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

Tuesday's main slate on FanDuel features seven games. For a full breakdown, see numberFire's matchup heat map.

Top matchups:

• Los Angeles Lakers @ Toronto Raptors | +12.5, 234.5 total
• Milwaukee Bucks @ Washington Wizards | +13.0, 226.0 total
• San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets | -16.0, 223.5 total
• Oklahoma City Thunder @ Philadelphia 76ers | +2.5, 221.0 total

Other games:

• Cleveland Cavaliers @ Utah Jazz | +10.0, 216.0 total
• Houston Rockets @ Minnesota Timberwolves | -7.5, 215.0 total
• New York Knicks @ Miami Heat | -3.0, 206.0 total

Guards

Top Plays

Jalen Brunson ($9,300) -- Tonight's slate screams save salary at guard, but if I'm spending up, it's for Jalen Brunson. Brunson came back to Earth in his most recent outing after dropping 76.8 FanDuel points (FPs) last week, but he still managed 30 actual and 42.9 FanDuel points in a rough matchup with OKC. Brunson finished March with an asinine 39% usage rate -- more than enough to produce tonight despite another tough date with Miami on deck. His points prop is set at 28.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook -- a number he's gone over in five of his last nine games.

Keyonte George ($5,700) -- Utah will be without Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, and John Collins tonight, paving the way for Keyonte George to see an enhanced role. George has simmered down after a hot stretch in early March, but he continues to see a heavy dose of minutes. Per RotoGrinders CourtIQ, George has registered a team-high 28.3% usage rate in 10 games without Clarkson and Markkanen. That should come in handy against a Cavs defense that's quietly slipped to 24th in defensive rating over their last 15 games. numberFire projects George for 30.2 FPs, making him the second-best point-per-dollar value among guards (5.3 FPs per $1,000) as of Tuesday afternoon.

Others to Consider

Jordan Poole ($7,200) -- Jordan Poole's usage rate jumps to 32.6% when both Kyle Kuzma and Tyus Jones are sidelined, so we can consider him at either guard spot with both out tonight. After a rough first half, Poole has been trending up over the second half of the year with 32.6 FPPG since the All-Star break. Coming off a 37.8-FP night against Miami, he could be in for another strong outing against a Milwaukee D that's surrendered the eighth-most FPPG to PGs, per FantasyPros.

Patrick Beverley ($5,300) -- No Damian Lillard for the Bucks tonight. In the one full game Lillard's missed since Patrick Beverley joined the team in early February, Beverley went for 37.5 FPs in 36 minutes. Considering the Wizards have surrendered the fourth-most FPPG to PGs on the year, Beverley makes for a strong value play and is an ideal game stack opposite Poole.

Wings

Top Plays

LeBron James ($10,200) -- LeBron James is the slate's highest-projected SF (48.4 FPs) playing in the slate's highest over/under (234.5) on the team with the slate's highest implied total (123.5). What more can you ask for? He benefits from facing a Raptors squad that's surrendered the second-most FPPG to SFs but could prove more competitive with the return of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. That would only keep James on the floor longer and lead to more fantasy production. LeBron's a rock-solid play, even at a five-figure salary.

Caris LeVert ($6,900) -- Caris LeVert's stock took a hit with Donovan Mitchell returning in their most recent game, but LeVert still put up 41.7 FPs off the bench. With Mitchell back on the bench tonight, LeVert's in a great spot against Utah. The Jazz are dead-last in defensive rating since the All-Star break and have allowed the third-most FPPG to both SGs and SFs this season. LeVert's points + assists prop is set at 21.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Others to Consider

Khris Middleton ($7,300) -- Coming off a 21-point, 6-rebound, 6-assist night game, Khris Middleton is uber-appealing with Damian Lillard out. He's averaged a stellar 1.24 FPs per minute with Dame sidelined this season and could feast against a depleted Wizards defense. With a 38.5-FP numberFire projection, Middleton is the top point-per-dollar value among SFs (5.27 FPs per $1,000).

Gordon Hayward ($3,900) -- He's best reserved for larger tournaments, but I'm intrigued with Gordon Hayward considering Jalen Williams is out and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is banged up. Hayward went for 22.3 FPs in 29 minutes the last time J-Dub missed a game and popped for 19.9 FPs in 21 minutes just two games back. With several high-salary players on tonight's, Hayward makes for a sneaky addition to a "stars and scrubs" build.

Bigs

Top Plays

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,100) -- With Dame out and the Wizards on deck, the sky's the limit for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Washington continues to be a strong matchup for bigs -- over their last 15 games, the Wizards are 22nd in defensive rating and 26th in rebound rate. They're bottom-three in FPs allowed to both big spots and have surrendered 70.6 and 55.3 FPs to Giannis already this season. The only concern is a lopsided spread that could send the Greek Freak to the bench early, though it's worth noting Washington is a respectable 19th in net rating (-1.6) over their last six games.

Walker Kessler ($6,200) -- With a 34.9-FP numberFire projection, Walker Kessler is the slate's top point-per-dollar value, regardless of position. (5.63 FPs per $1,000). The big man is coming off a 32.1-FP effort that saw him play the most minutes (32) since returning from injury earlier this month. The Jazz are undermanned tonight, so expect another heavy workload against Cleveland -- a defense that's 28th in rebound rate and has allowed the seventh-most FPPG to Cs over the last 15 games.

Others to Consider

Nikola Jokic ($12,000) -- If you don't want to build around the Greek Freak, either Nikola Jokic or Victor Wembanyama make sense provided the Spurs keep things competitive in Denver. The two prior meetings between these two resulted in 2- and 11-point Denver wins, but that would be a welcome result given tonight's lopsided spread. Jokic has had no issues with Wemby, averaging 35.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, though the rook managed 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 7.5 stocks (steals plus blocks) himself. As of Tuesday afternoon, Jokic is the highest projected player on the slate (59.9 FPs), narrowly ahead of Giannis (58.8 FPs).

Marvin Bagley ($6,300) -- With Kuzma out the last two games, Marvin Bagley III has played 27 and 25 minutes, racking up a pair of double doubles. The most recent of those came against Miami, so I'm bullish on Bagley's chances against a tough Milwaukee frontcourt. While they've done well to limit fantasy production from bigs of late, they're just 22nd in rebound rate over the last 15 games. numberFire projects Bagley for 34.5 FPs, making him the second-best point-per-dollar value on the slate (5.47 FPs per $1,000).

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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.