daily injury report. For Sunday, the Heat is the only team playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so be sure to monitor the updates for them specifically. Make sure to check back for updates to the injury report before the action tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
The NBA DFS main slate includes a variety of contests and pay-out structures on DraftKings, headlined by the NBA $80K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st].
Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat
The Suns will be missing their star with Devin Booker (ankle) ruled out. Jalen Green (hamstring) just returned from his latest injury and will likely be very limited even if he plays, leaving lots of potential production across the rest of the roster.
It’s a good spot for Phoenix as well since the Heat have the highest pace of any team in the NBA and have allowed the second-most points per game over their last 10 games. The Heat are also playing for the second night in a row and on the road, which should make them a better matchup for the Suns.
Core Plays: The Suns have had some surprising success this season, with Collin Gillespie ($6,300) and Dillon Brooks ($6,000) both stepping up and being very productive. In the four games without Booker, Brooks has seen an increase of over five percentage points in usage, while Gillespie will have to take on more creation responsibilities. The other player who gets a big boost without Booker has been Grayson Allen ($5,900), who is boom-or-bust but has a very high ceiling.
Value Options: The cheaper options in the Suns’ rotation also make lots of sense to include in roster builds since they’ll get more usage in a game that should be high-scoring. Jordan Goodwin ($4,200) should get more work, and he’s one of the top values on the entire slate after posting over 25 fantasy points in three of his last five games even with Booker available. Oso Ighodaro ($3,800) and Ryan Dunn ($3,100) should also be in line for more usage, especially since the game tempo and pace should fit their style.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors
The Thunder lost to the Pacers at home on Friday night, but they’ll look to bounce back at home, where they are heavily favored over the visiting Raptors. The Thunder are still short-handed for this matchup, which should allow the players remaining in the rotation to pick up extra work.
Jalen Williams (hamstring), Isaiah Hartenstein (calf), Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) and Alex Caruso (adductor) are already ruled out, and Aaron Wiggins (hip) is questionable. All those players and Wiggins were out on Friday, stretching the Thunder’s rotation thin.
Core Plays: Whenever you’re building a Thunder stack, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,900) is usually the starting point. SGA had 47 points and 62 fantasy points in Friday’s loss and has over 50 fantasy points in six of his last eight contests. He has to carry a huge workload without Williams, and he is usually up for the challenge. Chet Holmgren ($8,500) had a double-double with 54.2 fantasy points in Friday’s game, producing 25 points and 13 rebounds. He’s a great secondary option with a high ceiling against the Raptors as well.
Value Options: Behind SGA and Chet, the Thunder don’t have a lot of options, which is why they lost on Friday. Luguentz Dort ($4,400) played 35 minutes but only had two points while going 1-for-9 from the field. Cason Wallace ($4,200) was more productive with 23.2 fantasy points in 30 minutes, and he has scored at least eight points in four of his last five games. Isaiah Joe ($4,100) is another option who can provide peripheral scoring if he gets hot from long-range. Especially if Wiggins is out, Wallace, Dort and Joe will be critical to the team’s success, and they should bring great value for your fantasy squad as well. Of the three, Wallace is my favorite value play, but each of the three have potential.
