Written By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter & LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Pick’Em Prop Offers 3/22/24 💸

Our editors found the top Pick’Em DFS deals so you don’t have to! 

1. Sleeper DFS - Deposit Match up to $100 

2. Underdog DFS - Deposit Match up to $100 

3. Chalkboard DFS - Deposit Match up to $100

4. Parlay Play - Free $5 Entry no Deposit Required

_{Terms: Must be 18+ (some states may require 21+) and be present in an eligible state; if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling, and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER. Using an affiliate offer will help support LineStar who may receive a commission fee from the referral. Other conditions may apply, please see link for full details.}

NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler & Shannon 

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

TGIF! Today is another one of those days where the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates will differ quite a bit. DraftKings is including all eight games that are on the Friday NBA schedule while FanDuel will be excluding the three late games in the 10 o’clock ET window. This is always a bit frustrating, especially if you’re someone who likes to play on both sites, but we’re used to this kinda thing by now. As usual, only players from the five mutually shared games will be discussed in-depth in this newsletter while preferred late-game plays (DK Main Slate Only) will be listed at the bottom of each positional section.

We’ll have a typical chaotic late-season injury report on the board today. However, realistically, we can boil it down to three teams that we’ll really need to monitor -- Boston, Minnesota, and Memphis. Boston injury news may have the heaviest impact considering they’re doing “the thing” again where they’re listing nearly their entire starting five as “questionable” since they’re on the front end of a back-to-back and playing an awful team (Detroit). The Celtics have essentially locked up the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and they have the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA, so they’re going to be giving their key players rest whenever they may need it down this final regular season stretch. The Grizzlies could theoretically have the required minimum of just eight active bodies if all/most of their “questionable” players are eventually ruled out so we’ll certainly need to track Memphis news closely. Outside of players from those three aforementioned teams, the remaining primary players to keep track of are Gary Trent Jr., Tobias Harris (DK Only), and LeBron James (DK Only) -- and I suppose it’s worth monitoring the statuses of Norman Powell and Terance Mann for the Clippers as well (both DK Only). With all of that mumbo jumbo out of the way, let’s get into it! Best of luck!

Today’s Key Injuries

• Thunder: None

• Raptors: I. Quickley - OUT, RJ Barrett - OUT, S. Barnes - OUT, J. Poeltl - OUT, G. Trent Jr. - Questionable, C. Boucher - OUT

• Celtics: J. Tatum - Questionable, J. Brown - Questionable, K. Porzingis - Questionable, J. Holiday - OUT, A. Horford - Questionable, S. Hauser - Probable

• Pistons: S. Fontecchio - OUT, A. Thompson - OUT, I. Stewart - OUT, S. Umunde - OUT, Q. Grimes - OUT, T. Gibson - OUT

• Grizzlies: D. Bane - Doubtful, V. Williams Jr. - Doubtful, M. Smart - OUT, S. Pippen Jr. - Questionable, J/ LaRavia - Questionable, L. Kennard - OUT, J. Konchar - Questionable, L. Stevens - OUT, Z. Williams - OUT, D. Rose - OUT, Y. Watanabe - OUT

• Spurs: Z. Collins - Probable

• Pelicans: B. Ingram - OUT

• Heat: T. Herro - OUT, D. Robinson - OUT, K. Love - OUT

• Cavaliers: D. Mitchell - OUT, E. Mobley - OUT, M. Strus - OUT, D. Wade - OUT

• Timberwolves: A. Edwards - Questionable, K. Towns - OUT, R. Gobert - Questionable, N. Reid - Questionable

DraftKings Main Slate Only

• Clippers: N. Powell - Questionable, T. Mann - Questionable, R. Westbrook - OUT

• Trailblazers: D. Ayton - Questionable, A. Simons - Probable, M. Brogdon - OUT, J. Grant - Doubtful, M. Thybulle - Questionable

• Pacers: O. Toppin - Questionable

• Warriors: D. Green - Probable, M. Moody - Questionable

• 76ers: J. Embiid - OUT, T. Harris - Questionable, D. Melton - OUT

• Lakers: A. Davis - Probable, L. James - Questionable, T. Prince - OUT, C. Wood - OUT, G. Vincent - OUT, J. Vanderbilt - OUT

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

Top DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Plays

Note: NBA position designations are never going to perfectly align between the major DFS sites. For the purposes of these newsletters, positional designations will default to DraftKings.

Top Point Guards/Shooting Guards 🏀

PG/SG Derrick White, BOS | DK: $7.6k, FD: $7.9k | @ DET (Potential boost pending BOS injury news)

As discussed in the intro, the Celtics’ injury news will loom large on this slate, but Derrick White is the lone routine starter who does not carry an injury designation into this evening’s game. Boston was in a similar scenario four days ago where they were taking on this same Pistons team on one leg of a back-to-back, and most of their starters were “questionable” heading into the game. Jrue Holiday (out tonight) and Jayson Tatum (questionable tonight) were the key players who were eventually ruled out, and it opened up plenty of usage for Derrick White. Despite a 25-point blowout win, White played 37 minutes that night and went on to post a 22/10/10 triple-double while scoring 61.5 DKFP/55.0 FDFP. In general, White has been playing exceptionally well lately -- over his previous five starts, he is averaging 18.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 6.2 APG, 3.5 STL+BLK/gm, and 45.8 DKFP/45.1 FDFP. Holiday is already out tonight and I would expect at least one other Celtics starter to watch from the sidelines in this game. However, even if all of those “questionable” players end up suiting up in this game, White owns a team-leading +5.54 percentage point boost to his usage rate with Jrue Holiday off the floor this season. He’s still reasonably priced under $8k on both sites, so we’ll keep him firmly on the DFS radar tonight.

PG/SG Caris LeVert, CLE | DK: $7.4k, FD: $7.8k | @ MIN

This match-up owns an ugly, slate-low 207.5 over/under but both of these teams are gunning for the second seed in their respective conferences so there is plenty of postseason motivation to be had within this match-up. The Cavs are 1.5 games back from the No. 2 seeded Bucks in the East, and the T-Wolves are 1.5 games back from the Nuggets and Thunder (both currently tied for the No. 1 seed) in the West. Due to injuries to Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus (both out again tonight), LeVert has been picking up an expanded role as a starter. He has started in four of the last six games and should slide back into the starting rotation this evening. In five starts this season, LeVert is averaging a points/assists double-double (15.5 PPG/10.3 APG) to go along with 1.25 FPPM in 34.2 minutes/gm, and 42.9 DKFP/41.7 FDFP. The Timberwolves continue to lead the NBA in DEFRTG, so I’m always hesitant to roster guys against them. However, they’ve been dealing with some significant injuries to impact players of their own and have ranked a middling 13th in DEFRTG over the last two weeks. When these teams met two weeks ago, LeVert posted another quality fantasy performance with 41.25 DKFP/43.0 FDFP in 34 minutes off of the bench. A similar, or better, outcome could be in the cards tonight now that he’s locked in with a starting role.

PG/SG Cason Wallace, OKC | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.4k | @ TOR

One way or another, there’s going to be some value that opens up later in the day. However, with so many murky injury situations and potential scenarios that may or may not follow, I don’t want to spotlight a cheap guy who would end up maintaining a minor role if his “questionable to play” teammates are deemed active later on today. So, we’ll land here on Cason Wallace as a cheap guard to consider. It’s a somewhat low-confidence play, and in general, it’s not good practice to predict/rely upon a blowout… but the Thunder are a massive 16-point favorite today against the sputtering Raptors. Wallace has been playing decent minutes off of the bench lately -- 22.9 minutes/gm L5Games -- in what have mostly been competitive contests. He is averaging 0.91 FPPM in that five-game stretch and his best outing of the season came 12 days ago against Memphis where he racked up 34.5 DKFP/33.4 FDFP in 27 minutes. That was the one game that was a real blowout as the Thunder went on to win by 31 points. They should cruise to an easy dub again tonight and the possibility of Wallace playing 25+ minutes is on the table.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC | DK: $10.5k, FD: $11.2k | @ TOR

SG/SF Anthony Edwards, MIN | DK: $9.7k, FD: $10.2k | vs. CLE (Currently Questionable)

PG Stephen Curry, GSW | DK: $8.6k, FD: N/A | vs. IND (DK Main Slate Only)

PG Darius Garland, CLE | DK: $7.7k, FD: $7.6k | @ MIN

PG D’Angelo Russell, LAL | DK: $7.3k, FD: N/A | vs. PHI (DK Main Slate Only)

SG/SF Klay Thompson, GSW | DK: $5.8k, FD: N/A | vs. IND (DK Main Slate Only)

PG/SG Josh Giddey, OKC | DK: $5.5k, FD: $6.5k | @ TOR (DK Preferred)

PG Scoot Henderson, POR | DK: $5.4k, FD: N/A | vs. LAC (DK Main Slate Only)

PG Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.2k | @ SAS (Currently Questionable)

PG Payton Pritchard, BOS | DK: $5.1k, FD: $4.9k | @ DET

PG TJ McConnell, IND | DK: $4.6k, FD: N/A | @ GSW (DK Main Slate Only)

PG Dejon Jarreau, MEM | DK: $3.8k, FD: $4.1k | @ SAS (Pending MEM injury news)

Top Small Forwards/Power Forwards 🏀

SF/PF Gregory “GG” Jackson, MEM | DK: $6.2k, FD: $6.6k | @ SAS

Among the five mutually shared games between DK and FD, there isn’t one high-end forward that I felt compelled to discuss in-depth, so we’ll drop down into the mid-range. As mentioned in the intro, the Grizzlies could very well have the league-required minimum of just eight healthy/active players on hand tonight. And, after having their best (formerly) healthy player, Desmond Bane, available for the last three games, it looks like he’ll be forced back to the sidelines and is officially “doubtful” to play tonight. GG Jackson has earned a starting role, almost by necessity, in five of the Grizzlies’ last six games. By all means, he’s been a rock-solid contributor, and, in his previous five starts, Jackson is averaging 26.4 PPG on a 24.07% USG% while playing 37.7 minutes/gm and putting up 39.4 DKFP/37.2 FDFP per game and 1.04 FPPM. He’s coming off of arguably his best game as a professional against the Warriors on Wednesday night where he supplied 35 points, five boards, and three assists in 35 minutes -- good for 48.75 DKFP/44.5 FDFP. He’s a rookie being thrust into a poor situation, and he is also a bit of a streaky shooter. But, in his defense, Jackson has shot 50% from three-point range in three of his last four games so he’s building some confidence at the NBA level. The Grizzlies also have nothing to lose by letting their 2023 second-round pick get as much playing time down the stretch as he can handle, so we can count on him playing big minutes regardless of what the scoreboard reads. The Grizzlies will be in a winnable game tonight as just six-point road underdogs to a not-so-great Spurs team.

SF/SG Trey Murphy III, NOP | DK: $6k, FD: $6.1k | @ MIA

With Brandon Ingram (out) picking up a knee injury in last night’s game, which looks to keep him out for at least two weeks, Trey Murphy III will be in line to pick up some starts in his place. Murphy has been a great spark off of the Pelicans’ bench over the last several weeks. Since February 27th (11 games), Murphy is averaging 19.4 PPG, which is second only to Zion Williamson (23.5 PPG) in that span, and he’s been the team’s best long-range shooter, sinking over 45% of his threes. The Pelicans are another team jockeying for position in the Western Conference standings as they look to lock up a guaranteed playoff spot as a top-six seed (currently the No. 5 seed). Some quality play out of Murphy over these next couple-plus weeks with Ingram sidelined will be much needed.

PF Tosan Evbuomwan, DET | DK: $4k, FD: $3.8k | vs. BOS (Preferred if starting again)

We’ve officially reached the point in the season where I’m discussing undrafted players that I have never heard of before. Enter Tosan Evbuomwan. He got his first start of the season in place of the injured Isaiah Stewart on Wednesday. With Stewart out for the remainder of the season, Evbuomwan could be a starter the rest of the way. He didn’t have a big night, scoring just 16.0 DKFP/15.8 FDFP. But the important note is that he played 30 minutes in a 19-point blowout loss. In 18 games as a G-Leaguer this season, Evbuomwan averaged a solid 15.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.4 STL+BLK/gm. Even if the face of a likely blowout against the Celtics (-14.5), Evbuomwan is going to set up as an intriguing value play if he starts and plays 30+ minutes again.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Anthony Davis, LAL | DK: $10.3k, FD: N/A | vs. PHI (DK Main Slate Only)

SF/PF LeBron James, LAL | DK: $10.2k, FD: N/A | vs. PHI (DK Main Slate Only - Currently Questionable)

PF Zion Williamson, NOP | DK: $8.8k, FD: $9.2k | @ MIA

SF/SG Paul George, LAC | DK: $8.4k, FD: N/A | @ POR (DK Main Slate Only)

PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM | DK: $8.3k, FD: $8.6k | @ SAS

SF/PF Pascal Siakam, IND | DK: $7.8k, FD: N/A | @ GSW (DK Main Slate Only)

PF/C Naz Reid, MIN | DK: $7.3k, FD: $7.6k | vs. CLE (Currently Questionable - Preferred if Gobert is out)

PF Jalen Williams, OKC | DK: $7.1k, FD: $8.1k | @ TOR

SF/PF Jeremy Sochan, SAS | DK: $5.9k, FD: $6.5k | vs. MEM

SF/PF Andrew Wiggins, GSW | DK: $5.2k, FD: N/A | vs. IND (DK Main Slate Only)

SF Jake LaRavia, MEM | DK: $4.7k, FD: $5.5k | @ SAS (Currently Questionable)

SF Luguentz Dort, OKC | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.8k | @ TOR

PF/C Jalen Smith, IND | DK: $3.7k, FD: N/A | @ GSW (DK Main Slate Only)

PF Troy Brown Jr., DET | DK: $3k, FD: $3.5k | vs. BOS (Viable punt play IF he starts)

Top Centers to Consider 🏀

C Victor Wembanyama, SAS | DK: $10.6k, FD: $11.3k | vs. MEM

Center feels like a bit of a crapshoot on this slate but, even though he’s been relatively disappointing in three of his last four starts, Wemby is going to stand out as an appealing option tonight. The banged-up Grizzlies simply do not have anyone who matches up remotely well against Wembanyama and that was on display the first time these teams played one another this season. In that game, the rookie phenom put up a 19/13/4 stat line but, most notably, he racked up EIGHT blocks to go along with a steal, resulting in 60+ FP on both sites. While it hasn’t necessarily been true lately, Wembanyama has been more reliable at home this season where he has averaged +10% more FPPG. The Grizzlies have also ranked 23rd versus centers L5Games, and 24th on the season. Memphis is one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA and they’ve allowed the 3rd most blocks per game, so we should bank on a strong double-double performance out of Wemby tonight, and he could easily have one of his wild 5-to-10 block games as well.

C Jontay Porter, TOR | DK: $4.1k, FD: $4.9k | vs. OKC

If you had any Porter exposure two nights ago, ya got burned (myself included). He left Wednesday’s game after playing just three minutes due to an illness. Sh*t happens… maybe literally in Porter’s case Wednesday night. But he’s not on the injury report today and, although he’ll probably be chalky again, he does provide some nice salary relief at an overall uninspiring center position tonight. Prior to Wednesday’s early exit, Porter had averaged 23.0 minutes/gm and 1.15 FPPM over his previous four games. The Thunder are allowing a hefty 1.38 FPPM to centers over their last 10 games so Porter has a fairly generous pathway to returning value if he plays mid-20s minutes tonight. And he’s a candidate to pick up a few extra minutes in the event of a potential blowout (TOR: +16).

Other Centers to Consider

C Jarrett Allen, CLE | DK: $8.4k, FD: $8.7k | @ MIN (Better match-up if Gobert and/or Reid are out)

C Chet Holmgren, OKC | DK: $7.4k, FD: $8.3k | @ TOR

C Ivica Zubac, LAC | DK: $5.4k, FD: N/A | @ POR (DK Main Slate Only)

C Trayce Jackson-Davis, GSW | DK: $5k, FD: N/A | vs. IND (DK Main Slate Only)

C Duop Reath, POR | DK: $3.5k, FD: N/A | vs. LAC (DK Main Slate Only - Preferred if Ayton is out)

PrizePicks NBA Power Play of the Day ⚡

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's NBA action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these bets so I don't just lightly throw these out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Chet Holmgren MORE than 1.5 Dunks

Klay Thompson MORE than 18.5 Points + Assists

🔥 Props AI 🔥

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props AI for NBA – available for LineStar Premium users! This tool can help you find value and mispriced odds on player props from sportsbooks and, more specifically, for PrizePicks and UnderDog Fantasy!

Speaking of props, put the Props AI tool to use by signing up for PrizePicks (Promo code: LINESTAR) or Underdog (Promo code: LINESTAR). You'll receive a 100% match on first deposits up to $100 PLUS a free month subscription to LineStar Premium. Many people may not realize that you can legally place prop bets in most states using UnderDog (or PrizePicks) – it’s called Pick'Em, and it’s incredibly easy.

That will wrap us up with today’s “Daily Dribble” edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!