Time to jump back into the NBA action with a nine-game Thursday slate! Let’s shake off the rust and try to locate some top DFS plays and prop bets for this evening!

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

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Welcome back NBA fans! I hope everyone enjoyed the one-week breather from the daily NBA DFS grind but we’re back in full force with a loaded nine-game slate tonight. Let’s waste no time and get right into the nitty-gritty… best of luck!

Update: Monitor the status of the POR/SAC game. There is some postponement concern due to some travel issues with the Trailblazers’ team flight.

Today’s Key Injuries:

Nuggets: J. Murray - Questionable, A. Gordon - OUT, Z. Nnaji - OUT

Cavaliers: R. Rubio - OUT, K. Love - OUT (signed w/ MIA)

Pistons: M. Bagley III - Doubtful, N. Noel - OUT

Magic: RJ Hampton - OUT (waived during the ASB)

Celtics: None

Pacers: None

Pelicans: Z. Williamson - OUT, L. Nance Jr. - Probable, D. Daniels - Questionable

Raptors: OG Anunoby - Questionable, T. Young - Questionable

Grizzlies: S. Adams - OUT, L. Kennard - OUT

76ers: D. Dedmon - Questionable

Spurs: D. Vassell - OUT, T. Jones - Doubtful, J. Sochan - Questionable, R. Langford - OUT, I. Roby - OUT, K. Birch - OUT

Mavericks: D. Bertans - OUT, M. Kleber - OUT

Thunder: A. Pokusevski - OUT

Jazz: R. Westbrook - OUT (signed w/ LAC), C. Sexton - OUT

Warriors: S. Curry - OUT, A. Wiggins - OUT

Lakers: L. James - Probable, A. Davis - Probable

Trailblazers: D. Lillard - OUT, J. Grant - OUT, A. Simons - OUT, J. Nurkic - OUT, J. Winslow - OUT

Kings: None

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: $11.4k, FD: $10.5k | @ SAC | Cash & GPP

The All-Star Break gave most teams a solid window to get healthy but the Trailblazers will return from the break without a couple of their starters available. Anfernee Simons is expected to be out for a while with an ankle injury and Jusuf Nurkic (calf) is set to miss his eighth consecutive game. Also, remember that Josh Hart was dealt to the Knicks a couple of weeks back. When Simons, Nurkic, and Hart have been off the floor this season, Lillard’s usage has risen by a significant margin of +10.38% and his per 48-minute fantasy point average climbs by +17.02. This is a major pace-up spot for the Trailblazers (POR: 23rd in pace, SAC: 10th in pace) and this game currently boasts a slate-high 242.5 over/under. Lillard should come out confident, fresh, and firing on all cylinders following his three-point contest victory and a big All-Star game performance.

Update: Lillard (rest) has been ruled out tonight.

PG Markelle Fultz, ORL | DK: $6k, FD: $6.5k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

The Magic versus the Pistons is not a match-up that many folks will wanna tune into tonight but, for DFS purposes, it’s a game that could provide some strong mid-range plays. Markelle Fultz has been a reliable source of value lately. He’s seeing a healthier dosage of minutes, playing at least 32 minutes in eight of his last nine starts, and he has upped his production to 1.06 FPPM over his last five. He went into the break with a pair of big performances -- 47.5 DKFP @ CHI and 39.0 DKFP @ TOR. Fultz draws a great match-up against a Pistons team that has ranked 23rd against opposing PG starters over their last 20 games and 29th in overall defensive efficiency this season.

💫SG/SF Talen Horton-Tucker, UTA | DK: $4.8k, FD: $5.6k | vs. OKC | Cash & GPP

THT was a trendy value play before the break and, despite a sizable increase in his DFS salaries, he’ll remain a worthy target tonight. Since re-entering the rotation five games ago, Horton-Tucker has averaged an impressive 1.22 FPPM and 31.45 FPPG. THT has been operating as a primary facilitator for the Jazz with 7.0 APG in this recent five-game stretch, and he should continue to play a similar role with Collin Sexton (hamstring) sidelined for at least the next two games.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG Luka Doncic, DAL | DK: $11.9k, FD: $12k | vs. SAS | GPP Preferred

PG CJ McCollum, NOP | DK: $8.2k, FD: $7.6k | @ TOR | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG D’Angelo Russell, LAL | DK: $6.5k, FD: $7.1k | vs. GSW | Cash & GPP

PG Marcus Smart, BOS | DK: $6.4k, FD: $6.3k | @ IND | GPP Preferred

PG Malcolm Brogdon, IND | DK: $5.7k, FD: $5.8k | @ IND | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG Jaden Ivey, DET | DK: $5.5k, FD: $5.9k | @ ORL | GPP Preferred

PG/SG Devonte’ Graham, SAS | DK: $4.4k, FD: $5.1k | @ DAL | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG Shaedon Sharpe, POR | DK: $3.8k, FD: $4.5k | @ SAC | DK Preferred

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫SF/PF Jayson Tatum, BOS | DK: $11k, FD: $10.7k | @ IND | GPP Preferred

The player pool feels like it’s lacking today in the forward department and many guys toward the top simply own some unreasonable DFS price tags. You’re going to want about 60 FP out of Tatum for value but spending up on him may be a wise investment tonight. He’s coming off of an All-Star Game MVP performance where he dropped 55 points and he went for 41 points against the Pacers earlier this season. The Celtics are back to full strength so there may not be any “bonus” usage to go around, but Tatum has 25+ shot attempt upside no matter who he shares the court with, and his peripheral stats are typically solid as well. In his last 20 games, he’s averaging 9.5 RPG, 5.4 APG, and 1.5 STL+BLK/Gm.

SF/PF Bojan Bogdanovic, DET | DK: $6.3k, FD: $6.5k | @ ORL | Cash & GPP

We’ll go back to this Pistons/Magic game and target Bojan Bogdanovic, who checks in with reasonable mid-$6k DFS price tags. He’s coming close to hitting value on these salaries on points alone, averaging 25.8 PPG over his last five starts. However, he’s not a guy who racks up a ton of peripheral stats (3.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.7 STL+BLK/Gm) and things could go south in a hurry if his shot is off. But on a slate where there aren’t very many standout forward plays, Bogdanovic is worth a look and he brings a fairly high ceiling to DFS lineups. He has also secured at least 30.75 DKFP in six of his last eight games, and the Magic have ranked 27th versus opposing small forwards in their last 20 games.

💫SF/SG Matisse Thybulle, POR | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.2k | @ SAC | Cash & GPP

Thybulle’s impact is mostly felt on the defensive side of the ball but he has logged 26 and 30 minutes in his first two starts in a Trailblazers uniform. Though he may try, Damian Lillard can’t take every shot for the Blazers tonight. Thybulle could push for double-digit shot attempts since Portland will be playing without Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic, and he’s priced near the minimum on both sites. It’s not an exciting play, but if you need the salary savings, Thybulle is a cheap starter who doesn’t need a huge night on offense to return value.

Update: There should be plenty of usage to go around now — Damian Lillard and Jerami Grant are both out tonight as well.

Other Forwards to Consider:

💫SF/PF Lauri Markkanen, UTA | DK: $9.4k, FD: $8.3k | vs. OKC | FD Preferred

SF Buddy Hield, IND | DK: $6.2k, FD: $6.2k | vs. BOS | GPP Preferred

💫PF/C Kelly Olynyk, UTA | DK: $5.3k, FD: $6.1k | vs. OKC | DK Preferred

💫SF/PF Tobias Harris, PHI | DK: $4.9k, FD: $5.7k | vs. MEM | DK Preferred

SF/PF Josh Green, DAL | DK: $4.6k, FD: $5.2k | vs. SAS | GPP Preferred

PF Aaron Nesmith, IND | DK: $4k, FD: $5.1k | vs. BOS | DK Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

💫C Joel Embiid, PHI | DK: $11.1k, FD: $11.7k | vs. MEM | Cash & GPP

A pair of stalwart centers lead the way with Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid headlining the position. Both teams draw tough match-ups but Embiid gets the slight nod against the Grizzlies, who will be playing without their strong veteran defender, Steven Adams. Embiid flirted with a triple-double when he faced the Grizzlies earlier this season, putting up 35 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and a steal (69.25 DKFP). He has also been a bit more dependable at home where his 59.5 FPPG average is 11% higher than his average on the road (53.6 FPPG). It’s been a while since we’ve seen an Embiid ceiling game but, whether or not he pops off for one of those tonight, he does set up as a strong floor play on a tricky slate.

💫C Zach Collins, SAS | DK: $5.6k, FD: $6.7k | @ DAL | DK Preferred

Zach Collins has started in all four games since the exodus of Jakob Poeltl (traded to TOR) and he has logged at least 32 minutes in three of those starts. He has posted at least 31.75 DKFP in those three “big minutes” games while averaging 1.22 FPPM. The Spurs have been a mess all season and they check in as the biggest underdogs on the slate (+14), but Collins is a guy we can turn to for decent upside on DraftKings where his $5,600 salary still leaves some meat on the bone.

Other Centers to Consider:

C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $11.8k, FD: $11.8k | @ CLE | GPP Preferred

C Jarrett Allen, CLE | DK: $6.6k, FD: $7.8k | vs. DEN | DK Preferred

C Jakob Poeltl, TOR | DK: $5.9k, FD: $7.5k | vs. NOP | DK Preferred (If he’s starting again)

C Kevon Looney, GSW | DK: $4.4k, FD: $5.7k | @ LAL | DK Preferred

C James Wiseman, DET | DK; $3.5k, FD: $4.5k | @ ORL | GPP Preferred (If he’s starting)

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Josh Richardson OVER 12.5 Points/Rebounds/Assists | -119 (Caesars) | 2.0 Units

Jaden Ivey OVER 4.5 Assists | -130 (DraftKings) | 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.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope MORE than 19.5 Fantasy Score

Markelle Fultz MORE than 14.5 Points

🆕 Props AI 🆕

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props AI 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 AI 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!