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NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler & Shannon 

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

It’s time to head into a big sports weekend on a high note with a seven-game Friday NBA main slate on tap! There is one nightcap game on the NBA schedule (POR @ SAS, 9:30 ET) but both DraftKings and FanDuel have elected to exclude that game from their respective main slates. Injury-wise, we’ve got some high-usage players who have already been ruled out for this evening’s action and the one truly critical “questionable” designation belongs to Hawks PG Trae Young (concussion protocol). So, pending any major additions to the injury report, there really won’t be much news that we’ll have to keep track of as we head into this slate. And, with the Hawks playing at 7:00 ET, Young’s status will be known before the slate gets underway regardless. This should be a fun one so let’s see if we can solve the puzzle today! Best of luck!

Update: Looks like I did indeed speak too soon. The Clippers’ Paul George and Pelicans’ Zion Williamson have now popped up as “questionable” for tonight’s action.

Today’s Key Injuries

• Mavericks: K. Irving - OUT, D. Powell - OUT, M. Kleber - OUT

• Hawks: T. Young - Questionable, C. Capela - Questionable, D. Hunter - OUT, B. Fernando - Questionable

• Suns: E. Gordon - Questionable, B. Bol - OUT

• Pacers: T. Haliburton - OUT, J. Smith - Questionable

• Rockets: J. Smith Jr. - Questionable, T. Eason - OUT, J. Tate - Questionable, R. Bullock Jr. - Questionable

• Hornets: G. Hayward - OUT, M. Williams - OUT, K. Lowry - OUT

• Clippers: P. George - Questionable, I. Zubac - OUT

• Raptors: I. Quickley - OUT, J. Poeltl - OUT

• Magic: G. Harris - OUT

• Grizzlies: D. Bane - OUT, M. Smart - OUT, S. Aldama - Questionable, D. Rose - OUT, J. LaRavia - OUT

• Thunder: None

• Pelicans: Z. Williamson - Questionable

• Cavaliers: D. Garland - OUT, E. Mobley - OUT, T. Thompson - OUT

• Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - Probable

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.

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC | DK: $10.1k, FD: $11k | @ NOP

There is a pretty clear spend-up option on this slate -- a man by the name of Luka Doncic (DK: $11.3k, FD: $12.3k). With Kyrie Irving ruled out, Doncic is about as safe and obvious as it gets and the game environment between Dallas and Atlanta should be excellent -- both teams are top 10 in pace, the game features a slate-high 244.5 O/U and a narrow 1.5-point spread. I have no intentions of talking anyone off of playing Luka tonight, but with so much ownership heading in his direction, that will certainly tank the ownership of the second-most expensive guard on the slate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

SGA heads into tonight’s game on the heels of two high-end performances where he procured 61.0 DKFP/59.2 FDFP (@ SAS) and 65.5 DKFP/67.2 FDFP (vs. POR). And this is a sneaky good match-up against a Pelicans team that is quietly struggling against starting PGs lately. If we look at the LineStar match-ups tool, we’ll see that New Orleans ranks 29th in FPPG allowed to starting PGs L10Games and they’re allowing 1.50 FPPM to the position in that span as well, which ranks dead last in the NBA. Plenty of attention will land on that Mavs/Hawks match-up, but this Thunder/Pels game also boasts a strong 240 over/under as well as an identical 1.5-point spread. SGA, of course, doesn’t have the same ceiling as Luka, but there is a realistic scenario where he can outscore him tonight if Doncic has just an “okay” sort of game, by his standards… and SGA will chime in at a fraction of Luka’s ownership on this slate. By all means, Luka is the safe stud guard play, but if you’re looking for leverage, SGA can provide it.

PG Dennis Schroder, TOR | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.9k | vs. LAC

Immanuel Quickley (thigh/out) has been a rock-solid contributor since being traded over from the Knicks, but Toronto will not have his services available this evening. Barring a surprise, Quickley’s absence will reintroduce Dennis Schroder back into the starting lineup. With Quickley and the two recently traded Raptors, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby, off the floor this season, Schroder has averaged a sturdy 1.11 FPPM. Perhaps it’s not a perfect match-up, but the Clippers are on the first game of a back-to-back, and face a much tougher Celtics opponent on the road tomorrow. Paul George (groin/questionable) was also a late addition to the injury report, so L.A. may not be at full strength tonight. With the usage bump and more secured minutes as a starter, Schroder makes for a perfectly fine play at his sub-$6k price points.

PG Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM | DK: $3.3k, FD: $4.5k | vs. ORL

Even at his low DFS salaries, Pippen will be a risky play on this slate so tread with caution. With the Grizzlies being extremely shorthanded, particularly in the backcourt, Pippen was signed to a two-way contract last Tuesday. In his third official game with the team, he was able to log 24 minutes off of the bench in Wednesday’s contest against the Heat. He put up 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting while contributing six rebounds and six assists -- good for 31.0 DKFP/29.2 FDFP. Obviously, if he were to replicate similar success tonight, he’d be a great value play. But it’s worth noting that PG/SG Luke Kennard was out on Wednesday, and he heads into tonight’s game without an injury designation. However, the Grizzlies did win by a score of 105-96 on Wednesday and Pippen’s spark off of the bench may have been enough to lead to more minutes in the immediate future. He’s been great in G League action, averaging 18.2 PPG, 6.2 APG, 6.6 RPG, and 3.8 STL+BLK/gm while shooting 85% from the charity stripe this season. So, he is a guy who can stuff the stat sheet… as long as he gets the minutes to do so, which is far from a guarantee.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Luka Doncic, DAL | DK: $11.3k, FD: $12.3k | @ ATL

PG/SG Donovan Mitchell, CLE | DK: $9.5k, FD: $10.1k | @ MIL

PG/SG Devin Booker, PHX | DK: $9.3k, FD: $9.7k | @ IND

PG/SG Dejounte Murray, ATL | DK: $8.6k, FD: $9.2k | vs. DAL (Only if T. Young remains out)

PG James Harden, LAC | DK: $8.2k, FD: $8.5k | @ TOR (Preferred if P. George is out)

PG Fred VanVleet, HOU | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.5k | @ CHA (DK Preferred)

SG/SF Tim Hardaway Jr., DAL | DK: $5.7k, FD: $6.2k | @ ATL

SG/SF Caris LeVert, CLE | DK: $5.6k, FD: $6.9k | @ MIL (DK Preferred)

PF TJ McConnell, IND | DK: $5.5k, FD: $5.5k | vs. PHX

PG/SG Andrew Nembhard, IND | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.1k | vs. PHX

SG Gary Trent Jr., TOR | DK: $4.8k, FD: $5k | vs. LAC

PG/SG John Konchar, MEM | DK: $4.4k, FD: $5.6k | vs. ORL

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL | DK: $11k, FD: $12.2k | vs. CLE

At the moment, there is not a ton of safe value on this slate so, as we kind of alluded to in SGA’s write-up above, the majority of folks who choose to spend up on one player in their lineups will likely roll with Luka Doncic. That only makes the possibility of getting Giannis at low ownership more intriguing. This is an immediate re-match from Wednesday’s action with the Cavs playing at Milwaukee for a second consecutive game. Giannis went bananas in the last match-up, notching a monster 35/18/10 triple-double which included a pair of blocks. The performance netted him 80.5 DKFP/75.6 FDFP. If Giannis picked up one more assist in the January 20th game against Detroit, he’d be rolling into this game with four consecutive triple-doubles. Now, even without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley available, the Cavs aren’t slouches defensively and they currently rank 3rd in DEFRTG. The Bucks are also on the front end of a B2B and Giannis averages -27% fewer FPPG in that scenario. So, his performance from Wednesday won’t be easily replicated, but when you have a chance to get Giannis at (potentially) < 10% ownership, then he’s going to be worth some leverage-inducing exposure in GPPs.

PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.6k | vs. ORL

Orlando is 5th in DEFRTG and 20th in pace, so they are not a team I look to target against very often and Memphis heads into this game with a slate-low 103.3 implied team total. That said, Jaren Jackson Jr. is another guy who could work out as a lower-owned leverage play. He has taken on a massive 35.8% usage rate over his last seven games and has attempted at least 20 shots in six of those games. He’s averaging 1.35 FPPM in that stretch as well and, realistically, I believe that figure could trend higher if he begins to rack up a higher blocked shot rate. He’s averaging a strong 1.6 BLK/gm this season, but that is down from 3.0 BLK/gm from last season, and 2.3 BLK/gm in the 2021-22 season. Despite Memphis coming away with the win, he wasn’t great in the last game on Wednesday, but we can chalk that up to just a poor shooting night as Jackson went 5-21 from the field. He’ll make the most sense at $7,700 on DraftKings, but given the fact that he has realistic 60+ FP upside in the tank, he remains a GPP target on FanDuel as well.

SF/PF Georges Niang, CLE | DK: $3.9k, FD: $4.7k | @ MIL

You may be able to find a better value forward option on FanDuel, but I still believe Niang is a touch too cheap at $3,900 on DraftKings. Niang is averaging 29.1 DKFP/gm over his last four to go along with an excellent 1.20 FPPM average. He has cracked the perfect lineup [on DraftKings] in three of those four games. The 44.25 DKFP performance in a blowout against the Bucks last Wednesday was a clear outlier, but Niang has secured at least 19.0 DKFP in eight of his last nine games, which is quality consistency from a guy who is under $4,000. Niang has been seeing more run while PF/C Evan Mobley remains sidelined and he could continue to put up solid numbers in 20-28 minutes off of the Cavs’ bench tonight. It doesn’t hurt that the Bucks also rank 28th against reserve units L20Games.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF Kevin Durant, PHX | DK: $9.2k, FD: $9.8k | @ IND

SF/PF Kawhi Leonard, LAC | DK: $8.6k, FD: $8.9k | @ TOR (Preferred if P. George is out)

PF/C Miles Bridges, CHA | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.1k | vs. HOU

SF/SG RJ Barrett, TOR | DK: $7.1k, FD: $7.4k | vs. LAC

SF Vince Williams Jr., MEM | DK: $6.5k, FD: $7k | vs. ORL

SF/SG Khris Middleton, MIL | DK: $6.3k, FD: $7.5k | vs. CLE (DK Preferred)

SF/SG Brandon Miller, CHA | DK: $6.3k, FD: $7k | vs. HOU

SF/PF Saddiq Bey, ATL | DK: $5.1k, FD: $5.7k | vs. DAL

PF/C Onyeka Okongwu, ATL | DK: $4.6k, FD: $6.1k | vs. DAL (DK Preferred - Boost if Capela is out)

SF/PF Josh Green, DAL | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.6k | @ ATL

SF/PF Gregory “GG” Jackson, MEM | DK: $4.1k, FD: $5.2k | vs. ORL (DK Preferred)

PF/C Jonathan Isaac, ORL | DK: $3.2k, FD: $3.9k | @ MEM (DK Punt Play)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Jarrett Allen, CLE | DK: $7.8k, FD: $8.3k | @ MIL

Allen is riding a 13-game streak where he has recorded a double-double and, while many quality centers fail against this Bucks frontcourt, Jarrett Allen has had no issues. In three games against the Bucks this season, Allen is averaging 24.0 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, and 1.0 BLK/gm which equals out to 49.6 DKFP/48.2 FDFP per game. He’s simply been an ultra-consistent DFS asset while PF/C Evan Mobley has missed time and he checks in with very reasonable salaries on both sites today.

C Larry Nance Jr., NOP | DK: $3.9k, FD: $5k | vs. OKC

Given his current role, Nance may be a tad too pricey as a value option on FanDuel, but you could do worse for a cheap center on DraftKings where he’s only $3,900. Nance has secured at least 24.0 DKFP in four of his last six games and he’s nearly averaging 1.20 FPPM in that stretch. OKC is a middling match-up for opposing bigs. They allow the second fewest points in the paint per game, but they also rank 29th in rebounding%. Nance is shooting 64.4% from two-point range this season and, while it’s not a major part of his game, he is sinking an impressive 46.9% of his three-point attempts. Nance put up 25.25 DKFP in 23 minutes against OKC earlier this season and we’d happily take a similar result tonight. Also, it won’t move the needle drastically, but if Zion Williamson (foot/questionable) happens to be ruled out, Nance’s floor would become a bit safer (+2.6 fantasy points per 32 minutes w/ Zion off the floor this season).

Other Centers to Consider

C Alperen Sengun, HOU | DK; $8.6k, FD: $9.8k | @ CHA (DK Preferred)

C Myles Turner, IND | DK: $6.3k, FD: $7.2k | vs. PHX

C Wendell Carter Jr., ORL | DK: $5.7k, FD: $6.5k | @ MEM

C Nick Richards, CHA | DK: $5.2k, FD: $6.1k | vs. HOU

C Dereck Lively II, DAL | DK: $5k, FD: $6k | @ ATL

C Thaddeus Young, TOR | DK: $3.9k, FD: $4.8k | vs. LAC

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.

Can we go for a 5-0 record on NBA PotDs this week?!? 🤞 

Jarrett Allen MORE than 11.5 Rebounds

Khris Middleton MORE than 16.5 Points

🔥 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!