A massive 11-game Friday NBA slate caps off the workweek and it’s sure to be a doozy following a busy trade deadline. Let’s strap in and find some top-notch DFS plays and props!

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

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

In a way, we’re almost hitting the reset button on many teams. There was a considerable amount of player movement ahead of yesterday’s trade deadline which will cause some teams to look and operate much differently on the court moving forward. We have 11 games and 22 teams in action today and keeping track of some new-look starting lineups will be vital to DFS success. Many players who were recently traded may not debut for their new teams just yet but there will be some exceptions. Tread lightly on this slate as it is sure to be one of the most unpredictable slates of the season! Best of luck!

To see a rundown of all recent trades, check here.

Note: Many DFS rosters are not fully up-to-date so, even if newly acquired players will see some action tonight, they won’t accrue fantasy points. The injury/availability report below will be a bit of a mess so, again, be sure to follow up with official starting lineups closer to tip-off for each game.

Today’s Key Injuries + New Acquisition Availability:

Knicks: J. Hart - OUT, M. Robinson - OUT

76ers: J. Embiid - Questionable

Suns: K. Durant - OUT, C. Payne - OUT, L. Shamet - OUT, D. Bazley - OUT

Pacers: G. Hill - Questionable

Spurs: K. Johnson - OUT, D. Vassell - OUT, J. Richardson - TRADED, T. Jones - OUT, J. Sochan - OUT, K. Birch - TRADED, R. Langford - OUT

Pistons: M. Bagley III - OUT, J. Wiseman - Questionable, N. Noel - OUT

Hornets: K. Oubre Jr. - OUT, M. Plumlee - TRADED, J. McDaniels - TRADED, R. Jackson - OUT, C. Martin - OUT

Celtics: J. Tatum - Probable, J. Brown - OUT, M. Smart - OUT, M. Brogdon - Probable, A. Horford - Questionable

Jazz: R. Westbrook - OUT, J. Clarkson - Questionable, D. Jones - OUT, J. Toscano-Anderson - OUT

Raptors: OG Anunoby - OUT, J. Poeltl - Questionable

Rockets: K. Porter Jr. - OUT, J. Wall - OUT, D. Green - OUT, J. Holiday - Questionable, F. Kaminsky - Questionable

Heat: V. Oladipo - OUT, K. Lowry - OUT, G. Vincent - Probable, D. Robinson - OUT, N. Jovic - OUT

T-Wolves: K. Towns - OUT, R. Gobert - Questionable, M. Conley - Probable (MIN debut), K. Anderson - Questionable, N. Alexander-Walker - Probable (MIN debut)

Grizzlies: S. Adams - OUT

Thunder: L. Dort - Questionable, A. Pokusevski - OUT, J. Robinson-Earl - Questionable, M. Muscala - TRADED

Trailblazers: J. Nurkic - OUT, R. Arcidiacono - Questionable, K. Johnson - Questionable, J. Winslow - OUT

Cavs: R. Rubio - OUT

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

Mavs: L. Doncic - OUT, M. Kleber - OUT, D. Bertans - OUT

Kings: None

Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - Probable, B. Portis - OUT, K. Middleton - OUT, J. Nwora - TRADED

Clippers: K. Leonard - OUT, E. Gordon - OUT, B. Hyland - OUT, L. Kennard - Doubtful

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 Damian Lillard, POR | DK: $10.9k, FD: $10.4k | vs. OKC | Cash & GPP

It certainly feels like a “stars and scrubs” kinda day as far as preferred DFS lineup building goes. Lillard stands out as a go-to star player on this slate. He already owns one of the highest usage percentages in the league and he’s sure to put up a significant number of shots tonight. The Trailblazers shipped Josh Hart to the Knicks and starting center Jusuf Nurkic remains sidelined with a calf injury. When those two players have been off the court, Lillard’s already high USG% has increased by +7.69%. Lillard hasn’t fared all too well against OKC in their last two meetings, but he’ll face them at home for the first time this season where he tends to shoot a bit better and it remains a strong match-up. The Thunder play at the 3rd fastest pace in the NBA and this game features a close spread (POR -3) along with the highest total on the slate (239.5 O/U).

💫SG/SF Norman Powell, LAC | DK: $5.7k, FD: $6.6k | vs. MIL | Cash & GPP

Norman Powell remains one of the front-runners for the “Sixth Man of the Year” award and his services will be much-needed this evening. The Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard tonight, they traded away Reggie Jackson, and their new trade acquisitions (Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee, Bones Hyland) won’t be making their Clippers debuts just yet. Whether Powell starts or continues to come off of the bench, he should handle plenty of playing time -- my estimation would be around 35 minutes. He has averaged just over an FPPM this season and has put up at least 39.25 DKFP in three of his past five games. He’ll draw a decent match-up against the Bucks who enter in on the second leg of a road back-to-back.

💫PG/SG Collin Sexton, UTA | DK: $4k, FD: $5.2k | @ TOR | Cash & GPP

Finding value will be a breeze today and one of the top bargain options on the board is Collin Sexton. With Mike Conley being shipped to Minnesota and Russell Westbrook not ready to make his Jazz debut, Sexton will step in as the team’s starting PG tonight. Also, it’s worth noting that Jordan Clarkson (illness) is questionable. Sexton drew the start on Wednesday night against the T-Wolves and went on to pour in 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 31 minutes -- good for 37.75 DKFP. He has averaged 0.95 FPPM over his last 20 games as a starter and he should be in line for 30+ minutes tonight. He’s a strong play on FanDuel but a flat-out steal on DraftKings at a clean $4,000 salary.\

Other Guards to Consider:

PG Ja Morant, MEM | DK: $10.6k, FD: $10.2k | vs. MIN | GPP Preferred

PG Fred VanVleet, TOR | DK: $9.2k, FD: $8.9k | vs. UTA | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG Jaden Ivey, DET | DK: $5.3k, FD: $5.6k | vs. SAS | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG Malaki Branham, SAS | DK: $4.9k, FD: $5k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

💫PG Killian Hayes, DET | DK: $4.7k, FD: $6k | vs. SAS | DK Preferred

PG Terrance Mann, LAC | DK: $4k, FD: $5.1k | vs. MIL | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG Blake Wesley, SAS | DK: $3k, FD: $3.5k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫SF/PF Jayson Tatum, BOS | DK: $11.2k, FD: $10.8k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP

Jaylen Brown will miss tonight’s game due to a facial contusion which means his 31.6% USG% will have to be distributed elsewhere. Jayson Tatum (32.9% USG%) has seen a +3.41% usage bump with Brown off the court this season so we can expect him to be more active than usual. Tatum has crushed the Hornets in three previous meetings this season, scoring at least 33 points in each contest while averaging 59.8 FPPG. In their most recent meeting about three-and-a-half weeks ago, Tatum went off for 51 points and 71.25 DKFP. Coincidentally, Jaylen Brown has missed all three games that Boston has played against Charlotte this season. There is some decent blowout risk (BOS -11.5) but it is hard to imagine Tatum putting up a complete dud tonight. If the Hornets can keep things close on the scoreboard, that could unlock another ceiling game from Tatum as well.

💫PF/C Isaiah Stewart, DET | DK: $5.1k, FD: $5.3k | vs. SAS | Cash & GPP

Pistons versus Spurs would’ve been an elite match-up a couple of decades ago, but it’s not a match-up many NBA fans will care to tune into given both teams’ bleak talent level in 2023. But, for DFS purposes, this is a game worth eyeing tonight. Neither one of these teams plays a lick of defense and they represent the bottom two teams in defensive efficiency. The Pistons currently hold a 120.8 implied team total tonight, which ranks 2nd on the slate. A player like Isaiah Stewart looks very appealing given his low $5k salaries matched up with his recent production. Stewart is averaging 0.97 FPPM over his last five starts and has posted at least 34.25 DKFP in two of his last four games. The newly acquired James Wiseman won’t make his Pistons debut tonight, so Stewart should have plenty of room to return strong value in this premium match-up.

PF Ish Wainwright, PHX | DK: $3.2k, FD: $3.7k | @ IND | Cash & GPP

The Suns will have Devin Booker available on the second leg of their back-to-back but they’ll still be working with a limited rotation due to trades and injuries. Ish Wainwright logged 32 minutes off of the bench last night and filled the stat sheet with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocks (36.5 DKFP) in 32 minutes. We can’t expect a repeat performance but we should expect Wainwright to play some solid minutes -- around 25-28 minutes would be a reasonable estimate. He’s just $200 above the minimum salary on both sites and the Pacers really struggle against opposing power forwards. Wainwright makes for a decent value target.

Other Forwards to Consider:

PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL | DK: $12.5k, FD: $12.2k | @ LAC | GPP Preferred

💫SF/SG Paul George, LAC | DK: $8.9k, FD: $8.2k | vs. MIL | FD Preferred

PF Jerami Grant, POR | DK: $6.7k, FD: $6.6k | vs. OKC | GPP Preferred

SF/PF Tobias Harris, PHI | DK: $5.5k, FD: $6.3k | vs. NYK | DK Preferred

SF Caleb Martin, MIA | DK: $4.8k, FD: $5.6k | vs. HOU | GPP Preferred

SF/PF Reggie Bullock, DAL | DK; $4.5k, FD: $5.5k | @ SAC | GPP Preferred

SF/PF Stanley Johnson, SAS | DK: $3.2k, FD: $4.4k | @ DET | DK Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

💫C Myles Turner, IND | DK: $7.5k, FD: $8.1k | vs. PHX | Cash & GPP

The optimal move will likely be to spend down at center today but Myles Turner is a non-punt play that makes sense tonight. He has dropped at least 37.75 DKFP in eight of his last nine games and faces a Suns team that is playing on a B2B and has been rather mediocre against starting centers lately (PHX ranks 15th vs. C L20Gms). Turner put up a 16/12/3 stat line with four blocks (46.0 DKFP) when the Pacers played the Suns three weeks ago and he’s averaging +18.6% FPPG in home games this season.

💫C Mark Williams, CHA | DK: $3.2k, FD: $4.8k | @ BOS | Cash & GPP

Mason Plumlee was traded to the Clippers yesterday so Mark Williams is expected to eat up the majority of center minutes for the Hornets moving forward. Williams has been outstanding on a per-minute basis this season, averaging 1.25 FPPM. Now that he has a chance to handle a workload closer to around 28 minutes, he should be able to smash value, especially on DraftKings where he sits just $200 above the stone minimum. Maybe it’s not the best match-up against the Celtics, but until Williams sees a significant hike in his DFS salaries, he’s a straightforward plug-and-play option.

Other Centers to Consider:

C Bam Adebayo, MIA | DK: $9.1k, FD: $8.9k | vs. HOU | GPP Preferred

💫C Deandre Ayton, PHX | DK: $8.1k, FD: $8.6k | @ IND | GPP Preferred

C Jarrett Allen, CLE | DK: $7.2k, FD: $7.7k | @ NOP | DK Preferred

💫C Walker Kessler, UTA | DK: $5.7k, FD: $7.2k | @ TOR | DK Preferred

💫C Jalen Duren, DET | DK: $5k, FD: $5.7k | vs. SAS | DK Preferred

💫C Zach Collins, SAS | DK: $4k, FD: $5k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

💫C Jaylin Williams, OKC | DK: $3.2k, FD: $4.7k | @ POR | DK Preferred

C Nick Richards, CHA | DK: $3k, FD: $4.5k | @ BOS | GPP Preferred (If he starts instead of M. Williams)

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

No standard prop plays today.

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.

Julius Randle MORE than 42.5 Fantasy Score

Jaden Ivey MORE than 4.5 Assists

🆕 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!