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

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

It’s about time to crack open a thirsty Thursday six-pack worth of NBA games! Multiple teams on today’s schedule will be shorthanded in their respective match-ups but the biggest DFS decisions will likely need to be made within the Nets’ roster. Brooklyn will be without three of their usual starters along with a couple of core rotational players and, unlike the other notably shorthanded teams on this slate (Pistons & Grizzlies), the Nets DFS prices have not had time to adjust accordingly. So there could be some borderline necessary chalk on this slate but we’ll have plenty of other decisions to make. Best of luck!

Today’s Key Injuries:

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

Magic: W. Carter Jr. - OUT, J. Isaac - OUT

Rockets: K. Porter Jr. - OUT

Pacers: A. Nesmith - Questionable

Hornets: None

Pistons: B. Bogdanovic - OUT, K. Hayes - Probable, J. Duren - Probable, I. Stewart - OUT, H. Diallo - OUT, A. Burks - OUT

Warriors: A. Wiggins - OUT, J. Kuminga - OUT, K. Looney - Probable, A. Iguodala - Probable

Grizzlies: J. Morant - OUT, S. Adams - OUT, B. Clarke - OUT

Nets: S. Dinwiddie - OUT, N. Claxton - OUT, C. Johnson - OUT, B. Simmons - OUT, R. O’Neale - OUT

Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - OUT, G. Dragic - OUT, W. Matthews - OUT

Knicks: J. Brunson - Questionable, D. Washington Jr. - Questionable

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 Tyrese Haliburton, IND | DK: $9.8k, FD: $10.2k | vs. HOU | Cash & GPP

Haliburton threw down a mammoth 72.75 DKFP performance against the 76ers on Monday and now has at least 52.75 DKFP to his credit in four of his last five games. In this recent five-game stretch, he owns a very impressive 1.56 FPPM average and he draws a stellar match-up against a Rockets squad that isn’t overly interested in playing defense (28th in DEF efficiency). This game owns a slate-high 236 O/U with the Pacers leading the way with a 122.8 implied point total. As long as Haliburton racks up his usual minutes, he’s a great spend-up target this evening.

PG/SG Terry Rozier, CHA | DK: $8.2k, FD: $8.2k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

We haven’t seen Rozier explode for a monster game since LaMelo Ball went down with a season-ending ankle injury, but that big game may be just around the corner tonight. The Pistons own the league’s second-worst defense and they rank inside the bottom third versus opposing point guards. Rozier carries a strong floor at $8,200 on both sites and if he puts up another 20+ shot attempts, as he did on Tuesday against the Knicks, then we can expect a mid-40s, possibly 50+ FP, showing.

💫PG/SG Seth Curry, BKN | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.2k | @ MIL | Cash & GPP

Seth Curry is going to need to fill in as a primary scorer for the shorthanded Nets tonight and if his three-point shot is falling, he has an easy pathway to paying off his near-minimum DFS salaries. Curry has had mixed results as a starter this season and his peripheral stats are nothing to write home about, but if he plays to his season average of 0.80 FPPM while logging ~30 minutes, that’s some very easy 6x (or better) value that he’ll likely put up.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG Steph Curry, GSW | DK: $10.5k, FD: $10.5k | @ MEM | GPP Preferred

💫SG Mikal Bridges, BKN | DK: $8.5k, FD: $9k | @ MIL | GPP Preferred

SG Desmond Bane, MEM | DK: $8k, FD: $8.6k | vs. GSW | GPP Preferred

PG/SG Jaden Ivey, DET | DK: $6.9k, FD: $7k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP

PG Tyus Jones, MEM | DK: $6.7k, FD: $7.5k | vs. GSW | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG Jalen Green, HOU | DK: $6.4k, FD: $6.8k | @ IND | Cash & GPP

SG Cam Thomas, BKN | DK: $4.6k, FD: $4.7k | @ MIL | GPP Preferred (Cash play if he starts)

PG/SG Daishen Nix, HOU | DK: $3k, FD: $4.1k | @ IND | GPP Preferred (If he starts)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫SF/SG Kelly Oubre Jr., CHA | DK: $7.5k, FD: $8k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

There is not a ton to love about the forward player pool tonight but Oubre has shown a quality floor and excellent upside since re-entering the starting rotation four games ago. He has accounted for at least 26 points and 39.25 DKFP in three of his last four starts and is locked into some excellent minutes (37.5 Min/Gm L4Gms). Without many viable studs available on this slate, Oubre makes plenty of sense as an upper mid-range play.

💫PF/C Xavier Tillman, MEM | DK: $5.9k, FD: $6k | vs. GSW | Cash & GPP

The Grizzlies will continue to operate without a couple of their big men -- Steven Adams will miss his 19th consecutive game and Brandon Clarke is missing his third straight game following a season-ending Achilles injury. Those injuries set Tillman up with a sizable role in the Grizzlies' frontcourt moving forward. He has averaged right at a fantasy point per minute over his last five starts and should project for around 30-34 minutes this evening against a fast-paced Warriors team.

PF/C Trey Lyles, SAC | DK: $3.7k, FD: $5k | vs. NYK | DK Preferred

Lyles has some value appeal over on DraftKings given his $3,700 price tag and could be a worthy pivot off of the Nets chalk value. Lyles comes off of the bench and doesn’t play big minutes, but he’s been making the most of his time on the court lately. In his last five games, he’s averaging an impressive 1.33 FPPM while scoring at least 24.0 DKFP in four of those games. If he continues to operate at the same efficiency level, he’ll cruise to value (on DK) even if he only plays for around 18-20 minutes. More of a GPP dart throw on FanDuel.

Other Forwards to Consider:

SF/PF Lauri Markkanen, UTA | DK: $9.6k, FD: $9.2k | @ ORL | GPP Preferred

💫SF Khris Middleton, MIL | DK: $7.2k, FD: $7.8k | vs. BKN | GPP Preferred

💫SF/SG Franz Wagner, ORL | DK: $6.2k, FD: $5.9k | vs. UTA | Cash & GPP

PF Dorian Finney-Smith, BKN | DK: $4.2k, FD: $5.6k | @ MIL | GPP Preferred

SF/SG Joe Harris, BKN | DK: $3.4k, FD: $4.3k | @ MIL | GPP Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

💫C Domantas Sabonis, SAC | DK: $9.9k, FD: $10k | vs. NYK | Cash & GPP

There is enough value on this slate to easily fit a stud player like Domantas Sabonis into lineups. He’s been stuffing the stat sheet all season and has put up 20.4 PPG, 12.6 RPG, and 8.0 APG averages across his last five starts. His upside may take a hit with De’Aaron Fox back in the lineup tonight but if you want a strong floor, Sabonis is a worthy spend-up option at center tonight.

💫C Day’Ron Sharpe, BKN | DK: $3k, FD: $4.4k | @ MIL | Cash & GPP (Preferred if starting)

There is a decent chance that Nerlens Noel will get the start, in which case he makes for a “fine” punt play for the shorthanded Nets. But Noel has largely been out of the rotation/injured in recent weeks so Sharpe should at least fill in a decent role at backup center (but could also start). For upside purposes, Sharpe makes more sense from a DFS standpoint thanks to his 1.06 FPPM average this season (Noel: 0.80 FPPM this season). My best guess is that Noel and Sharpe will split the center minutes fairly evenly, so ~24 minutes out of Sharpe would, in all likelihood, result in easy value.

Other Centers to Consider:

C Alperen Sengun, HOU | DK: $7.4k, FD: $7.5k | @ IND | GPP Preferred

C Walker Kessler, UTA | DK: $6.9k, FD: $8k | @ ORL | DK Preferred

C Brook Lopez, MIL | DK: $6.8k, FD: $7.5k | vs. BKN | GPP Preferred

C Mark Williams, CHA | DK: $6k, FD: $5.5k | @ DET | Cash & GPP

💫C Mitchell Robinson, NYK | DK: $5.6k, FD: $6.6k | @ SAC | DK Preferred

C Nerlens Noel, BKN | DK: $3.3k, FD: $3.8k | @ MIL | Cash & GPP (If he’s starting)

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

No standard prop bets 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.

Kelly Oubre Jr. MORE than 22.5 Points

Domanatas Sabonis MORE than 36.0 PTS + REBS + ASTS

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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!