With only three games on the schedule, successfully building a high-scoring DFS lineup for Thursday requires a sharp eye on player role changes and the latest NBA injury report. Tonight's slate is heavily impacted by significant absences—including Trae Young, Darius Garland, and Jalen Green—opening up massive opportunities for key players to step into elite usage roles. Leveraging current NBA player stats and understanding where the volume is concentrated is the key to mastering your DFS NBA strategy. This breakdown highlights the core elite, chalk, and value plays, focusing on players whose projections have soared due to shifts in their team's NBA lineups.
Slate Overview
TOR at CLE: Raptors 4-3 on road; Cavs 4-1 at home
IND at PHX: Pacers on five-game slide and 0-6 on road; Suns on four-game win streak and 5-1 at home
ATL at UTA: Hawks on three-game win streak; Jazz 3-2 at home
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Injuries to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
TOR - Sandro Mamukelashvili (neck), Collin Murray-Boyles (illness): Questionable; Ochai Agbaji (back): OUT
CLE - Lonzo Ball (knee), Darius Garland (toe): OUT
IND - Bennedict Mathurin (toe): OUT
PHX - Jalen Green (hamstring), Mark Williams (rest): OUT
ATL - Kristaps Porzingis (rest), Trae Young (knee): OUT
UTA - Taylor Hendricks (hamstring): OUT
Elite Players
Guards
Dyson Daniels, Hawks 
($7,300) at Jazz
Daniels has done a great job picking up the slack as a facilitator in the absence of Trae Young, averaging 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 2.0 steals over the last five games. He came up a little bit quiet in the two most recent outings but logged a high of 42.0 DK points in that span. He also has a great chance to pick it up against the Jazz, who are giving up the league's second-most points per game to opposing shooting guards.
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers 
($9,500) vs. Raptors
Mitchell sat out of the last game for rest but is averaging 32.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.8 steals across his previous five appearances, including two games with more than 60 DK points. He faces a good opportunity to inflate his scoring numbers against the Raptors, who are giving up the league's fifth-most free throws per game.
Forwards/Centers
Brandon Ingram, Raptors 
($7,700) at Cavaliers
Ingram looks to be finding his groove with the Raptors, averaging 21.0 points on 47.5 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 blocks over the last five games, including two outings with more than 40 DK points. He should keep up the strong play against the Cavs, who are shorthanded in the backcourt, and who are giving up the league's sixth-highest three-point shooting percentage.
Jalen Johnson, Hawks ($8,300) at Jazz
Johnson is on a roll with four double-doubles in his last six appearances, averaging 20.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals over that span. He faces an ideal opportunity to prosper against the Jazz, who are giving up the league's eighth-most points and fifth-most steals per game to opposing power forwards.
Evan Mobley, Cavaliers ($8,600) vs. Raptors
Mobley averaged 20.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks through five games before sitting out Wednesday's action for rest. He returns for a favorable matchup against the Raptors, who are giving up the league's fifth-most points and seventh-most rebounds per game to opposing power forwards.
Expected Chalk
Devin Booker, Suns 
($9,300) vs. Pacers
Booker continues to do a great job leading the way for the Suns, averaging 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals over the last five games, including four with more than 40 DK points. He has a fantastic opportunity to stand out against the shorthanded Pacers, who are giving up the league's fourth-most points and most free throws per game.
Mid-Range Money
Isaiah Collier, Jazz 
($5,300) vs. Hawks
Collier has looked solid in three games this season, including delivering a 14-point, six-rebound, 11-assist performance in the most recent outing, where he totaled 41.0 DK points in 27 minutes of action. He has a good chance to keep the momentum going against the Hawks' shorthanded backcourt, while they also give up the league's fifth-highest field-goal percentage to opposing point guards.
Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks ($5,100) at Jazz
Risacher has scored in double digits in each of the last five games, averaging 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals over that span, including two outings with over 30 DK points. He is up for an advantageous matchup against the Jazz, who give up the league's most points per game to opposing small forwards.
Royce O'Neale, Suns ($5,400) vs. Pacers
O'Neale is rolling lately, scoring in double digits in each of the last four games, averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals over that span, including a high of 33.8 DK points. He is up for a good chance to pad his stats against the Pacers, who are significantly shorthanded and are giving up the league's second-most points and sixth-most rebounds per game to opposing power forwards.
Value Picks
Vit Krejci, Hawks ($4,300) at Jazz
Krejci is averaging 18.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists over the last three games, including a 28-point performance on a night where he totaled 40.8 DK points. He has an ideal opportunity to keep it going against the Jazz, who are giving up the league's sixth-most points per game.
Tony Bradley, Pacers 
($3,700) at Suns
Bradley is expected to pick up his second straight start for his shorthanded squad, after he finished with eight points, one rebound and two assists in the last game. He is up for a favorable chance to boost his numbers against the Suns' shorthanded frontcourt, while they also give up the league's sixth-most blocks per game to opposing centers.
