A healthy eight-game NBA slate takes center stage tonight so let's look ahead at the evening's best DFS plays along with some props to consider!

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

I don’t know about you guys, but I much prefer any 5-8 game NBA slate over those mini two-game slates and massive 10+ game slates that we were exposed to over the first few days of the NBA season. We’ll kick off with a nice eight-gamer this evening, and while it still isn’t a huge sample size, it is nice to have a general idea of individual team rotations and minutes/usage distribution since most NBA teams have played three games this season. Best of luck out there today!

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

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/SG James Harden, PHI | DK: $9k, FD: $10k | vs. IND | Cash & GPP

There are some blowout concerns here, with the 76ers (-12.5) being, by far, the heaviest favorites on the slate. But, if this game does evolve into a blowout, then James Harden would likely be largely responsible. On top of his 26.0 PPG through Philly’s first three games of the season, he has tacked on excellent peripherals with 9.3 APG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.0 Stl+Blk/G. He has also shot 19-20 from the charity stripe. Thus far the 76ers have ranked dead last in the NBA in pace so this is a major up-tempo spot for them against the Pacers, who currently check in at 5th in pace and 20th in defensive efficiency. If we can get normal minutes out of Harden tonight, he should provide excellent ROI on these DFS salaries.

PG/SG Jordan Clarkson, UTA | DK: $6.2k, FD: $6.4k | @ HOU | GPP Preferred

Well, the Jazz may be off to one of the more surprising 3-0 starts in recent memory, and they’re in a great spot tonight against a young Rockets team that ranks dead last in defensive efficiency. That could be a good omen for a shooter like Clarkson who has moved from a bench role to a normal starting role while playing 33.7 Min/G. Clarkson doesn’t provide massive peripheral stats, though he does have at least five assists in all three games and five rebounds in 2-of-3 games. But he’s out there to put up shots and he has attempted 8.7 3PA/G and 15.0 FGA/G, overall. If his shot isn’t falling, he could struggle to return value. As it stands now, I’d consider him to be a strong GPP play out of the mid-range.

PG/SG Jaylen Nowell, MIN | DK: $3.8k, FD: $4.5k | vs. SAS | Cash & GPP

Nowell is playing quality minutes off the bench (20.6 Min/G), and when he has been on the court with the second unit, he has posted an excellent 29.0% USG% while putting up 13.7 FGA/G. Both teams in this game rank top 10 in pace, and the Spurs check in at 28th in defensive efficiency. There is also potential for some extra run late in the game for Nowell in the event of a blowout since the T-Wolves are heavy -8.5 home favorites.

Also Consider:

PG Damien Lillard, POR | DK: $9.5k, FD: $8.8k | vs. DEN | Cash & GPP

PG Kevin Porter Jr., HOU | DK: $7.3k, FD: $7.2k | vs. UTA | GPP Preferred

SG Jalen Green, HOU | DK: $6.3k, FD: $6.3k | vs. UTA | Cash & GPP

SG/SF Bennedict Mathurin, IND | DK: $6.3k, FD: $5.4k | @ PHI | GPP Preferred

SG/SF Devin Vassell, SAS | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.8k | @ MIN | Cash & GPP

PG Tre Jones, SAS | DK: $5k, FD: $5.4k | @ MIN | Cash & GPP

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF/SF Jayson Tatum, BOS | DK: $9.9k, FD: $10.5k | @ CHI | GPP Preferred

Tatum has put up 20+ shots in all three games this season which has led to a 34.7 PPG average. He’s also bringing down 8.3 RPG and contributing defensively with 2.7 Stl+Blk/G. Currently, he is shooting 74.4% from the field on 2PA. Is that sustainable? Not exactly. This game is also expected to be one of the slower-paced games of the evening, but Tatum’s high usage and strong peripherals give him one of the higher floors on the slate.

SF/PF Lauri Markkanen, UTA | DK: $6.4k, FD: $7.6k | @ HOU | Cash & GPP

The Jazz are on the back end of a B2B after yesterday’s OT win over the Pelicans, and Markkanen played 39 minutes in that game. However, it is early in the season, and most of these young guys should be relatively fresh, so I wouldn’t expect many limitations as far as minutes go. While a pair of OT games does help bolster the ole fantasy outputs, it is hard to ignore Markkanen’s two 50+ FP performances that he has posted over his last two games. He has put up some excellent overall numbers early on: 24 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.0 Stl+Blk/G. The Jazz are playing at the second-fastest pace this season and they’re set to face a Houston team that ranks dead last in defensive efficiency. As a result, the Jazz currently own the 3rd highest implied total of the night with 117.3 points. We’ll want to have some exposure to this match-up tonight and Markkanen is a stand-out player to target.

SF/SG Josh Hart, POR | DK: $5.6k, FD: $5.9k | vs. DEN | Cash & GPP

Despite putting up only nine points on five FGA in his last game, Hart still managed to come away with 39.5 DKFP thanks to a 16 rebound, five assist, two steal night. I love players who aren’t overly reliant on straight-up points to return value in DFS and Hart is one of the best mid-range plays who do all of the so-called dirty work. He has played at least 36 minutes in all three games this season and Portland (+4.5) will need another scrappy performance out of him if they wish to pull off the light upset at home over the Nuggets.

Also Consider:

PF Julius Randle, NYK | DK: $8.2k, FD: $7.9k | vs. ORL | GPP Preferred

PF/C Kelly Olynyk, UTA | DK: $5.2k, FD: $4.8k | @ HOU | Cash & GPP

PFC Santi Aldama, MEM | DK: $5.1k, FD: $4.4k | vs. BKN | Cash & GPP

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Joel Embiid, PHI | DK: $10.5k, FD: $10.3k | vs. IND | GPP Preferred

Embiid is currently averaging 36.5 Min/G; if that continues, he will break plenty of slates this season. Through three games, we’ve seen a fairly average performance out of Embiid (53.25 DKFP @ BOS), a dud performance (36.5 DKFP vs. MIL), and a near-ceiling game (67.25 DKFP vs. SAS). Embiid is not as consistent as fellow big man Nikola Jokic but we know he is capable of those massive 70+ FP games. He’s handled an elite 36.9% USG% and will bring down double-digit rebounds nearly every game. Without Myles Turner (ankle) available, the Pacers have also been torn up by opposing centers early in the season. In two games played against Indiana last season, Embiid put up monster performances of 67 DKFP and 78 DKFP. As mentioned with Harden, some blowout risk is involved here, so keep that in mind when deciding what amount of exposure you want to Embiid tonight.

C Usman Garuba, HOU | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.1k | vs. UTA | Cash & GPP

Bruno Fernando (knee) will miss a second consecutive game tonight. With the Rockets seemingly committed to using Alperen Sengun off the bench, Garuba should be in line for another start. Also note that Sengun is questionable to play tonight due to an illness. Whether or not Sengun plays, Garuba should still be a strong target for value at the center position. He put up 26.5 DKFP in 25 minutes on Saturday and he showed that he could be an FPPM-type player towards the end of last season as well.

Also Consider:

C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $10.9k, FD: $11.2k | @ POR | GPP Preferred

C Pascal Siakam, TOR | DK: $8.7k, FD: $9k | @ MIA | GPP Preferred

PF/C Jarred Vanderbilt, UTA | DK: $4.7k, FD: $6k | @ HOU | Cash & GPP

PF/C Tari Eason, HOU | DK: $4.7k, FD: $4.3k | vs. UTA | GPP Preferred

PF/C Isiah Jackson, IND | DK: $4.5k, FD: $4.6k | @ PHI | GPP Preferred

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Lauri Markkanen to Record a Double-Double: Yes | +140 (DraftKings) | 1.75 Units

Given his minutes and usage, we know Markkanen will get to 10+ points tonight so the rebounds are what we’re really hunting for. Markkanen has posted a strong 14.3% Rebound% over his first three games and Houston comes in ranking 25th in team shooting percentage (43.0%). Utah is also 19th in FG% while shooting at a 45.9% clip. That means there should be plenty of boards to go around tonight so let’s expect Markkanen to post a double-double performance in this game.

Kelly Olynyk OVER 13.5 Points | -118 (FanDuel) | 2.0 Units

We’ll be sticking with the Jazz frontcourt here and taking over Olynyk’s points prop. Olynyk obviously can’t sustain the 75% FGM% that he currently has from three-point range, but he’s always been a strong three-point shooter and he should put up 12-15 overall shots in this game. The fact that Houston has ranked last in defensive efficiency also bodes well for this prop hitting the over.

PrizePicks Two-Pick Power Play ⚡

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.

Lauri Markkanen MORE than 10.5 Rebounds + Assists

Derrick White MORE than 9.5 Points

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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!