We’ll close out the month of January with a little NBA five-piece slate! This could be a fun one so let’s get down to business and locate some top DFS plays and props to target!

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

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

There are quite a few studs loaded into the small five-game slate that we have on tap for this evening. Will “stars and scrubs” be the optimal route to take or will a more balanced approach thrive? Time will tell but let’s get down to business and make this a profitable night! Best of luck!

Today’s Key Injuries:

Heat: G. Vincent - Probable, D. Robinson - OUT, N. Jovic - OUT

Cavaliers: K. Love - Probable

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

Knicks: M. Robinson - OUT

Clippers: M. Morris Sr. - Questionable, J. Wall - OUT, R. Covington - Questionable, R. Jackson - Questionable

Bulls: D. Jones Jr. - Probable, Jav. Green - OUT

Hornets: K. Oubre Jr. - OUT, C. Martin - OUT

Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - Probable, B. Portis - OUT, M. Beauchamp - Probable, S. Ibaka - OUT

Pelicans: Z. Williamson - OUT, D. Daniels - OUT

Nuggets: J. Murray - Questionable

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.

💫 = Favorite Play

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

💫PG Jalen Brunson, NYK | DK: $7.9k, FD: $7.5k | vs. LAL | Cash & GPP

As a whole, the guard positions feel a bit dicey today, though, LaMelo and Westbrook look like strong values on FanDuel. One guy that is in a prime spot and makes sense on both sites is Knicks’ point man Jalen Brunson. He’s been a touch inconsistent as of late but he’ll have high expectations in this nationally televised match-up in The Garden against LeBron and the Lakers. The Lakers continue to play very up-tempo (2nd in the NBA in pace) while boasting lackluster defense. They have been particularly bad at defending point guards, ranking dead last in the NBA over their last 20 games and allowing 43.50 FPPG to opposing PG starters. Also, while he’s not the defensive threat he once was, the always-pesky Patrick Beverly will be out tonight so a guy like Brunson won’t have to worry about facing constant harassment from him. This game features the closest spread on the slate (NYK -1.5) and Brunson has produced 44.67 FPPG in 13 close games this season. Brunson is a standout DFS play tonight at his sub-$8k DFS salaries.

PG/SG Immanuel Quickley, NYK | DK: $5.1k, FD: $5.2k | vs. LAL | Cash & GPP

Another Knicks guard spotlight? Why not? Quickley owns some very palatable DFS salaries tonight and, while he was bumped out of the starting rotation as the Knicks got healthier, he is still playing close to 30 minutes per game off of the bench. Quickley has averaged a respectable 0.91 FPPM this season and has notched at least 25.75 DKFP in six of his last eight games. He is also a player who has averaged +21% more FPPG in up-tempo games, as tonight’s game should be against the Lakers given their torrid pace of play. Perhaps he’s not the most exciting DFS option, but you’re likely getting a 5x floor with some decent 6x upside out of Quickley tonight.

PG Ricky Rubio, CLE | DK: $3.2k, FD: $3.9k | vs. MIA | DK Preferred

You know it’s an odd slate for guards when someone like Ricky Rubio makes the list. He’s more of an option as a punt play on DraftKings where he’s just $200 above the minimum salary. Rubio, who missed most of this season with a knee injury, has not been getting major minutes off of the bench but he has logged at least 17 minutes in three of his last four games. He is a productive player when he’s on the court (0.97 FPPM L5Gms) and, if he handles 18-20 minutes tonight, there is a decent chance he can put up around 20 DKFP (6.25x value at $3,200 DK). On a slate where you may want to jam in multiple superstar players, a guy like Rubio makes sense as a “scrub” filler.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG LaMelo Ball, CHA | DK: $9.5k, FD: $8k | @ MIL | FD Preferred

PG Russell Westbrook, LAL | DK: $8.7k, FD: $6.7k | @ NYK | FD Preferred

💫PG/SG Terry Rozier, CHA | DK: $8k, FD: $7.8k | @ MIL | GPP Preferred

PG Jamal Murray, DEN | DK: $7.5k, FD: $7.9k | vs. NOP | GPP Preferred (Note: Murray is currently questionable)

SG/SF Bruce Brown, DEN | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.8k | vs. NOP | GPP Preferred (If J. Murray is out)

SG Grayson Allen, MIL | DK: $4.4k, FD: $4.6k | vs. CHA | GPP Preferred

PG/SG Coby White, CHI | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4k | vs. LAC | GPP Preferred

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL | DK: $12k, FD: $12.2k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP

The Greek Freak stands atop DFS pricing today but that should not prevent him from being a priority DFS option on this slate. There is some very real blowout risk (MIL -11) in this game. However, in a 25-point victory over the Pelicans on Sunday, Giannis still had plenty of time to return value on his lofty DFS salaries despite playing just 30 minutes -- he dropped 50 points and 73.75 DKFP. The Bucks own an absurd 127.8 implied team total today and the Hornets have infamously struggled to defend opposing bigs all season. He had what was easily his worst performance of the season against Charlotte back on Jan. 6th (9/4/0 - 12.5 DKFP in 22 minutes) but things should go much differently tonight.

PF Aaron Gordon, DEN | DK: $6.9k, FD: $7.3k | vs. NOP | GPP Preferred

Aaron Gordon doesn’t provide a very stable floor but he often makes plenty of sense as a GPP play due to his 50+ FP upside, which he most recently displayed six days ago against Milwaukee (26/14/4 - 56.0 DKFP). The Nuggets rank 2nd on the slate with a 118.8 implied team total and if Jamal Murray (knee/questionable) were to sit, Gordon may be the top beneficiary. Gordon leads the Nuggets with a +5.0% usage boost and +9.51 per 48-minute fantasy point increase when Murray has been off the court this season.

💫SF Pat Connaughton, MIL | DK: $4.5k, FD: $5.1k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP

Given their juicy match-up with the Hornets (27th in defensive efficiency), we’ll want some Bucks exposure today. Pat Connaughton makes for a very affordable Bucks option today. He’ll often play around 30-32 minutes and he has recently upped his production to 0.87 FPPM over his last five games. Over their last 20 games, the Hornets have ranked 28th against opposing SF starters and have allowed 33.29 FPPG to the position. Connaughton’s DFS floor is a bit suspect but I would view him as a worthy DFS value option in all formats on this small slate.

Other Forwards to Consider:

💫PF/C Julius Randle, NYK | DK: $10.1k, FD: $9.4k | vs. LAL | Cash & GPP

SF/SG Paul George, LAC | DK: $8.9k, FD: $8.3k | @ CHI | Cash & GPP

PF Jimmy Butler, MIA | DK: $7.8k, FD: $8.4k | @ CLE | GPP Preferred

SF/SG Zach LaVine, CHI | DK: $8.1k, FD: $7.2k | vs. LAC | FD Preferred

💫SF RJ Barrett, NYK | DK: $7k, FD: $6.8k | vs. LAL | Cash & GPP

SF/SG Gordon Hayward, CHA | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.7k | @ MIL | GPP Preferred

SF/PF Patrick Williams, CHI | DK: $4.9k, FD: $5.3k | vs. LAC | GPP Preferred

SF Troy Brown Jr., LAL | DK: $3.4k, FD: $3.9k | @ NYK | GPP Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

💫C Brook Lopez, MIL | DK: $6k, FD: $6.2k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP

The Hornets have tightened up against centers in recent weeks and the “centers against Charlotte” is no longer as much of an “autoplay.” That said, Charlotte still ranks 20th against centers in their last 20 games, allowing 34.33 FPPG to starters. Brook Lopez owns some fair DFS prices today, he has averaged exactly 1.00 FPPM over his last 20 starts, and he should log around 30-34 minutes, particularly with Bobby Portis slated to miss his fourth consecutive game. Lopez had a six-block performance against the Hornets back on Dec. 3rd and he’ll be a strong candidate to pick up multiple blocks against them again tonight (CHA allows 2nd most blocked shots per game in NBA).

💫C Mark Williams, CHA | DK: $3.4k, FD: $4.3k | @ MIL | DK Preferred

This will be another “DraftKings preferred punt play” but it’s a fairly appealing one given Williams’ $3,400 DK salary. Williams has averaged an impressive 1.22 FPPM on the season and he’s been receiving decent run off of the bench -- at least 18 minutes in five of his last six games. In those five games where he played at least 18 minutes, Williams put up between 17.75 DKFP and 34.5 DKFP which works out to a 5.2x to 10.1x value range. Williams may also see a few extra minutes in the event of a blowout. He’ll be a solid option for “stars and scrubs” builds on DraftKings tonight.

Other Centers to Consider:

💫C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $11.8k, FD: $11.4k | vs. NOP | Cash & GPP

C Nikola Vucevic, CHI | DK: $8.8k, FD: $8.2k | vs. LAC | FD Preferred

💫C Mason Plumlee, CHA | DK: $6.6k, FD: $6.9k | @ MIL | Cash & GPP

PF/C Larry Nance Jr., NOP | DK: $4.1k, FD: $4.5k | @ DEN | GPP Preferred

C Isaiah Hartenstein, NYK | DK: $3.6k, FD: $4.3k | vs. LAL | DK Preferred

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Gabe Vincent OVER 7.5 Points + Rebounds | -120 (BetMGM) | 2.0 Units

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope OVER 1.5 Steals | +125 (BetMGM) | 2.0 Units

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.

LeBron James MORE than 7.0 Rebounds

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope MORE than 1.5 BLKS + STLS

🆕 Props Edge+ 🆕

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props Edge+ 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 Edge+ tool to use by signing up for PrizePicks (Promo code: BETFULLY) or Underdog (Promo code: LINESTAR). You'll receive a 100% match on first deposits up to $100 PLUS a free two-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!