Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. numberFire's projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news. numberFire also has player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

In addition to daily projections, numberFire also offers a matchup heat map and a lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

Here at FanDuel Research, we'll also come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

NBA DFS Picks

Guards

Top Plays

De'Aaron Fox ($9,900) -- Man, it's good to have De'Aaron Fox back. Fox has put up 68.1 and 54.3 FanDuel points over his last two games while the Sacramento Kings are up to six straight wins. Their matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans has the second-highest total (237.5) of the slate, and both teams play at a blazing-fast pace. Fox is my favorite high-salaried guard -- especially if you're stacking Kings.

Derrick White ($6,200) -- Derrick White isn't flashy, and his salary isn't low enough to make him a complete value. Yet, he can contribute across the board and sees heavy minutes for one of the best teams in the NBA. The Boston Celtics have the second-highest implied team total (121) of the night. and the Charlotte Hornets have allowed the fourth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing shooting guards. He's a nice floor play.

Reggie Jackson ($4,800) -- Since Jamal Murray went down, Reggie Jackson has averaged 28.1 minutes per game. The fantasy production has come and gone, but the matchup is there for him to produce tonight. The Detroit Pistons are bottom 10 in defensive rating, and they've let up the most FanDuel points per game to opposing point guards. It's a good night to stack the Denver Nuggets.

Others to Consider

Paul George ($8,600) -- For as bad as the Los Angeles Clippers have been of late, Paul George continues producing. George has put up at least 40 FanDuel points in three straight games -- and in 9 of 11 overall. That floor is tough to pass up even if the ceiling (only one game with 50-plus) isn't the same as other stars. The matchup is great, though. The San Antonio Spurs are 29th in defensive rating, play at a top-five pace, and allow the most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards. Just keep expectations in check given the number of options in LA's offense.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,700) -- Along the same line as Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes a ton of sense at value tonight. The matchup is everything here, even if the Pistons have decent numbers against shooting guards. KCP has only notched 30 FanDuel points once since opening night, but there's always upside in a guy playing big minutes alongside the MVP.

Wings

Top Plays

Jayson Tatum ($10,200) -- He hasn't been bad, per se, but Jayson Tatum's failed to eclipse 37 FanDuel points in each of his last two games. That may have some people him, but there's potential for a huge bounce back against the Charlotte Hornets' 30th-ranked defense. Charlotte still plays at a top-10 pace, so they've been fantasy-friendly across the board. Tatum's still looking for a true slate-breaker, but he's a consistent threat for 50.

Miles Bridges ($6,400) -- It didn't take long -- heck, it didn't take any time at all -- for Miles Bridges to look like his former self. Bridges scored 33 and 33.3 FanDuel points in his first two games back. He's playing 30-plus minutes a night and should continue to ascend as he gets back into the swing of things. Boston sports one of the best defenses in the NBA, but a healthy 232.5-point total gives Bridges' low salary real appeal.

Bilal Coulibaly ($5,100) -- Bilal Coulibaly has averaged 31.5 minutes per game across the Washington Wizards last four outings. While his numbers have ticked down somewhat over those four games, he's put up 30 FanDuel points per contest. With a slate-high 245.5-point total and Washington chasing 9.5 points, there's garbage time opportunity here even if things get out of hand.

Others to Consider

Herbert Jones ($6,100) -- Herbert Jones has totaled 48.8, 31, and 41.8 FanDuel points in his three games since returning from a brief absence. The do-it-all wing doesn't need to score to be fantasy-relevant, but the New Orleans Pelicans' 118.3 implied team total does give him a nice ceiling. Sacramento doesn't the turn ball over much, but they play at a top-12 pace and have surrendered the 7th-most points to small forwards. He's got a solid floor and eye-catching ceiling.

Jae'Sean Tate ($3,900) -- Jae'Sean Tate is numberFire's biggest point-per-dollar value of tonight's slate thanks to his 23.8-point projection. Tate is like a mega-discount Herb Jones. He's posted an elite 34.1% steal rate and is shooting a blistering 42% from deep, but his minutes fluctuate heavily -- hence the low salary. Still, there's upside with the Houston Rockets playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and the Golden State Warriors turning the ball over at the 10th-highest rate.

Bigs

Top Plays

Nikola Jokic ($12,800) -- What's there left to say about Nikola Jokic at this point? The Joker is coming off a down game where he only scored 43.5 FanDuel points, but he'd previously eclipsed 63 in seven straight outings. He's the best of the best. Even at this salary, I'll be hard-pressed to leave him out of lineups -- especially against a Detroit defense allowing the fifth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing centers.

Aaron Gordon ($6,900) -- Aaron Gordon and Jokic are almost as good of a duo in fantasy as they are in real life. Gordon hasn't hit 32 FanDuel points in three straight, but he'd dropped at least 37 in all five of the games before this cold stretch. The Pistons are bottom seven in defensive rating while Gordon is one of only two players who both carry a 34-point numberFire projection and is salaried under $7,000. Buy the dip.

Brook Lopez ($5,900) -- If you're fading Jokic tonight, Brook Lopez is a strong value center. Lopez comes with a lot of variance, but you won't find many guys at this salary who can flirt with 50 FanDuel points on a given night. The Milwaukee Bucks have a slate-high 127.5 implied team total, and Washington has let up the second-most FanDuel points to opposing centers, so there's plenty of opportunity for Lopez to pop.

Others to Consider

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,000) & Domantas Sabonis ($10,400) -- It won't be easy to fit these studs alongside Jokic, but both of their matchups are downright mouthwatering. Giannis takes on Washington while Sabonis draws the New Orleans -- two of the three softest matchups for opposing centers, and both of whom play at a top-10 pace. Ceiling games are on the table here, so I'd be comfortable taking both in contrarian lineups sans Joker.

Zach Collins ($6,400) -- Devin Vassell ($6,700) is expected to miss his third straight game tonight. Per CourtIQ, Zach Collins has averaged over 5.0 more FanDuel points and posted nearly a 10% higher effective field goal percentage with Vassell off the floor. The Clippers aren't a great matchup for bigs, but Collins is coming off two strong performances and is a solid value with PF and C eligibility.

Interested in playing NBA daily fantasy? FanDuel has plenty of contest options to make every moment more. Be sure to check out the NBA betting options, as well.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.