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

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

A hefty 10-game slate lands on the Wednesday schedule and it’s officially “the day of the questionable tag” with a slew of key players carrying that injury designation into tonight’s games. Be sure to keep an eye on those injury updates as we get closer to tip-off for each game because they can carry some major slate-changing implications. Every team has around eight to ten games remaining on their regular season schedules so continue to exercise some additional caution as we approach playoffs. As many of you are aware, late-season NBA can get quite chaotic. Best of luck!

Today’s Key Injuries:

Nuggets: None

Wizards: B. Beal - Questionable, K. Kuzma - OUT

Knicks: None

Heat: C. Martin - Questionable, K. Lowry - Questionable, C. Zeller - OUT

Pacers: T. Haliburton - Questionable, C. Duarte - Questionable

Raptors: S. Barnes - Questionable, G. Trent Jr. - Questionable, P. Achiuwa - Questionable

Warriors: D. Green - Probable, A. Wiggins - OUT, K. Looney - Probable, T. Jerome - OUT

Mavericks: L. Doncic - Probable, K. Irving - Questionable, T. Hardaway Jr. - OUT

76ers: J. Harden - Questionable, PJ Tucker - Questionable, J. McDaniels - Questionable

Bulls: A. Caruso - Questionable, Jav. Green - Probable

Rockets: J. Tate - OUT

Grizzlies: S. Adams - OUT, D. Brooks - OUT

Spurs: K. Johnson - Questionable, T. Jones - OUT, J. Sochan - Questionable, D. Graham - OUT, C. Bassey - OUT, R. Langford - OUT, D. McDermott - OUT

Bucks: J. Crowder - OUT, M. Leonard - OUT, G. Dragic - OUT

Hawks: D. Murray - OUT, B. Bogdanovic - Questionable, J. Johnson - OUT

Timberwolves: A. Edwards - Questionable, J. Nowell - Questionable, J. McLaughlin - Questionable (Note: K. Towns returns from his extended injury absence today)

Trailblazers: J. Grant - OUT, A. Simons - OUT, N. Little - OUT

Jazz: J. Clarkson - OUT, C. Sexton - OUT

Suns: K. Durant - OUT, D. Ayton - OUT

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

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: $10.5k, FD: $10.3k | @ UTA | Cash & GPP

It’s do-or-die time for the Trailblazers who sit four games back from the current 10-seeded Utah Jazz in the West, which also happens to be their opponent tonight. Portland will be without two of their top starters with Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons both sidelined for tonight’s contest. That’s going to add an even heavier workload for Damian Lillard who is already the fourth-highest usage player in the NBA (33.8% USG%). Lillard has seen a major +6.32% usage boost and +15.81 FP increase (per 48 minutes) with Grant and Simons off of the court this season and he draws a terrific match-up against the Jazz, who have ranked dead last versus opposing point guards across their last 20 games. Lillard went full Dame Time in his last match-up against the Jazz on Jan. 25th when he dropped 60 points and a ridiculous 89.25 DKFP. We can’t expect another insane game quite like that tonight, but Lillard is undoubtedly the standout guard to spend up on this evening.

💫PG Jalen Brunson, NYK | DK: $7.3k, FD: $8.6k | @ MIA | DK Preferred

Jalen Brunson is going to check in as a strong play over on DraftKings where he’s priced down to just $7,300 -- his lowest DK price tag since Jan. 4th. He has missed some time recently due to injury but he played 37 minutes against the T-Wolves on Monday so there doesn’t appear to be any sort of minutes limitations. Brunson has upped his production to 1.29 FPPM over his last five starts so, given mid-30s minutes, it’s clear to see how he can coast to value even in a less-than-ideal match-up with Miami. This game owns the second-lowest combined pace on today’s slate but Brunson has already proven that he can put up a strong outing against the Heat when he posted 44.5 DKFP against them earlier this month. A similar FP performance is well within range for Brunson this evening in a game that is expected to be very competitive with the Heat being slight two-point favorites.

💫PG Monte Morris, WAS | DK: $4.6k, FD: $4.9k | vs. DEN | Cash & GPP

Monte Morris is sort of a ho-hum player that doesn’t often crush it in the box score but, for today’s slate, he sets up as a perfectly fine value option at a sub-$5k price point on both sites. He already sees a decent +2.38% usage boost with Kyle Kuzma (ankle/out) off the floor but he would become an even stronger DFS play if Bradley Beal (knee/questionable) is eventually ruled out. When both Kuzma and Beal have been off the floor this season, Morris has seen a notable +5.78% usage spike. The Wizards are on the second leg of a back-to-back and Beal was a late addition to the injury report so, if I had to guess, he may be on the wrong side of that questionable designation.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG Steph Curry, GSW | DK: $9.7k, FD: $9.9k | @ DAL | GPP Preferred

💫PG Trae Young, ATL | DK: $9.4k, FD: $10k | @ MIN | Cash & GPP

PG Ja Morant, MEM | DK: $9.2k, FD: $10.2k | vs. HOU | DK Preferred (Note: Morant may make his return with the second unit and play a reduced role. If he’s not starting, we can probably take him out of DFS consideration.)

SG Desmond Bane, MEM | DK: $7.6k, FD: $7.8k | vs. HOU | GPP Preferred (Bump if Morant doesn’t start)

💫PG/SG Tyrese Maxey, PHI | DK: $6.9k, FD: $7k | @ CHI | GPP Preferred (Cash play if Harden sits)

SG Devin Vassell, SAS | DK: $6.5k, FD: $7.2k | vs. MIL | GPP Preferred

PG Kris Dunn, UTA | DK: $5.4k, FD: $6k | vs. POR | GPP Preferred

SG/SF Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.8k | @ MIN | Cash & GPP (Note: Bogdanovic is currently questionable)

SG/SF Cam Reddish, POR | DK: $4.5k, FD: $5k | @ UTA | GPP Preferred

PG/SG Shaedon Sharpe, POR | DK: $3.6k, FD: $4.3k | @ UTA | GPP Preferred

💫SG/SF AJ Griffin, ATL | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.2k | @ MIN | Cash & GPP (Preferred if Bodanovic sits)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫SF Jimmy Butler, MIA | DK: $8.4k, FD: $9.5k | vs. NYK | Cash & GPP

This Heat vs. Knicks game has some notable playoff implications given Miami’s current positioning in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re currently sitting at the 7th seed but are a half-game back from the 6th-seeded Nets, which is a guaranteed playoff spot. They could also help themselves by handing the Knicks a loss, who are currently positioned at the No. 5 seed, three games ahead of the Heat. Miami is making a solid late-season push in the standings, going 6-3 over their last nine games and Jimmy Butler has been the driving force behind the recent surge. He has put up at least 44.25 DKFP in nine of his last 10 games, which includes a huge 55.0 DKFP performance against the Knicks back on March 3rd. The Knicks have struggled to defend against opposing small forwards, ranking 29th versus the position over their last 20 games. For the price, Butler is a fine play on FanDuel at $9,500, but he is clearly underpriced on DraftKings at $8,400 -- his lowest DK price tag since Feb. 11th.

PF/C Bobby Portis, MIL | DK: $6.1k, FD: $6.5k | vs. SAS | GPP Preferred

The mid-range feels like a minefield at the forward positions today, though some further injury news may clear the picture up a bit. For now, we’ll highlight a risky mid-range option in Bobby Portis. Outside of recent games that he has started when Giannis has been injured, Portis’ minutes have been dicey, to say the least, when he has come off of the bench. However, with the Bucks sitting at massive -17.5 favorites over this withered Spurs team on the second leg of a back-to-back, a likely blowout could bode well for Portis and his minutes this evening. He has averaged a sturdy 1.18 FPPM this season along with +52% more FPPG in up-pace games (MIL: 10th in pace, SAS: 5th in pace). The Spurs' defense is the worst in the NBA and they also rank dead last versus opponent reserves so, if Portis can find himself somewhere in the vicinity of 30 minutes tonight, he may end up as a sneaky option for GPPs.

💫SF/PF Deni Avdija, WAS | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.2k | vs. DEN | Cash & GPP

Avdija worked out well for us last night, playing 34 minutes and posting 37.0 DKFP, so we’ll go back to him out of this $5k range tonight. The major reason for going back here is the continued absence of Kyle Kuzma. Even though he’s not likely to start, Avdija has a good chance to log similar minutes to a starter while coming off of the bench. He has earned at least 30 minutes in five of the last seven games that Kuzma has missed and he’s averaging a respectable 0.93 FPPM across his last 20 games. The Nuggets have performed poorly on defense against reserves, ranking 28th versus opposing bench units over their last 20 games. I believe we can get some more 6x-7x value out of Avdija in tonight’s game.

Other Forwards to Consider:

PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL | DK: $11.8k, FD: $11.7k | vs. SAS | GPP Preferred

💫SF Lauri Markkanen, UTA | DK: $9.1k, FD: $8.8k | vs. POR | Cash & GPP

PF/C Kristaps Porzingis, WAS | DK: $8.9k, FD: $9k | vs. DEN | GPP Preferred (Cash play if Beal sits)

SF/SG Zach LaVine, CHI | DK: $8.2k, FD: $8.5k | vs. PHI | Cash & GPP

SF/SG OG Anunoby, TOR | DK: $6.4k, FD: $6.7k | vs. IND | GPP Preferred (Bump if Barnes and/or Trent sit)

PF Aaron Gordon, DEN | DK: $6.2k, FD: $6.3k | @ WAS | GPP Preferred

SF Matisse Thybulle, POR | DK: $3.9k, FD: $4.5k | @ UTA | GPP Preferred

SF/SG John Konchar, MEM | DK: $3.1k, FD: $3.9k | vs. HOU | GPP Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

💫C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $11.5k, FD: $11.9k | @ WAS | Cash & GPP

We’ve got some stellar center options at the top with both current MVP frontrunners, Embiid and Jokic, available to choose from. Jokic is a touch cheaper than Embiid on both sites and draws the more favorable match-up, so he’ll likely be the preferred option between the two superstars. Denver sits +3.5 games above the second-seeded Grizzlies, so they can come closer to locking up the No. 1 seed in the West with a win tonight. Jokic has had some games recently where he hasn’t returned value on his lofty DFS salaries but he did turn in his 28th triple-double of the season on Sunday and he exploded for a 43-14-8 game (82.0 DKFP) when he faced this Wizards team back in December. The Wizards have been struggling against opposing centers in general, ranking 25th versus the position (L20Gms), and this game also carries a fairly close 7-point spread, so we can feel pretty good about spending up on the Joker tonight.

💫C Trendon Watford, POR | DK: $5.3k, FD: $5.7k | @ UTA | Cash & GPP

Assuming he starts in place of the injured Jerami Grant, Trendon Watford sets up as a solid option out of the $5k range. Grant has missed Portland’s previous three games. Watford didn’t start against the Clippers on Sunday, but he did start the two games prior and recorded DKFP totals of 38.5 and 30.5 while playing 34 minutes and 40 minutes, respectively. Given starter’s minutes tonight, Watford is a great bet to return value on his current DFS salaries and he lands in a plus match-up against a Jazz team that has problems defending opposing bigs.

Other Centers to Consider:

C Joel Embiid, PHI | DK: $11.7k, FD: $12.1k | @ CHI | Cash & GPP

💫C Nikola Vucevic, CHI | DK: $7.9k, FD: $9.3k | vs. PHI | DK Preferred

💫C Jakob Poeltl, TOR | DK: $6.9k, FD: $7.4k | vs. IND | GPP Preferred

C Zach Collins, SAS | DK: $6.4k, FD: $7.7k | @ MIL | DK Preferred

C Jusuf Nurkic, POR | DK: $6.2k, FD: $7k | @ UTA | GPP Preferred

C Clint Capela, ATL | DK: $5.6k, FD: $6.5k | @ MIN | Cash & GPP

💫C Bismack Biyombo, PHX | DK: $3.7k, FD: $4.8k | @ LAL | DK Preferred

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.

Jimmy Butler MORE than 42.5 Fantasy Score

Patrick Beverly MORE than 18.5 Fantasy Score

🆕 Props AI 🆕

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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!