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

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DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Monday gets the ball rolling with a five-game NBA main slate. Matchups look solid overall, and it feels like we’ll get some competitive games this evening, even if only one game has a spread under five points. There will also be a handful of “questionable” tags to monitor that could certainly impact the slate. The way this slate is set up – with just one 7 ET tipoff and the remaining games beginning at 8 ET or later – late swapping could be a wise approach, depending on how injury news and starting lineups shake out. Let’s dive in! 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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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.}

• Magic: F. Wagner – OUT

• Cavs: D. Garland – OUT, D. Hunter – Questionable, S. Merrill – OUT

• Lakers: A. Reaves – OUT

• Bulls: T. Jones – DOUBTFUL, Z. Collins – OUT

• Trailblazers: D. Avdija – Questionable, K. Murray – OUT, R. Williams – Questionable, D. Reath – OUT

• Celtics: N. Queta – Questionable, L. Garza – Questionable, J. Minott – Questionable

• Grizzlies: J. Morant – OUT, S. Aldama – Questionable, Z. Edey – OUT, J. Landale – OUT

• Rockets: S. Adams – OUT, A. Holiday – Probable

• Warriors: S. Curry – Questionable, D. Green – Questionable, D. Melton – OUT, J. Kuminga – OUT, A. Horford – OUT

• Timberwolves: None

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 🏀

SG Anthony Edwards, MIN | DK: $9.3k, FD: $9.8k | vs. GSW

Minnesota has dropped four straight, but Edwards has been carrying the offense, averaging 36.3 points and 52.7 DKFP per game in that span with 50+ DKFP in three of four. The efficiency has been strong all season for his volume, and he’s coming off another big line against this same Warriors team last night. This is a rematch on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Minnesota owns the slate’s top implied team total (120 points), so the scoring environment sets up well for another high-usage night. Golden State hasn’t been a major concern against starting shooting guards lately (22nd in DvP L10Games), so Edwards remains firmly in play as a top spend-up.

PG/SG Brandin Podziemski, GSW | DK: $5.6k, FD: $6.1k | at MIN

Podziemski has been one of Golden State’s steadier contributors lately, averaging 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 33.2 DKFP per game over his last six outings. He was productive again in last night’s win over Minnesota, posting 34.2 DKFP in just 22 minutes while filling the box score across the board. The Warriors remain thin in the backcourt with De’Anthony Melton out, and both Steph Curry and Draymond Green carrying questionable tags, which could push Podziemski into a larger role. With Jimmy Butler off the floor this season, his usage rate climbs north of 20% and his minutes have been among the most stable on the team. That combination of role security and multi-category production keeps him squarely in play as a value option on both sites.

SG/SF Kevin Huerter, CHI | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.3k | vs. LAL

Huerter remains a volatile option, but the upside is very real at these salaries. He’s topped 26 DKFP in three of his last four games and has scored in double figures in six of his last eight, with the misses largely coming from a couple of low-minute outings. This is a strong spot at home, where Huerter has averaged over 23% more FPPG this season and has knocked down 38.2% of his threes, compared to just 23.6% on the road. The matchup also helps, as the Lakers have struggled to defend the perimeter and this game carries the slate’s highest total at 235.5 with a narrow 1.5-point spread. With dual SG/SF eligibility and a projected mid-20s minute role, Huerter is an easy value piece to mix into builds.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Luka Doncic, LAL at CHI

SG Donovan Mitchell, CLE vs. ORL

PG Steph Curry, GSW at MIN (Currently questionable)

PG Amen Thompson, HOU vs. MEM

SG Shaedon Sharpe, POR at BOS (Preferred if Avdija is out)

PG/SG Anthony Black, ORL at CLE

SG/SF Jaylon Tyson, CLE vs. ORL

PG/SG Cam Spencer, MEM at HOU

PG/SG Anfernee Simons, BOS vs. POR

PG/SG Reed Sheppard, HOU vs. MEM

SG Will Richard, GSW at MIN (Preferred if Curry is out)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF Jaylen Brown, BOS | DK: $9.7k, FD: $10.2k | vs. POR

Brown has fully stepped into the No. 1 role for the Celtics this season and he heads into tonight’s matchup on a heater. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 32.6 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 5.2 APG, and 56.5 DKFP/gm while producing an elite 1.53 FPPM. The matchup is as friendly as it gets, with Portland allowing the most FPPG to starting small forwards over their last 20 games, and Brown already scorched them for 37 points on 60.9% shooting when these teams met last month. Despite the outstanding run Brown is currently on, his DraftKings salary has fallen inexplicably, so he offers a bit more value there, but is still very playable at $10.2k on FanDuel as well. With his usage rate likely to land close to 40% again tonight, Brown stands out as a clear high-end spend.

PF LeBron James, LAL | DK: $8.8k, FD: $9k | at CHI

James stands out among a crowded group of high-end forwards, especially with Austin Reaves still sidelined and the matchup lining up well. Over his last 12 games, LeBron has averaged 24.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.3 APG while shooting 52.1% from the field. Chicago ranks 28th in DvP versus starting power forwards and 24th in overall DEFRTG, so LeBron and the Lakers should be scoring plenty tonight. The Lakers also get a notable pace boost here, ranking 21st in pace themselves and facing a Bulls team that is 5th in pace. Even at this stage of his career, James’ combination of role, efficiency, and environment gives him one of the safest floors in this salary range.

SF Moses Moody, GSW | DK: $4.7k, FD: $4.5k | at MIN

Moody is a bit of a wildcard, but despite typically being limited to mid-to-upper 20s minutes, he’s turned in some quality performances relative to his current price points. Over his last seven games, Moody has scored 14.4 PPG on 57.1% shooting, and he’s averaged 25.8 DKFP/gm and a solid 1.03 FPPM. He posted his best game in quite some time last night, tallying a 19/8/2 stat line and 38.0 DKFP in 28 minutes. The Warriors have already ruled out a few players for tonight’s game and may also be without Steph Curry and Draymond Green (both questionable), so we can safely project Moody for around 26-28 minutes again. If he maintains his recent level of per-minute production, that should be enough time for him to return some value.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF Paolo Banchero, ORL at CLE

SF/SG Kevin Durant, HOU vs. MEM

PF Matas Buzelis, CHI vs. LAL

PF Jabari Smith Jr., HOU vs. MEM

PF/C Naz Reid, MIN vs. GSW

SF/PF Sam Hauser, BOS vs. POR

SF Buddy Hield, GSW at MIN (Preferred if Curry is out)

SF/PF Dean Wade, CLE vs. ORL

SF Isaac Okoro, CHI vs. LAL

PF Gui Santon, GSW at MIN (Boost if Draymond is out)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C/PF Alperen Sengun, HOU | DK: $9.2k, FD: $9.6k | vs. MEM

Sengun stands out as the clear top center on this slate, and the setup looks much cleaner than his last matchup against Detroit, in which he had a disappointing performance. Memphis is thin up front with Zach Edey and Jock Landale out and Santi Aldama questionable, creating a path for Sengun to control the paint and the glass. The Grizzlies have ranked 26th in DvP versus starting centers L20Games, and we already saw Sengun’s ability to stuff the stat sheet in the previous meeting between these teams, when he posted a 20/16/7 line and produced 53.0 DKFP. At sub-$10k prices, that type of 50+ FP potential is exactly what you’re shopping for. The dual PF/C eligibility on both sites is a nice bonus for lineup construction.

C/PF Moritz Wagner, ORL | DK: $3.6k, FD: $3.8k | at CLE

Until we get more clarity on certain injury/availability situations, center is thin on value options today. But you could roll the dice on a sub-$4k Mo Wagner, who made his season debut earlier this month after recovering from a torn ACL. Wagner clearly isn’t going to play major minutes due to the long injury layoff – probably 15 minutes max off the bench. But he has always been an excellent per-minute performer and, while it’s just a four-game sample size totaling 52 minutes this season, he’s averaging 1.32 FPPM when he’s on the court. He has also cleared 20.75 DKFP in back-to-back games, and the Cavs have struggled versus secondary units, allowing the 3rd-most FPPG to reserve players across their last 20 games. You may not need this sort of value at center (or power forward) today, with cheap options available at other positions, but Wagner is at least a viable punt if you’re looking to squeeze in an extra star spend-up elsewhere.

Other Centers to Consider

C Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM at HOU

C Nikola Vucevic, CHI vs. LAL

C Rudy Gobert, MIN vs. GSW

C Deandre Ayton, LAL at CHI

C Luka Garza, BOS vs. POR (Currently questionable – Boost if Queta is out)

C Quinten Post, GSW at MIN

C Robert Williams, POR at BOS (Currently questionable)

C Amari Williams, BOS vs. POR (Only if both Queta and Garza are out)

🔥 Props AI 🔥

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we have rolled out 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, UnderDog Fantasy, and other prop apps/sites!

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!