Time to lock in on a mini Tuesday NBA main slate! Six teams take the floor this evening so let’s dig into some DFS plays and props to key in on!

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Another Tuesday rolls around, so another small three-game NBA slate lands on the docket! We’ll trade out the massive amount of injury chaos from a larger slate like yesterday for a lower margin of error on a smaller slate. Best of luck today!

Today’s Key Injury News:

Knicks: I. Quickley - Questionable

Pistons: C. Cunningham - OUT, J. Ivey - Questionable, B. Bogdanovic - Questionable, I. Stewart - Questionable (expected to play)

Clippers: P. George - OUT, K. Leonard - OUT, J. Wall - OUT, L. Kennard - OUT

Trailblazers: D. Lillard - OUT, K. Johnson - OUT

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.

💫 = Favorite Play

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

💫PG Luka Doncic, DAL | DK: $12.6k, FD: $12k | vs. GSW | Cash & GPP

On many of these smaller slates, when you have a superstar like Luka in the player pool, you can often forget about hunting for a 6x return on his $12k+ DFS salaries. Instead, just lock him in for the raw point potential and look to make up value elsewhere. Now, we know Luka could easily pop off for 60-70 DK/FDFP in any game, and he may just do that today given the huge pace-up spot that he’s in. Luka is putting up a mammoth 1.66 FPPM this season while averaging 33.1 PPG, 8.4 APG, 8.7 RPG, and 2.2 STL+BLK/Gm despite the Mavericks playing at the slowest pace in the NBA. The Warriors operate at the second-fastest pace so Luka and the Mavs will have more possessions than they’re used to this evening. More possessions = more opportunities for Luka to stuff the stat sheet… more than he already does.

💫PG Jalen Brunson, NYK | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.6k | @ DET | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

In his last three games, Brunson has netted 52.25, 45.25, and 49.0 DKFP. He has provided an excellent floor for much of the season so it’s easy to see why he’s currently the “most loved” guard on LineStar among the DraftKings crowd at an enticing $7,700. More of a GPP play at $8,600 on FanDuel, but Brunson has increased his usage to 29.8% in his last five games and faces a Pistons team that ranks 29th defensively against point guards.

💫PG/SG Terrence Mann, LAC | DK: $4.8k, FD: $5.5k | @ POR | Cash & GPP

The Clippers will have a thin backcourt rotation with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, John Wall, and Luke Kennard all sidelined tonight. That should lead to another start and mid-30s minutes for Terrence Mann who has scored at least 28.5 DKFP/27.0 FDFP in three consecutive games. He’s not a prolific fantasy scorer, averaging just 0.76 FPPM this season, but he has benefited from a +5.12% usage boost when those four players have been off the court this season.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG/SG Anfernee Simons, LAC | DK: $8.1k, FD: $8.4k | vs. LAC | GPP Preferred

PG Killian Hayes, DET | DK: $6.3k, FD: $7.6k | vs. NYK | DK Preferred (Pending Ivey/Bogdanovic Injury News)

💫SG Klay Thompson, GSW | DK: $6.1k, FD: $6.4k | @ DAL | Cash & GPP

SG/SF Rodney McGruder, DET | DK: $3.1k, FD: $3.8k | GPP Preferred (Pending Ivey/Bogdanovic Injury News)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫PF Jerami Grant, POR | DK: $7.3k, FD: $8.2k | vs. LAC | Cash & GPP

Grant leads all forwards on this slate in projected minutes (39), and he has averaged a hair under an FPPM this season. He benefits slightly (+2.12% usage boost) with Damian Lillard off the court, and he also sees a slight uptick in his assists output. Until Lillard returns, Simons and Grant will take on option 1A/1B scoring roles, and this Clippers defense isn't so scary given all of their key injuries tonight.

SF RJ Barrett, NYK | DK: $6.6k, FD: $7k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

The Knicks lead this small slate with a 115.5 implied team total, so it’s reasonable to gain exposure to their core starters tonight. Similar to Brunson, Barrett has been on a bit of a tear over his last three games where he has put up 36.75, 41.5, and 38.5 DKFP. His floor has been questionable, to say the least, at times this season, but he should find success against a Pistons team that ranks 29th in defensive efficiency.

💫SF/SG Norman Powell, LAC | DK: $5.4k, FD: $6k | @ POR | Cash & GPP

Powell doesn’t offer much in the way of peripheral stats, but he has commanded a stout 27.6% USG% over his last five games. He has handled a +7.22% usage boost and seen a +15.21 FP per 48-minute increase when George, Leonard, Wall, and Kennard have been off the court. Powell is typically utilized off of the bench so I believe the absence of John Wall (27.8% USG%), who also plays off the bench, will pave the way for the largest boon toward Powell’s DFS production.

Other Forwards to Consider:

SF/PF Andrew Wiggins, GSW | DK: $6.8k, FD: $8k | @ DAL | GPP/DK Preferred

PF Draymond Green, GSW | DK: $6.7k, FD: $6.5k | @ DAL | GPP Preferred

💫SF/PF Saddiq Bey, DET | DK: $5.7k, FD: $5.4k | vs. NYK | Cash & GPP (Pending Ivey/Bogdanovic Injury News)

SF/PF Justise Winslow, POR | DK: $4.7k, FD: $5.2k | vs. LAC | Cash & GPP

SF/PF Dorian Finney-Smith, DAL | DK: $4.5k, FD: $4.9k | vs. GSW | GPP Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Jusuf Nurkic, POR | DK: $7.2k, FD: $6.8k | vs. LAC | Cash & GPP

Every center-eligible player on this slate seems to carry their own level of notable volatility but Nurkic has been trending nicely while averaging 1.17 FPPM, 18.6 PPG, and 9.0 RPG over his last five starts. As long as he can keep himself out of foul trouble, he’s as strong of a bet as any center to return 5x to 6x value tonight.

💫C Mitchell Robinson, NYK | DK: $4.6k, FD: $5.7k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

After missing eight games with a right knee sprain, Mitchell Robinson appears to have settled back into his expected role and minutes allotment. In the Knicks’ last game on Sunday, Robinson logged 16 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks across 32 minutes. Do beware, he is a guy who can quickly find himself in foul trouble but the same can be said about every center on this slate. If he can record 30+ minutes tonight, he should have no major issues returning value.

Other Centers to Consider:

C Ivica Zubac, LAC | DK: $7k, FD: $6.9k | @ POR | GPP Preferred

💫C Kevon Looney, GSW | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.6k | @ DAL | Cash & GPP

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Mitchell Robinson OVER 1.5 Blocks | -165 (DraftKings) | 2.5 Units

We won’t get great odds on this prop, but there is a reason for that. Robinson has recorded at least two blocks in eight of his last 11 games. Robinson got injured in two of the games where he didn’t hit the over on this prop in that 11-game stretch and in the third game, he played just 21 minutes. Robinson is one of the premiere shot blockers in the NBA and he’ll face a Pistons team that allows the 2nd most blocked shots per game. Robinson logged 32 minutes in his most recent performance so the only two ways he wouldn’t cash this prop would be due to foul trouble or injury. Let’s hope he avoids those two factors tonight.

Norman Powell OVER 21.5 Points + Rebounds | -115 (DraftKings) | 2.0 Units

Powell has hit the over on this prop in four of his last five games despite John Wall playing off of the bench alongside Powell in each of those games. As discussed above, Wall’s absence could provide the biggest boost to Powell’s offensive output tonight, but either way, the shorthanded Clippers will need him to play a key scoring role. Powell’s baseline points prop is set at 18.5 on most sportsbooks, but we’ll include his rebounds as well considering he has brought in at least four boards in three of his last four.

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.

Norman Powell MORE than 21.5 PTS + REBS

Jalen Brunson MORE than 22.5 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!