NBA Tonight: 9-Game Preview, Injury Report, Starting

FantasyDailies | NBA | Friday, November 6, 2026 | Your Edge Every Day

Friday night brings nine NBA games, and there's plenty to work with for fantasy basketball, DFS and anyone hunting value in the player-prop and betting markets.

The storylines: Oklahoma City is missing Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, Minnesota is still without Anthony Edwards, Toronto is monitoring Scottie Barnes, and Washington has a big question around Anthony Davis.

The trick tonight is finding players whose opportunities grow because of those absences. We're looking past the biggest names at minutes, usage, matchups and defensive weaknesses to find value before the numbers adjust. Every stat below comes from our own box scores this season, and every line is from our board.

Let's get to it.

Tonight's NBA Schedule

All times Eastern. Lines from our board as of Friday morning. They move, so check the live numbers on the NBA odds heat map.

MatchupTip-offSpreadTotalToolsBoston at Charlotte (NBA Cup)7:00 PMBOS -8.5210.5simulator | our pickWashington at Atlanta7:00 PMATL -6.5229.5simulator | our pick Philadelphia at Cleveland7:30 PMPHI -2.5228.5simulator | our pickUtah at Dallas8:00 PMDAL -7.5226simulator | our pickToronto at Milwaukee8:00 PMTOR -6.5231simulator | our pickMinnesota at New Orleans8:00 PMMIN -4.5229.5simulator | our pickOklahoma City at Memphis8:00 PMOKC -3.5225simulator | our pickSan Antonio at Sacramento10:00 PMSA -15.5228.5simulator | our pickPortland at LA Lakers10:00 PMLAL -2.5232.5simulator | our pick

Tonight's Biggest Injury Stories

Statuses from our NBA injury report and the league's Friday report. Recheck before lineups lock.

Anthony Davis, Washington: Questionable (ankle)

This is one of the most important situations on the slate. Davis is averaging 21.9 points and 8.9 rebounds and had 26 and 10 with three blocks in Wednesday's 120-105 loss to Atlanta (box score). If he plays, he's an obvious DFS and fantasy consideration. If he sits, Alex Sarr and rookie AJ Dybantsa pick up frontcourt work. Watch the starting lineup announcement on our NBA Starting Lineups page.

Jalen Johnson, Atlanta: Questionable (ankle)

Johnson has missed the last two games. When he plays, he fills every column: 18.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists a game. Without him, Atlanta started Luguentz Dort and Kingston Flemings on Wednesday, and CJ McCollum moved to the bench.

Scottie Barnes, Toronto: Questionable (groin)

Barnes is averaging 23.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists, and he played 32 minutes Wednesday at Denver. If he plays, he's a strong multi-category option. If he sits, RJ Barrett (21.0 points a game) and Immanuel Quickley become particularly interesting.

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota: Out (knee)

Edwards had a procedure on his right knee in late October and is expected to miss several more weeks. He scored 47 in his last game. In his place, Ayo Dosunmu has started and is averaging 16.4 points, with LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert and Jonathan Kuminga carrying the rest.

Oklahoma City: Three Starters Out

The Thunder are without Jalen Williams (ankle surgery), Chet Holmgren (knee) and Cason Wallace (shoulder surgery), plus Jaylin Williams, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber. On Wednesday they started Aday Mara, Kenrich Williams and Ajay Mitchell alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein, and still beat Cleveland 124-116 (box score).

SGA remains the centerpiece: 29.9 points a game, with 43 and 42 in his last two. But Memphis has a chance to attack a rotation that's nowhere near full strength.

Jarrett Allen, Cleveland: Questionable (knee)

Allen left Wednesday's game after seven minutes. Peyton Watson (hamstring) and Tyrese Proctor (ankle) are also questionable. If Allen sits, Evan Mobley should see more time at center.

Other important absences

Kawhi Leonard, Toronto: Out (knee).
Ja Morant, Portland: Out (hamstring).
Shaedon Sharpe, Portland: Out (knee).
Jaren Jackson Jr., Utah: Out (knee).
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah: Out (foot).
Keegan Murray, Sacramento: Out (ankle).
Dereck Lively II, Dallas: Out (foot).
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte: Out (hamstring).
Isaiah Stewart, Memphis: Out (knee).

Also questionable: Dennis Schroder and Moussa Diabate (Charlotte), Payton Pritchard (Boston, eye). Probable: Trey Murphy III (New Orleans) and Max Christie (Dallas). Good to go: Jayson Tatum, who rested Wednesday.

Projected Starting Lineups

These are each team's most recent starting five (Wednesday, November 4), adjusted for tonight's injury news. They are not confirmed. Teams announce starters shortly before tip-off, and our NBA Starting Lineups page updates as they do. The full rotations are on our NBA depth charts.

Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets, 7:00 PM

Celtics: Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez. Boston's five from Monday, Tatum's last start. Paul George started Wednesday when Tatum rested.

Hornets: Moussa Diabate, Brandon Miller, Naz Reid, Coby White. The fifth spot is open: Kon Knueppel started Wednesday but is out. Diabate is questionable.

Players to watch: Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Brandon Miller. simulator | our pick

Pelicans: Herbert Jones, Zion Williamson, Karlo Matkovic, Dejounte Murray, Jeremiah Fears. Trey Murphy III (probable) missed Wednesday and could return to the five.

Players to watch: LaMelo Ball, Zion Williamson, Rudy Gobert. simulator | our pick

Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies, 8:00 PM

Thunder: Isaiah Hartenstein, Aday Mara, Kenrich Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell.

Grizzlies: Cedric Coward, Cameron Boozer, Jaylen Wells, Zach Edey, Ty Jerome.

Players to watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ty Jerome, Ajay Mitchell. simulator | our pick

San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings, 10:00 PM

Spurs: Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper.

Kings: Domantas Sabonis, De'Andre Hunter, Precious Achiuwa, Zach LaVine, Darius Acuff Jr.. Murray is out.

Players to watch: Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis. simulator | our pick

Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:00 PM

Trail Blazers: Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson. Morant and Sharpe are out.

Lakers: Jake LaRavia, Walker Kessler, Matisse Thybulle, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves.

Players to watch: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deni Avdija. simulator | our pick

DFS: Tonight's Value Plays

The best DFS approach tonight is finding players whose minutes and usage climb because of injuries. Check prices against minutes on the NBA DFS value board and NBA start/sit board.

Premium plays

Luka Doncic, Lakers: the most obvious premium target on the board. He's averaging 40.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists and has scored 40 or more in three straight games. Portland is without Morant and Sharpe.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs: 31.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks a game, and he put up 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks against Dallas on Wednesday (box score). Sacramento is 1-7. The only worry is a blowout at -15.5.

Tyrese Maxey, 76ers: one of my favorite blends of salary and production. He's averaging 28.0 points and 5.5 assists and has scored 25 or more in seven of eight games.

Joel Embiid, 76ers: a premium option against a Cleveland frontcourt that may be missing Allen. He's averaging 20.7 points and 9.8 rebounds and had 26 and 15 on Wednesday at Detroit (box score).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: 29.9 points a game with 43 and 42 in his last two, and with three starters out his usage has nowhere to go but up.

Mid-range value

Myles Turner, Bucks: his scoring is modest (8.1 points), but he's blocked at least one shot in all seven games and averages 3.0 blocks. That's category value.

Kyshawn George, Wizards: a potential salary saver. He's averaging 17.1 points and 5.0 assists, and he scored 22 and 25 in his last two. His role grows if Davis sits.

RJ Barrett, Raptors: 20 or more points in six of seven games, and more shots if Barnes is ruled out.

Immanuel Quickley, Raptors: points and assists (16.6 and 5.6), with a bigger role if Toronto is missing Barnes.

Ty Jerome, Grizzlies: averaging 24.5 points off 30.7 minutes, including a 40-point game Monday. A strong tournament play against a depleted Oklahoma City rotation.

Ajay Mitchell, Thunder: a starter now, averaging 19.7 points, with 20 and 23 in his last two.

Ayo Dosunmu, Timberwolves: starting for Edwards and averaging 16.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.

DFS strategy

Build around one or two premium players.
Find value through confirmed starters on our NBA Starting Lineups page.
Target players with increased usage. Check the NBA minutes leaders and hot players tonight.
Don't pay full price for questionable players before their status is known.
Watch the two 10:00 PM games for late-swap opportunities.
Stack teammates the smart way with the DFS correlation calculator.

Player Prop Targets

These are the players I'd put on the research board, with how often they've cleared the number this season. The direction should depend on the actual line, so compare every one on our NBA player props page and the AI NBA prop projections. If minutes look like they're shrinking, check the NBA prop unders.

PlayerProp marketReasonTyrese MaxeyPoints over25+ in 7 of 8Joel EmbiidRebounds over8+ in 4 of 6Luka DoncicPoints + rebounds + assists56.2 a gameVictor WembanyamaBlocks over3+ in 5 of 7LaMelo BallAssists over6+ in 5 of 8Zion WilliamsonPoints over20+ in 5 of 7Myles TurnerBlocks over1+ in 7 of 7RJ BarrettPoints over20+ in 6 of 7Ty JeromePoints + assists29.7 a game

Don't blindly play the over. Compare the line with recent production, minutes, matchup and projected usage.

Tonight's Parlay Ideas

These are combinations to research, not guaranteed winners. The hit rates are this season's games in our box scores. Check final availability and prices first.

Parlay 1: The star power combination

Tyrese Maxey 20+ points (7 of 8)
Luka Doncic 25+ points (6 of 7)
Victor Wembanyama 8+ rebounds (5 of 7)

Parlay 2: The assists and rebounds ticket

LaMelo Ball 6+ assists (5 of 8)
Joel Embiid 8+ rebounds (4 of 6)
Myles Turner 1+ blocks (7 of 7)

Parlay 3: The higher-risk scoring ticket

Donovan Mitchell 25+ points (3 of 8)
Zion Williamson 20+ points (5 of 7)
Tyrese Maxey 25+ points (7 of 8)
Luka Doncic 30+ points (6 of 7)

The third ticket is a bigger-payout chase, not a bankroll builder, and the Mitchell leg is the weak link. Don't confuse a collection of plausible outcomes with a collection of safe bets. Build these in the NBA AI Parlay Builder or the NBA parlay slip builder, let the AI Parlay Generator put one together across every league, and check the payout on the parlay calculator.

Alternate Spreads and Teaser Value

NBA teasers aren't standardized like NFL teasers, so this is about alternate spreads and buying points where they're offered. Start every one from the side on our NBA picks so your ticket agrees with our call, then decide how much protection is worth paying for. Run each game 10,000 times in the NBA Game Simulator first.

Philadelphia at Cleveland (PHI -2.5): a short number, and Cleveland may be without Allen, Watson and Proctor. simulator | our pick.
Oklahoma City at Memphis (OKC -3.5): the Thunder are missing three starters on the road against a 6-2 team. simulator | our pick.
Minnesota at New Orleans (MIN -4.5): Minnesota is laying points without Edwards. simulator | our pick.
Boston at Charlotte (BOS -8.5): a big number with blowout risk, which also matters for player props. simulator | our pick.
San Antonio at Sacramento (SA -15.5): the biggest spread on the board, and the biggest blowout risk for Wembanyama's minutes. simulator | our pick.

Buying points costs money. Compare the adjusted price with the original before deciding whether the protection is worth it. The NBA odds heat map shows where the value sits.

FantasyDailies Final Picks

My favorite DFS player: Tyrese Maxey.
My premium DFS play: Luka Doncic.
My value watch: Kyshawn George.
My favorite multi-category player: Victor Wembanyama.
My favorite injury-dependent play: RJ Barrett if Scottie Barnes sits.
My game to watch: Oklahoma City at Memphis (simulator).
My caution games: Boston at Charlotte and San Antonio at Sacramento, because of blowout risk.
My biggest rule tonight: don't lock in questionable players until the starting lineups are confirmed.

Nine games, plenty of opportunities, and plenty of ways to lose money if you chase every available prop. Be selective. Find the value. Let the numbers do the talking.

Follow every game live in the NBA Game Zone and on FantasyDailies TV on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Final numbers land in the NBA box scores, and the race is on the NBA standings. Talk it over in the forum.

FantasyDailies.com: Your Edge Every Day.

NBA Tonight: 9-Game Preview, Injury Report, Starting Lineups, DFS Value, Player Props and Parlays (Friday, November 6)