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

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NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler Wiemann

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Today is the “Sports Equinox” with the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA all in action! Our first NBA Monday slate will be a busy one with nine games on tap for the DraftKings main slate and 11 games lined up on the FanDuel main slate. DK will exclude the two games in the 10 o’clock ET window, hence the difference in the two slates. Every team has at least two games under its belt this season, with most having played three. So we’re starting to get a decent idea about usage distributions and rotation tendencies, which is always a plus. Let’s jump into it! 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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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: There are many players who are out for various amounts of time to begin the season. 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.}

• Cavs: L. Ball - OUT

• Pistons: C. Cunningham - Probable, C. LeVert - Questionable, M. Sasser - Questionable (would be season debut)

• Magic: None

• 76ers: J. Embiid - OUT, D. Barlow - OUT

• Hawks: J. Johnson - Questionable, K. Porzingis - Questionable, Z. Risacher - Questionable

• Bulls: J. Giddey - Questionable

• Raptors: None

• Spurs: L. Kornet - OUT

• Nets: Z. Williams - OUT, D. Powell - Questionable

• Rockets: None

• Celtics: J. Brown - Questionable

• Pelicans: Y. Missi - Questionable, K. Matkovic - Questionable (would be season debut)

• Thunder: C. Holmgren - Questionable, A. Caruso - OUT

• Mavs: D. Gafford - Doubtful (would be season debut), B. Williams - Questionable, D. Exum - Questionable (would be season debut)

• Suns: D. Brooks - Questionable

• Jazz: None

• Nuggets: None

• Timberwolves: A. Edwards - OUT, R. Dillingham - Questionable

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

• Grizzlies: None

• Warriors: A. Horford - OUT

• Trailblazers: R. Williams - Questionable (would be season debut)

• Lakers: L. Doncic - OUT, M. Smart - OUT, G. Vincent - OUT, J. Hayes - 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 🏀

Tyrese Maxey, PHI | DK: $9.3k, FD: $8.7k | vs. ORL

Maxey has lit it up over the 76ers’ first two games, averaging 34.0 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.0 STL+BLK/gm while sinking 11-of-18 three-pointers (61.1%). His 27.9% USG% is second on the team behind Joel Embiid (29.3% USG%). Embiid will be sitting out on the first leg of a back-to-back for “injury management” purposes. Paul George (knee/out) has also yet to make his season debut. Since the start of last season, Maxey has improved from a 23.2% USG% and 27.7 points/100 possessions with Embiid and George on the court to a 32.3% USG% and 38.0 points/100 possessions with them off the court. The matchup isn’t ideal, as the Magic are currently the slowest-paced team in the NBA and rank second in DEFRTG. But, given the sort of workload he should shoulder tonight, Maxey is still going to be an intriguing low-owned high-end guard to consider on this slate.

PG/SG Donte DiVincenzo, MIN | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.1k | vs. DEN

One of the more notable [new] injuries on this slate involves Anthony Edwards, who will be out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. Edwards is easily the highest-usage player on the T-Wolves’ roster, so there are a lot of potential shots for other guys to soak up. DiVincenzo should receive a notable bump in Edwards’ absence. Since the beginning of last season, DiVincenzo has increased his fantasy production from 0.89 FPPM with Edwards on the court to 1.04 FPPM with Edwards off the court. Given his expected role while Edwards is sidelined, DiVincenzo is just a bit too cheap on both sites today.

PG Tre Jones, CHI | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.8k | vs. ATL

Another guard to keep on the radar out of the $5k range is Tre Jones, who is off to an excellent start to the season. In two games, Jones has 12.5 PPG, 8.0 APG, 3.0 RPG, and 4.0 STL/gm -- these numbers have equated to a strong 1.18 FPPM average. Four steals per game is unsustainable, but Jones did average 3.0 STL/gm in four preseason games while playing only 22.7 Min/gm, so perhaps he will be contributing in that category more than in previous seasons. This matchup is also one of the most appealing game environments on the slate, given its slate-high 242.5 over/under and narrow spread (CHI: +2.5). Jones will also get a projections bump if combo guard Josh Giddey (finger/questionable) is unable to suit up this evening.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC | DK: $10.5k, FD: $11.5k | at DAL

PG Devin Booker, PHX | DK: $8.9k, FD: $8.8k | at UTA

PG/SG Josh Giddey, CHI | DK: $8.7k, FD: $9k | vs. ATL (Currently questionable)

PG Jamal Murray, DEN | DK: $7.5k, FD: $8k | at MIN

SG/SF Desmond Bane, ORL | DK: $7k, FD: $7k | at PHI

SG/SF Grayson Allen, PHX | DK: $6k, FD: $5.2k | at UTA

PG/SG Dylan Harper, SAS | DK: $5.1k, FD: $4.7k | vs. TOR

SG/SF Kevin Huerter, CHI | DK: $4.6k, FD: $4.8k | vs. ATL (Boost if Giddey is out)

PG Mike Conley, MIN | DK: $3.5k, FD: $3.7k | vs. DEN (Preferred if starting)

PG Bones Hyland, MIN | DK: $3.1k, FD: $3.7k | vs. DEN

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PG Steph Curry, GSW | FD: $8.9k | vs. MEM

SG/SF Austin Reaves, LAL | FD: $8.5k | vs. POR

PG Jrue Holiday, POR | FD: $6.2k | at LAL

SG/SF Cedric Coward, MEM | FD: $5.1k | at GSW

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF Zion Williamson, NOP | DK: $9.6k, FD: $9.7k | vs. BOS

A healthy and slimmed-down Zion Williamson has been one of the more exciting players in the very early goings of the new season. He has poured in 27.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, and 4.0 STL/gm through two games while averaging a sturdy 1.57 FPPM. He easily leads the team with a 32.6% USG%, and his numbers will only improve once he becomes a bit more efficient with his shots (46.2% FG%). The Pelicans may be off to an 0-2 start, but they’ve been competitive in both of their games versus quality opponents, and they find themselves as narrow 1.5-point favorites versus the Celtics this evening. If they do indeed pull off the W, Zion is going to need to put up a massive performance.

SF/PF Ausar Thompson, DET | DK: $6.2k, FD: $6.4k | vs. CLE

Thompson has begun his year three campaign with some nice momentum, and he has contributed strong numbers across the board. Through three games, Thompson has put up 17.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 2.0 STL+BLK/gm, and has averaged an excellent 1.22 FPPM. He is currently 2nd on the team in points per game and assists per game, and 3rd in rebounding. Both teams in this matchup are on the second leg of a back-to-back, but there is not much to worry about with Thompson (36 minutes yesterday) as the 23-year-old should still have plenty of gas in the tank tonight.

PF/C Naz Reid, MIN | DK: $5k, FD: $5.1k | vs. DEN

Naz Reid is another T-Wolves player who should pick up some of the slack with Anthony Edwards (hamstring/out) on the mend. With Edwards exiting yesterday’s game after logging just three minutes, Reid went on to record his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 boards. Since the start of last season, Reid has gone from a 19.1% USG% and 0.97 FPPM average with Edwards on the floor to a 24.4% USG% and 1.14 FPPM average with him off. His $5k/$5.1k price points make him a solid value target on this slate.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Anthony Davis, DAL | DK: $10k, FD: $10.8k | vs. OKC

PF/C Evan Mobley, CLE | DK: $8.6k, FD: $8.5k | at DET

PF Paolo Banchero, ORL | DK: $8.3k, FD: $8.7k | at PHI

SF/PG Scottie Barnes, TOR | DK: $8.2k, FD: $8.3k | at SAS

PF Julius Randle, MIN | DK: $7.5k, FD: $7k | vs. DEN

SF/SG VJ Edgecombe, PHI | DK: $6.8k, FD: $6k | vs. ORL

PF Matas Buzelis, CHI | DK: $5.3k, FD: $5.9k | vs. ATL

PF Ryan Dunn, PHX | DK: $4.5k, FD: $4.7k | at UTA

SF/PF Royce O’Neale, PHX | DK: $4.4k, FD: $4.1k | at UTA

PF Jabari Walker, PHI | DK: $3.5k, FD: $3.6k | vs. ORL

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SF/PF Deni Andija, POR | FD: $7.8k | at LAL

PF/C Draymond Green, GSW | FD: $6k | vs. MEM

SF/PF Rui Hachimura, LAL | FD: $5.4k | vs. POR

SF/PF Jake LaRavia, LAL | FD: $4.2k | vs. POR (Preferred if starting)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Victor Wembanyama, SAS | DK: $11k, FD: $12.4k | vs. TOR

Wemby has undoubtedly been the first week's MVP in the new NBA season. Admittedly, the Spurs haven’t faced elite competition with games against the Mavs, Pelicans, and Nets. But Wemby’s numbers through three games are still incredibly impressive -- 33.3 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and a phenomenal 7.7 STL+BLK/gm. All of Wembanyama’s stat stuffing has resulted in 2.14 FPPM. Even for the best of the best players in the league, a 2+ FPPM average is unsustainable, but if anyone can keep this sort of run going for an extended stretch of games, it would be Wemby. The back-to-back factor is something to keep in mind -- Wemby played 36 minutes yesterday -- but the Raptors are also on the back end of a B2B, which does alleviate some concerns. The Raptors have also allowed the 4th-most points in the paint per game, so, as long as he’s out there for 30+ minutes again tonight, Wembanyama should feast once again.

C Andre Drummond, PHI | DK: $4.3k, FD: $3.8k | vs. ORL

The 76ers are thin in the frontcourt today with both C Joel Embiid and PF/C Dominick Barlow ruled out. As a result, Andre Drummond will either draw a spot start at center or play increased minutes off the bench (if Adem Bona gets the start). Drummond has lost a step at this stage in his career, but he has still proven to be an excellent FPPM producer and just put up 30.25 DKFP/31.60 FDFP in 16 minutes off the bench in the 76ers’ last game. The matchup isn’t great, but any time Drummond has a chance to play mid-20s minutes, he’s rarely going to fail to return strong value on these sorts of DFS salaries.

Other Centers to Consider

C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $11.5k, FD: $12k | at MIN

C Jalen Duren, DET | DK: $7.2k, FD: $5.9k | vs. CLE

C Onyeka Okongwu, ATL | DK: $7k, FD: $6.3k | at CHI (Preferred if J. Johnson/Porzingis are out)

C Rudy Gobert, MIN | DK: $6.2k, FD: $5.6k | vs. DEN

C Steven Adams, HOU | DK: $4.4k, FD: $5k | vs. BKN

C Jusuf Nurkic, UTA | DK: $4k, FD: $4.7k | vs. PHX

C Adem Bona, PHI | DK: $3.8k, FD: $3.7k | vs. ORL (Preferred if starting)

C Sandro Mamukelashvili, TOR | DK: $3.2k, FD: $3.8k | at SAS

FanDuel Main Slate Only

C Deandre Ayton, LAL | FD: $5.7k | vs. POR

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

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

_{Terms: Must be 18+ (some states may require 21+) and be present in an eligible state; if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling, and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER. Using an affiliate offer will help support LineStar who may receive a commission fee from the referral. Other conditions may apply, please see link for full details.}