FanDuel lineup games and strategy for Saturday, October 26th

This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.

We have nine games on the program for Saturday evening, which are bigger than usual. Luckily we don't have a very detailed injury report so we have a robust player pool to draw on, but there are a few issues with withdrawals from a variety of other games that are expected to be very competitive.

Slate overview

Find the latest spreads and over-unders at RotoWire NBA odds Page. You can also find player props, futures, picks articles and Sports betting bonus codes.

The spreads/totals listed are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are current as of Saturday, October 26th at 11:00 a.m. ET:

Cleveland Cavaliers (-9.5) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 229.0)

Boston Celtics (-14) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 225.5)

Miami Heat (-5.5) at Charlotte Hornets (O/U: 224.0)

Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves (-14.5) (O/U: 218.5)

Oklahoma City Thunder (-10) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 231.5)

Orlando Magic at Memphis Grizzlies (-1) (O/U: 223.0)

Houston Rockets (-1.5) at San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 222.0)

Dallas Mavericks (-2.5) at Phoenix Suns (O/U: 231.0)

Sacramento at the Los Angeles Lakers (-1) (O/U: 229.5)

As just indicated, we are dealing with a mixed bag when it comes to betting numbers. With four double-digit spreads and one just under that mark, we're certainly taking some risk that some of the biggest stars will see limited minutes at these big favorites. At the same time, we have three sub-two-point lines and one directly above, so it really is a night of extremes.

The predicted totals aren't particularly noteworthy, as there are only two points out of 230. However, with another pair falling just below that threshold, we expect significant offense for the entire team.

Injury situations to monitor

The latest updates can be found at RotoWire NBA injury news site and our comprehensive NBA injury report.

Immanuel QuickleyGATE (Basin): OUT

In Quickley's continued absence, Davion Mitchell will likely enjoy an expanded role.

Jaren JacksonMEM (thigh): GTD

If Jackson is out on Saturday, Santi Aldama should take over the bulk of the starting duties at power forward.

RJ BarrettGOAL (shoulder): GTD

Should Barrett miss another game, Ochai Agbaji will likely remain in the starting small forward lineup.

Brandon MillerCHA (Hip): OUT

In Miller's absence, Seth Curry could start again at shooting guard.

Other notable injuries:

Kelly OlynykGOAL (rear): OUT

Sam HauserBOS (back): OUT

Tre JonesSAN (Ankle): OUT

Kevin LoveMIA (personal): OUT

Mark WilliamsCHA (foot): GTD

Jonathan IsaacORL (hip): GTD

Steven AdamsHOU (calf/knee): GTD

Lonzo BallCHI (knee): GTD

Grayson AllenPHO (personal/Achilles): GTD

Elite player

We have five players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's roster – Luka Doncic ($11,800), Shai Gilgeous Alexander ($11,400), Victor Wembanyama ($11,200), Anthony Davis ($10,700) And Jayson Tatum ($10,200).

Doncic started his season on Thursday with 54 FD points in 36 minutes against the Spurs, still recording a heavy workload despite rumors of more minutes managed. The spread for the Mavs-Suns game is also one of the tightest of the night, so playing time shouldn't be an issue at this point either.

Gilgeous-Alexander was in top form from the start on Thursday, scoring 61.4 FD points in 36 minutes in his season debut against the Nuggets. However, OKC is a 10-point favorite on Saturday night, so the minutes could be shorter if the game is not competitive.

Wembanyama had a relatively modest 28.3 FD points by his standards in the opening game against the Mavericks, but that only lasted 28 minutes and included just one block.

Davis was spectacular in his first two games, scoring 72.2 and 58.6 FD points, respectively. He posted scoring numbers reminiscent of his Pelicans heyday (35.5 PPG) and multiple blocks in each contest. The Lakers are also just one point favorite on Saturday, alleviating some concerns about potentially limited minutes.

Tatum, on the other hand, sees his Celtics as 14-point favorites, so despite his excellent performance in the first two games (55.5 FD points per game), there's a chance he won't reach anywhere near the same numbers on Saturday.

Expected chalk

Other likely chalk games include:

LaMelo BallCHA ($9,900)

Ball appears to be healthy and has scored 64.1 and 42 FD points in his first two games, the second number coming Friday, although he was fouled after just 29 minutes.

Domantas SabonisSAC ($9,700)

Sabonis was as usual in the Kings' opener with 40.1 FD points and delivered a solid 13 shot attempts despite the presence of off-season newcomer DeMar DeRozan.

LeBron JamesLAL ($9,600)

LeBron has clearly played second fiddle to Anthony Davis so far, but has still scored 32 and 35.8 FD points in two 34-minute stints.

Paolo BancheroORL ($9,300)

Banchero scored 56.7 and 38.7 FD points in his first two games and should continue to be popular given his salary in a game against the Grizzlies with a one-point lead.

Anthony EdwardsMIN ($9,200)

Edwards has opened the new season with tallies of 34.7 and 46.4 FD points while already taking 49 shots, the kind of aggressiveness that could make him very good value for his salary.

Key values

Naz ReidMIN vs. TOR ($5,600)

Reid had a breakout season last year and after a relatively quiet opening game against the Lakers, he turned in a performance reminiscent of last season with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds against the Kings on Thursday. Those numbers helped produce 37.1 FD points, marking the 28th time since the start of last season that Reid surpassed 30 FD points. There's definitely an upside at his salary, and with the Timberwolves considered heavy favorites on Saturday, the reserve big man could see a solid workload against a Raptors squad that's shooting 61.2 percent, including 52.6 percent from beyond the arc Three-point distance, allowed to second unit players through two games.

Three menCHA vs MIA ($5,400)

If the first two games are any indication, Mann should be a backup player for the Hornets this season. With Brandon Miller's absence due to a hip injury helping Mann's cause, the fourth-year guard posted tallies of 32.7 and 26.6 FD points over 27 minutes in his first two games. Miller is expected to remain out Saturday, and Mann, who is shooting 40.0 percent from behind the arc in his first two contests, should be in line for another strong share of minutes in the second unit. Mann's shooting may be inefficient, but given his salary and expected role, he's not taking an excessive amount of risk.

Nikola JovicMIA at CHA ($5,300)

Jovic is an interesting consideration on the other side of the Heat-Hornets battle, having totaled 27.5 FD points in 24 minutes in the Heat's opener against the Magic while filling his new starting role at power forward. Pleasingly, the third-year player scored seven three-point attempts in the contest and although he only missed one, it is a reminder of the ability and role Jovic will play this season. The Hornets have struggled to defend frontcourt players in recent seasons, and Jovic has a ceiling well above 30 FD points, making him a valuable option for Saturday cash games or tournaments.

ALSO NOTE: Julian ChampagnieSAN vs. HOU ($5,000); Chris BoucherTOR at MIN ($4,600)

The authors of this article may participate in daily fantasy contests, including but not limited to games on which they have provided recommendations or advice in this article. When playing these games with their personal accounts, it is possible that they may use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations given above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco participates in daily fantasy contests with the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.