After a mammoth 12-game slate Wednesday, we go to the other extreme Thursday in the form of a compact three-game ledger. Fortunately, the injury report is very light, and both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, who were held out for rest Wednesday, are expected to return and suit up.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, Nov. 13:
Toronto Raptors at *Cleveland Cavaliers (-7.5) (O/U: 240.5)
Indiana Pacers at *Phoenix Suns (-5) (O/U: 230.5)
*Atlanta Hawks (-2) at Utah Jazz (O/U: 233.5)
* Denotes team on second leg of back-to-back set
Betting metrics paint a fairly encouraging picture Thursday. All three games project to be competitive to varying degree, and they're also in line to be high-scoring matchups. A light injury report as well makes it a favorable DFS environment overall.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Jalen Green, PHO (hamstring): OUT
In Green's ongoing absence, Grayson Allen will remain the starting shooting guard.
Darius Garland, CLE (toe): OUT
In Garland's absence, Lonzo Ball is likely to remain the starting point guard, while Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are due to even more usage than usual.
Other notable injuries:
Bennedict Mathurin, IND (toe): OUT
Elite Players
The three highest-salaried players on Thursday's slate are Donovan Mitchell ($9,500), Pascal Siakam ($9,400) and Devin Booker ($9,200).
Mitchell is expected to be back in the lineup Thursday after resting Wednesday, and he'll be looking to build on the average of 54.7 FD points he's put up through his first five November games.
Siakam has hit for at least 40 FD points in four of the last five games, and with Bennedict Mathurin remaining out Thursday, the big man should be in line to approximate or exceed the 20 shot attempts per contest he's averaged thus far in November.
Booker posted a rare dud against the Pelicans on Monday (23.5 FD points), but he'd scored over 41 FD points in each of the last seven games prior while shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range, and he bounced back with 44.1 against the Mavericks on Wednesday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Evan Mobley, CLE ($8,800)
If Mobley is back in the lineup as expected Thursday, the big man should be very popular considering his average of 44.4 FD points over the last nine games.
Scottie Barnes, TOR ($8,600)
Barnes has averaged 45.7 FD points in seven games since recording just 15.6 against the Spurs on Oct. 27, which should keep him highly rostered on this small slate.
Jalen Johnson, ATL ($8,500)
Johnson has at least 45 FD points in four of the last six games as he continues to see elevated usage in the absence of Trae Young (knee), and he should remain in an expanded role Thursday.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA ($7,900)
Markkanen's average of 40.9 FD points and 55.9 percent shooting, including 64.3 percent from distance, in the last two games should keep him very popular at his salary Thursday.
Brandon Ingram, TOR ($7,300)
Ingram could turn out to be one of the best fantasy-point-per-dollar plays on the slate, considering he's averaging 38.5 FD points and shooting 50.5 percent over his last seven games.
Key Values
Grayson Allen, PHO vs. IND ($6,300)
Allen will remain in his starting two-guard role Thursday with Jalen Green (hamstring) sidelined for the foreseeable future, and the former is coming off having scored a season-high 58.4 FD points in just 28 minutes against the Pelicans on Monday and following it up with 43.5 against the Mavericks on Wednesday. Allen has scored over 32 FD points in eight of 12 games overall, and the blistering 44.7 percent success rate from distance he carried into Wednesday has helped lead to a career-high 19.0 points per contest. The Pacers have allowed 42.5 FD points per contest to two-guards as well, and although Indiana has done a good job on perimeter defense, but they've allowed 39.3 percent three-point shooting to shooting guards.
Zaccharie Risacher, ATL at UTA ($5,200)
Risacher has at least 24 FD points in six consecutive contests, a stretch where he's eclipsed 30 FD points on three occasions overall. The second-year wing also checks in with a hot hand, as he drained a stellar 87.5 percent of his attempts in Wednesday's win over the Kings. Risacher offers a relatively dependable floor for his salary, and the opposing Jazz comes in ranked No. 21 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to small forwards (24.6), along with 48.9 percent shooting and a Western Conference-high 51.1 FD points per game to the position.
Isaiah Jackson, IND at PHO ($4,500)
Jackson has offered strong production relative to his current salary of late, averaging 26.6 FD points across 22.7 minutes over his last seven contests while putting up 10.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals across 22.7 minutes per game. He's dealt with some foul trouble in a couple of those games, but the 2021 first-round pick has still posted a pair of double-doubles in the sample and recorded double-digit boards on three occasions overall. The Suns also come in allowing 53.9 FD points per contest to centers, and they rank in the bottom half of the league with a 32.9 offensive efficiency rating surrendered to fives.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mark Williams, PHO vs. IND ($6,200)
