Let’s get set for tonight’s nine-game NBA slate with some top DFS plays and player props to consider!

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

Straight Locks🔒 | NBA Props w/ Shannon & Tyler!

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Welcome back for another action-packed week of NBA DFS! Monday will tip off the workweek with a healthy nine-game slate so let’s lock in and spoil ourselves with a little extra holiday cash!

Today’s key Injuries:

Jazz: C. Sexton - OUT, K. Olynyk - OUT

Cavs: L. Stevens - OUT, D. Wade - OUT

Raptors: OG Anunoby - Questionable, G. Trent Jr. - Questionable, P. Achiuwa - OUT, O. Porter Jr. - OUT

76ers: T. Maxey - OUT, F. Korkmaz - Questionable

Magic: W. Carter Jr. - OUT, J. Suggs - OUT, C. Okeke - OUT, G. Harris - OUT

Hawks: D. Murray - Questionable, C. Capela - OUT

Trailblazers: J. Grant - Questionable, J. Nurkic - Questionable, J. Hart - Probable, N. Little - OUT

Thunder: S. Gilgeous-Alexander - Questionable, J. Giddey - OUT, J. Robinson-Earl - OUT, D. Bazley - OUT, O. Dieng - OUT

Bucks: K. Middleton - OUT

Pelicans: B. Ingram - OUT, L. Nance Jr. - Doubtful

Mavs: T. Hardaway Jr. - Questionable, M. Kleber - OUT, J. Green - OUT, D. Powell - Questionable

T-Wolves: K. Towns - OUT, D. Russell - Probable, R. Gobert - Questionable, N. Reid - Probable, J. McLaughlin - OUT, T. Prince - OUT

Spurs: K. Johnson - Questionable, J. Richardson - OUT, R. Langford - Questionable

Rockets: J. Tate - OUT, G. Mathews - OUT

Lakers: A. Davis - OUT, L. James - OUT, A. Reaves - OUT, P. Beverly - Questionable

Suns: D. Booker - OUT, D. Ayton - Questionable, C. Johnson - OUT, C. Payne - OUT, J. Landale - OUT

Hornets: T. Rozier - Doubtful, D. Smith Jr. - Questionable

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/SG Donovan Mitchell, CLE | DK: $8.9k, FD: $9k | vs. UTA | Cash & GPP

Spida Mitchell will get his first opportunity to face his former team tonight so you can always throw in a slight “revenge narrative” bump if you’d like. Mitchell has upped his production to 1.22 FPPM over his last five games, highlighted by a huge 43-point performance against the Lakers on 12/6. The Cavs play at the slowest pace in the NBA so it’s never a bad thing when they draw a major pace-up match-up (Jazz: 11th in pace) against a poor defensive team (Jazz: 25th in defensive efficiency). Utah has struggled against opposing backcourts all season and, pending an unforeseen blowout, Mitchell will play major minutes tonight (38.7 Min/Gm L5Gms).

PG Russell Westbrook, LAL | DK: $7.3k, FD: $8.3k | @ PHX | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

We’ve seen some vintage Westbrook games over the last week and a half. RWB has put up a pair of triple-doubles within his last start and now he’ll be tasked with carrying a major role tonight. Anthony Davis (foot) is expected to miss at least a month and now LeBron James (ankle) and Austin Reaves (ankle) are also going to miss tonight’s game. When those three players have been off the floor this season, Westbrook has seen a team-high +14.41% usage boost and a +28.14 fantasy point per 48-minute increase. Normally, a blowout would be a major concern but the Suns are dealing with several notable injuries as well. Big upside for Westy tonight.

PG Markelle Fultz, ORL | DK: $5.1k, FD: $6.3k | @ ATL | GPP/DK Preferred

Fultz didn’t make his season debut until November 30th but since he joined the rotation, he has averaged 0.92 FPPM across his 10 starts. He hasn’t been the most consistent DFS asset but he has put up at least 26.5 DKFP in three consecutive games, including an impressive 47.75 DKFP performance against this same Hawks team on 12/14. The Magic are on a sneaky six-game win streak heading into this match-up with Atlanta, whom they dropped 135 points on last Wednesday. Fultz looks like a great upside play on DraftKings at only $5,100 -- more of a GPP play on FanDuel.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG Luka Doncic, DAL | DK: $12.5k, FD: $11.9k | @ MIN | GPP Preferred

PG Damian Lillard, POR | DK: $10.7k, FD: $10k | @ OKC | Cash & GPP/FD Preferred

PG LaMelo Ball, CHA | DK: $8.4k, FD: $8k | @ SAC | Cash & GPP

PG De'Aaron Fox, SAC | DK: $8.3k, FD: $8.4k | vs. CHA | GPP Preferred

PG CJ McCollum, NOP | DK: $7.4k, FD: $7.8k | vs. MIL | GPP Preferred

PG/SG Jalen Green, HOU | DK: $7k, FD: $7.6k | vs. SAS | Cash & GPP

SG Isaiah Joe, OKC | DK: $4k, FD: $4.2k | vs. POR | Cash & GPP (If starting and/or SGA sits)

SG/SF Aaron Wiggins, OKC | DK: $3.4k, FD: $3.9k | vs. POR | GPP Preferred (If starting and/or SGA sits)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF/PF Paolo Banchero, ORL | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.4k | @ ATL | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

Banchero has been a rock-solid floor option, scoring at least 35.25 DKFP in seven consecutive games. He can push for 50+ DKFP under the right circumstances, which we may see tonight. The Hawks rank 7th in pace and have ranked dead last against opposing SF starters over their last 20 games. Orlando is on the second leg of a back-to-back and Banchero, who played 34 minutes yesterday, has averaged -24% fewer FPPG with no rest this season. That is the only glaring negative to speak of about this DFS play.

SF/PF Gordon Hayward, CHA | DK: $6k, FD: $6.7k | @ SAC | GPP/DK Preferred

Hayward recently missed about three weeks with a shoulder injury but, in just his second game back, he was able to play 35 minutes last night while posting a 15-10 double-double with four assists. The back-to-back is a little worrisome and the Hornets (+10) are the biggest underdogs on the slate. However, if they can keep this game close, Hayward should play a key role and likely sees a moderate usage boost with Terry Rozier (hip) listed as doubtful.

SF/PF Harrison Barnes, SAC | DK: $5.5k, FD: $5.6k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP

Barnes is never an exciting player to slide into your lineups but he has posted a floor of at least 26.0 DKFP in six of his last seven games. He’s pretty much locked into 30+ minutes per game and draws a terrific match-up. The Hornets rank 27th in defensive efficiency, struggle against opposing frontcourts, and the Kings hold, by far, the top team total on the slate (125.3 implied points). 

Other Forwards to Consider:

PF/C Christian Wood, DAL | DK: $7.9k, FD: $7.5k | @ MIN | Cash & GPP

SF Luguentz Dort, OKC | DK: $5.5k, FD: $6.1k | vs. POR | GPP Preferred (better play if SGA sits)

PF/C Aleksej Pokusevski, OKC | DK: $4.3k, FD: $5.5k | vs. POR | GPP/DK Preferred

SF/SG Lonnie Walker IV, LAL | DK: $4k, FD: $5.2k | @ PHX | DK Preferred

PF Tari Eason, HOU | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.5k | vs. SAS | GPP Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Domantas Sabonis, SAC | DK: $9.6k, FD: $9.2k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP

The “centers against the Hornets” flow chart play showed up in a big way last night when The Joker put up a ridiculous 40-point, 27-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Now, Sabonis is a great player but he’s not on the same level as Jokic, to state the obvious. With that said, it isn’t as if we’re paying Jokic-like prices for Sabonis in this match-up tonight. And, on top of his solid 17.7 PPG and 11.6 RPG averages this season, Sabonis has been a core facilitator in this Kings' offense, averaging 6.4 APG. Sabonis has three 55+ DKFP performances within his last five starts and he always brings a high-end floor to DFS lineups. He’ll be a strong spend-up option at the center position for this slate.

C Thomas Bryant, LAL | DK: $4.2k, FD: $5.8k | @ PHX | Cash & GPP

Bryant will no doubt be one of the chalkiest plays of the slate, specifically on DraftKings where he remains too cheap at $4,200. With Anthony Davis sidelined for the foreseeable future, Bryant will be filling in as the starting option at the five. He recorded 33 minutes in last night’s game, putting up 16 points, 10 rebounds, and totaling 33.0 DKFP. I do believe that the likely return of Wenyen Gabriel (missed last seven games) will eat into Bryant’s minutes. But even if he received around 28 minutes in this game, that is plenty of time for him to return value.

Other Centers to Consider:

C Joel Embiid, PHI | DK: $11.5k, FD: $11.8k | vs. TOR | Cash & GPP

C Jarrett Allen, CLE | DK: $6.5k, FD: $7.4k | vs. UTA | DK Preferred

C Jonas Valanciunas, NOP | DK: $5.1k, FD: $5.4k | vs. MIL | GPP Preferred

C Walker Kessler, UTA | DK: $4.8k, FD: $5.6k | @ CLE | GPP Preferred

C Naz Reid, MIN | DK: $4.7k, FD: $6k | vs. DAL | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred (if Gobert is out again)

C Bismack Biyombo, PHX | DK: $3.9k, FD: $5.2k | vs. LAL | Cash & GPP (if Ayton is out again)

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Cole Anthony OVER 3.5 Rebounds + Assists | -160 (Caesars) | 3.0 Units

Not sure what is going on with the odds for this prop, but if you can get a bet down on it on the Caesars sportsbook, it feels like a slam dunk. Anthony has easily cleared the over on this prop in 10 consecutive games and is averaging 9.0 REB + AST over his last five. I imagine the odds on this prop will be adjusted at some point but, until then, it’s an obvious bet to hammer.

Luka Doncic OVER 31.5 Points | -108 (FanDuel) | 2.0 Units

It’s never a bad idea to take a shot on the over on Luka’s points prop. His 33.0 PPG average this season trails only Joel Embiid (33.03 PPG) and he has hit the over on 31.5 points in six of his last nine games and 66.7% of all games this season. This is also a massive pace-up spot for the Mavericks (29th in pace) as they take on one of the most uptempo teams in the NBA (MIN: 3rd in pace). Luka and the Mavs should benefit from some additional possessions tonight -- never a bad thing when you’re targeting the over on his points prop.

PrizePicks 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.

Luka Doncic MORE than 30.5 Points

Joel Embiid MORE than 34.5 PTS + ASTS

Today's PrizePicks promo: "2-Pick Power Plays w/ both players in sweaters payout 4X. 3X now + 1X as promo funds tomorrow at Noon ET."

This promo applies to this two-pick prop below...

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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!