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. Our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- update throughout the day to reflect current news. You can also turn to numberFire for player news updates as well as a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

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

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks

Monday's main slate on FanDuel features six games but some dramatically different game environments.

For a full breakdown, see numberFire's matchup heat map.

Top matchups:

• Dallas Mavericks @ Chicago Bulls | +4.0, 232.0 total
• Toronto Raptors @ Denver Nuggets | -16, 229.0 total
• Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs | +4.5, 227.0 total

Other games:

• Phoenix Suns @ Cleveland Cavaliers | +6.5, 220.5 total
• Charlotte Hornets @ Detroit Pistons | -4.5, 217.5 total
• Boston Celtics @ Portland Trail Blazers | +9.5, 217.0 total

Guards

Top Plays

Luka Doncic ($12,800) -- Luka Doncic's salary is hard to swallow, but numberFire projects him for 59.4 FanDuel points (FPs), the highest on the slate. Luka has pieced together six consecutive 30-point triple-doubles and is averaging 68.1 FPPG since the All-Star break. The Bulls have done well against Doncic in the past, but a slate-best 232.5 over/under keeps him firmly in the mix tonight. Dallas has the second-highest implied total (118.5), so we can consider Kyrie Irving ($9,400) in the same matchup. Kyrie's been held under 40 FPs in five straight but is a sneaky pivot off the more popular Doncic.

Derrick White ($7,200) -- Boston is in the first night of a back-to-back, and their entire starting lineup is on the injury report as a result. We need to see who's active before locking in any of their regulars, but Derrick White is who I'm eyeing if either of Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown sit. According to RotoGrinders CourtIQ, White's averaged 44.4 FPPG with Tatum out and 33.9 FPPG without Brown. Per FantasyPros, the Blazers are bottom 10 in FPs allowed to both PGs and SGs, so Payton Pritchard ($4,300) and Jaden Springer ($3,500) could both be strong values here, too.

Alex Caruso ($5,900) -- Alex Caruso' multi-position eligibility and ability to fill up the box score make him the right kind of value to target in strong game environments. Tonight's 232.5 total and four-point spread give him some appeal tonight. He's gone for 37 FPs in two of his last three games and could take advantage of a Dallas D that's dipped to 30th in defensive rating since the All-Star break.

Others to Consider

Coby White ($8,000) -- Coby White's production can be sporadic, but he's proven to have a 40-FP upside on a nightly basis. White's registered a 21% usage rate since the All-Star break, exceeding 40 FPs in three of nine games. In the slate's top game environment, White is a quality game stack alongside either of Dallas' two stars. He should benefit from a Mavs defense that's given up the sixth-most FPPG to PGs over the last 15 games.

Chris Paul ($7,000) -- No Stephen Curry for the Warriors tonight, vaulting Chris Paul into the starting lineup. In three games without Curry, Paul has averaged 30.9 minutes and 35.0 FPPG. San Antonio has given up the second-most FPPG to PGs this season, and they've given up the seventh-most assists per game since the All-Star break. Paul's assists prop is set at 8.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Vasilije Micic ($5,900) -- Vasilije Micic doesn't have the highest ceiling, but he's lined up for another start with Tre Mann and Cody Martin banged up. Over his last five games, Micic has averaged 31.2 minutes and 27.0 FPPG. This is about as good of a positional matchup as you could ask for. Detroit has given up the most FPPG to PGs this season and are down at 29th in defensive rating.

Wings

Top Plays

Miles Bridges ($8,600) -- Miles Bridges has exceeded 40 FPs in four of his last five games and could very well stay hot in a plus matchup with Detroit. The Pistons are 25th in defensive rating since the All-Star break and bottom-10 in FPs allowed to both forward spots this season. Though a 217.5 over/under isn't ideal, Bridges should benefit from a tight contest. This 4.5-point spread is the second shortest on the slate. Bridges' points prop is set at 22.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook, which is a total he's cleared in consecutive games.

Brandin Podziemski ($6,100) -- Brandin Podziemski has averaged 32.6 minutes and 35.1 FPPG with Steph Curry sidelined, so we can confidently deploy him against the Spurs tonight. Podziemski notched 29.7 FPs in this same matchup over the weekend -- his best game since the All-Star break. That feels like the floor considering San Antonio has given up the most FPPG to opposing SGs this season. Klay Thompson ($6,000) piled on 27 actual and 30.9 FanDuel points in last Friday's meeting, so we can look his way at SG, too.

Andrew Wiggins ($5,000) -- Andrew Wiggins played 26 minutes and totaled 22.7 FPs in Golden State's win over San Antonio last weekend, his best performance since returning from a four-game absence. With Steph out, he could be in line for even more work in tonight's rematch with the Spurs' 23rd-rated defense. numberFire projects Wiggins for 25.4 FPs tonight. That makes him the top point-per-dollar value among SFs (5.08 FPs per $1,000).

Others to Consider

RJ Barrett ($7,700) -- RJ Barrett is probable, but Immanuel Quickley is questionable. Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes remain out, so Barrett could be in line for a sizable workload tonight. With those two off the floor this season, Barrett has averaged 1.16 FPs per minute via a 28.9% usage rate. Denver is a tough matchup, but RJ Barrett's workload keeps him in the mix.

Caris LeVert ($6,800) -- The Cavaliers will be without Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus tonight. That should allow Caris LeVert to see an enhanced role. In four games without those two, LeVert has averaged 31.4 FPPG and registered a 22.7% usage rate. Isaac Okoro ($5,700) has averaged 27.3 FPPG in that split, so we can consider him as a salary-saver.

Bigs

Top Plays

Victor Wembanyama ($11,300) -- Victor Wembanyama returns tonight following a two-game absence. There's a chance he could be limited in his return to play, but we've seen Wemby put up monster numbers in under 30 minutes before, so I'm not fading him. Before the injury, Wemby had gone for at least 69 FPs in four of seven games since the All-Star break. Golden State has given up the sixth-most FPPG to Cs over the last 15 games. Wemby's points + rebounds prop is set at 34.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Nikola Vucevic ($8,100) -- Averaging 40.8 FPPG since the All-Star break, Nikola Vucevic presents a solid combination of floor and ceiling against Dallas. The Mavericks have given up the second-most FPPG to Cs over the last 15 games, and they're 27th in rebound rate since the All-Star break. Vucevic's 41.1-FP numberFire projection is fourth among Cs tonight, and he benefits from playing in the slate's top game environment.

Grant Williams ($5,100) -- Grant Williams has averaged 36.5 minutes over the last four games. He's exceeded 30 FPs only once over that span, but a soft matchup with Detroit puts him on the DFS radar given the heavy workload. While the Pistons are up to 18th in defensive rating over the last 15 games, they've still given up the seventh-most FPPG to PFs over that span. numberFire projects Williams for 26.5 FPs, making him the second-best point-per-dollar value on the slate (5.31 FPs per $1,000).

Others to Consider

Nikola Jokic ($12,100) -- Nikola Jokic has slate-breaking upside on a nightly basis, and a matchup with Toronto -- 24th in defensive rating -- is solid on paper, but I don't love the upside here. Denver is favored by 16 points, so we could see Jokic hit the bench early. That said, he's proven more than capable of producing in limited minutes, and the Nuggets' 123.25 implied total gives him a stable floor regardless of the outcome.

Isaiah Stewart ($5,100) -- PF/C-eligible Isaiah Stewart is coming off a pair of rough games, but he's averaged 32.8 minutes per game since returning from injury and could take advantage of a soft matchup tonight. Stewert's Pistons take on the Hornets, a team that's given up the fifth-most FPPG to both big spots and is dead-last in rebound rate since the All-Star break.

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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.