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

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DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

It’s time for a little midweek mayhem with seven games on the Wednesday docket! The first five games that tip off this evening all have spreads under five points, while the two late West Coast games both feature double-digit spreads. So, for the most part, we can expect a competitive slate. The injury list also isn’t too hectic, as there are really only a handful of impact players who own a questionable designation. We’ll keep this intro short and jump right into the action. Best of luck!

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

Today’s Key Injuries 🚑

^{Note: NBA injury reports can be fickle and often update throughout the day. Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}

^{Additional Note: Players who have yet to play this season will be excluded from the injury report, unless they have either a probable, questionable, or doubtful injury designation, with some amount of chance to make their season debut. Injured players who have been out for an extended period of time and/or are not expected to play for a month-plus will also be excluded.}

• Raptors: I. Quickley – Questionable, RJ Barrett – OUT, S. Mamukelashvili – Questionable, J. Poeltl – OUT, J. Walter – OUT

• Pacers: B. Mathurin – OUT, I. Jackson – OUT

• Cavs: D. Wade – OUT

• 76ers: J. Embiid – Probable, VJ Edgecombe – Probable, P. George – Probable, K. Oubre Jr. – Probable

• Jazz: L. Markkanen – OUT, K. Love – OUT

• Bulls: J. Giddey – OUT, Z. Collins – OUT, J. Phillips – Questionable

• Nets: Z. Williams – OUT

• Pelicans: H. Jones – OUT, J. Alvarado – OUT

• Nuggets: N. Jokic – OUT, J. Murray – Questionable, A. Gordon – Probable, J. Valanciunas – OUT, C. Johnson – OUT, C. Braun – OUT, S. Jones – Probable, B. Brown – Questionable

• Mavs: A. Davis – OUT, PJ Washington – Questionable, M. Christie – DOUBTFUL, B. Williams – Questionable

• Knicks: L. Shamet – OUT, A. Hukporti – Questionable

• Kings: D. Sabonis – OUT, K. Murray – OUT, D. Schroder – OUT

• Wizards: T. Young – OUT

• Clippers: K. Leonard – Questionable, I. Zubac – OUT, D. Jones Jr. – OUT, B. Bogdanovic – OUT

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.

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

PG Keyonte George, UTA | DK: $8.2k, FD: $8.4k | at CHI

Keyonte George doesn’t bring the safest floor, but he offers plenty of 50+ FP upside at a reasonable price point in the low/mid-$8k range on both sites. Utah will be without Lauri Markkanen (illness/out) tonight, which should push George into the clear lead role in both usage and playmaking. This also sets up as one of the better game environments on the slate, as both teams rank top-four in pace, contributing to a slate-high 240.5 O/U and a tight 4.5-point spread. The lone previous meeting between these teams nearly hit 300 combined points in an overtime game, where George finished with 52.0 DKFP. He’s averaged 47.3 DKFP/gm in close games this season, so as long as this one stays competitive, George profiles as a strong upside target again tonight.

SG Coby White, CHI | DK: $5.8k, FD: $6.5k | vs. UTA

We’ll flip to the other side of the UTA/CHI matchup for a mid-range guard target in Coby White. White has dealt with his share of injuries this season, but he carries no designation heading into tonight and should be in line for roughly a 30-minute workload. That was all he needed in the first meeting between these teams, where he dropped 27 points and 46.0 DKFP. The Bulls are on the second leg of a back-to-back, but White sat out last night, leaving him fresher than most of his teammates and potentially positioned for a larger offensive role. Chicago also remains without Josh Giddey, who will miss an eighth straight game with a hamstring injury, and White has seen a major bump in responsibility in that split -- jumping from a 24.6% USG% and 0.94 FPPM with Giddey on the floor to a team-leading 30.3% USG% and 1.15 FPPM without him. The matchup only adds to the appeal, as Utah has ranked dead last in DvP versus starting shooting guards over their last 20 games. Given that White spent much of the season priced in the $7k range, these $5.8k/$6.5k salaries stand out as strong value.

PG/SG Malik Monk, SAC | DK: $4.9k, FD: $5.3k | vs. NYK

Playing time has been tough to come by for Malik Monk in recent weeks, but with Dennis Schroder serving a three-game suspension, Monk has found a meaningful role the last two games, logging 32 and 26 minutes off the bench. He erupted for 26 points and eight assists in the Kings’ last game, resulting in 43.8 DKFP. He also popped off for some big games when Schroder missed extended time in late-November/early-December. Monk has always been a quality FPPM guy, and now he’s finally getting some bankable minutes, at least while Schroder is out of the picture for one more game, and he projects for 27.0 minutes this evening. There is also buzz that Monk is a likely candidate to be traded by the deadline, so it would make sense for the Kings to ‘showcase’ him a bit more over these next few weeks to boost his trade value.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Jamal Murray, DEN at DAL (Currently questionable)

PG Tyrese Maxey, PHI vs. CLE

PG James Harden, LAC vs. WAS (Boost if Kawhi is out)

PG/SF Cooper Flagg, DAL vs. DEN

SG Brandon Ingram, TOR at IND

PG Andrew Nembhard, IND vs. TOR

SG/SF Josh Hart, NYK at SAC

PG Tre Jones, CHI vs. UTA

PG Egor Demin, BKN at NOP

PG/SG Jalen Pickett, DEN at DAL (Preferred if Murray is out)

PG Jamal Shead, TOR at IND (Boost if Quickley is out)

SG Terance Mann, BKN at NOP

PG/SF AJ Lawson, TOR at IND (Preferred if Quickley is out)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF/PF Peyton Watson, DEN | DK: $7.7k, FD: $7.7k | at DAL

Watson has been stepping up for the injury-riddled Nuggets and is on a real hot streak of late. Over his last five games, he is averaging 25.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 3.0 STL+BLK/gm, and 47.7 DKFP/gm while taking on a 28.2% USG% and logging 38.8 minutes/gm. The Nuggets are 4-1 over that stretch. Watson’s DFS prices have also risen in this time -- $7,700 (on both sites) isn’t cheap, but if he continues to perform at this level, it’s a totally reasonable price to pay. The Nuggets are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Watson played 39 minutes yesterday. But, as long as fatigue isn’t much of a factor, we can keep him squarely on the radar today.

PF/C Kyle Filipowski, UTA | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.2k | at CHI

Filipowski is the most likely candidate to step into the starting lineup in place of the ailing Lauri Markkanen (illness/out). He’s been a volatile option even when earning increased playing time as a starter this season, but he has also popped for some huge games when given a starting opportunity. Overall, Filipowski is averaging a respectable 0.97 FPPM with Markkanen off the floor this season, and he projects for around 30 minutes tonight. The Bulls are also 28th in DvP versus starting power forwards this season and have allowed 1.25 FPPM to the position.

PF/C Collin Murray-Boyles, TOR | DK: $5.3k, FD: $5.8k | at IND

CMB is coming off another promising outing where he turned in a well-rounded 12/7/6 stat line, with two steals, across 32 minutes against the 76ers on Monday. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 11.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 3.4 STL+BLK/gm, which has resulted in a quality 1.12 FPPM and 35.6 DKFP/gm. Murray-Boyles could see more stabilized minutes and usage if either Immanuel Quickley and/or Sandro Mamukelashvili (both questionable) are ruled out. But, either way, the rookie seems to be settling into his role as Toronto’s primary center while Jakob Poeltl remains out, and he still carries dual PF/C eligibility on both sites. The Pacers have defended opposing centers well, but there is still plenty of point-per-dollar potential at CMB’s current price points.

Other Forwards to Consider

SF Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. WAS (Currently questionable)

SF Michael Porter Jr., BKN at NOP

PF Scottie Barnes, TOR at IND

PF Aaron Gordon, DEN at DAL (Boost if Murray is out)

PF/C John Collins, LAC vs. WAS

SF/SG Naji Marshall, DAL vs. DEN (Boost if PJ Washington is out)

PF Noah Clowney, BKN at NOP

SF/PF Tim Hardaway Jr., DEN at DAL

PF/C Precious Achiuwa, SAC vs. NYK

SF/PF Jarace Walker, IND vs. TOR

SF/SG Jordan Miller, LAC vs. WAS (Boost if Kawhi is out)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Jusuf Nurkic, UTA | DK: $7.3k, FD: $6.8k | at CHI

Nurkic continues to deliver big results despite missing some time recently with various injuries. Over his last five games, he’s averaged an elite 1.48 FPPM and 45.4 DKFP/gm, and his DFS prices simply haven’t caught up to that level of production. Nurkic has also taken on a 24.5% USG% when both Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love have been off the floor this season, a meaningful jump from his 18.9% USG% baseline. That added offensive responsibility only strengthens his case. It’s tough to ignore Nurkic at the center position today, especially in what projects as a fast-paced game environment with plenty of possessions.

C Mitchell Robinson, NYK | DK: $4.1k, FD: $4.4k | at SAC

Mitchell Robinson has continued to log steady minutes despite moving back into a bench role. He’s played with the second unit in three straight games but has still seen at least 24 minutes in each contest and went for a 34.8 DKFP performance in the Knicks’ last outing on Sunday. Robinson has averaged a solid 1.12 FPPM over his last 20 games off the bench, and another mid-20s minute workload should be more than enough for him to return value at these salaries. The matchup also helps, as the Kings have ranked 26th in DvP versus backup centers over their last 20 games.

Other Centers to Consider

C Joel Embiid, PHI vs. CLE

C Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK at SAC

C Nikola Vucevic, CHI vs. UTA

C Alex Sarr, WAS at LAC

C Nic Claxton, BKN at NOP

C Day’Ron Sharpe, BKN at NOP

C Brook Lopez, LAC vs. WAS

🔥 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/X or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!