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 📰

Happy Halloween! We’ve got a special Friday slate on tap! Eight games reside on the schedule this evening, and this will be the official start of the “NBA Cup” in-season tournament! Today’s games kick off the group stage and, if you’re unfamiliar with how it will all work, I’ll link the NBA Cup rules below. This will be the third season since the introduction of the NBA Cup, and while it has mixed reviews among fans, I personally don’t mind it. It may be a little cheesy, but we’ve also seen some exciting games take place during this tournament over the last couple of years.

For DFS purposes, our approach shouldn’t change just because these games are part of this tournament. As a reminder, all NBA Cup games, aside from the championship game, count toward every team’s win/loss record just like any other regular season game would. There are some six-figure (per player) cash prizes up for grabs, with each player on the NBA Cup championship team receiving over half a million bucks in prize money. That might as well be a drop in the bucket for star players on max contracts, but for rookies and fringe bench players, that money represents a significant pay raise! A lot of star players have mentioned that they’re motivated to win this tournament simply so those guys can get paid. Alright, enough NBA Cup rambling. We’ve got a ton of high total matchups today with just one game pinned with a spread above six points. So this should be a fun night of NBA action! Best of luck!

NBA Cup Format & Rules

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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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.}

**Indicates that this would be a player’s season debut if they are active tonight.

• Hawks: T. Young - OUT

• Pacers: B. Mathurin - OUT, A. Nembhard - OUT, O. Toppin - OUT, T. Peter - Questionable

• Celtics: None

• 76ers: D. Barlow - OUT

• Raptors: J. Poeltl - OUT

• Cavs: D. Mitchell - Questionable, J. Allen - Questionable, S. Merrill - OUT

• Knicks: K. Towns - Probable, **M. Robinson - Questionable, G. Yabusele - Probable

• Bulls: None

• Lakers: L. Doncic - Probable, M. Smart - Questionable, G. Vincent - OUT

• Grizzlies: GG Jackson - Questionable

• Jazz: None

• Suns: D. Brooks - OUT

• Nuggets: J. Murray - Questionable, C. Johnson - Probable

• Trailblazers: S. Sharpe - Probable, K. Murray - Questionable, **R. Williams - Questionable, M. Thybulle - OUT

• Pelicans: **K. Looney - Doubtful

• Clippers: 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 🏀

PG Jalen Brunson, NYK | DK: $8.6k, FD: $8.8k | at CHI

There are so many great guard options today, so it’s going to be difficult to settle on which guys to spotlight. But I don’t believe you can go wrong with a sub-$9k Jalen Brunson. Through four games, Brunson is averaging 31.8 PPG and a hefty 32.9% USG%. He’s putting up those big offensive numbers while not even shooting the three-ball all too well. Brunson has attempted 8.0 3PA/gm but has only made 31.3% of those shots. The amount of 3PAs is currently a career high for Brunson, but the 3P% is a career low. He’s a 38.8% 3P% shooter for his career, so we’ll likely see some positive regression kick in soon for Brunson beyond the arc. The Bulls (7th in pace) represent a strong pace-up spot for the Knicks (22nd in pace), and it’s a quality individual matchup for Brunson as Chicago has ranked 21st in DvP versus starting point guards.

PG Jrue Holiday, POR | DK: $7.2k, FD: $6.8k | vs. DEN

I’m not sure what has gotten into Jrue Holiday, but the 35-year-old veteran guard has seemingly turned back the clock and is absolutely balling out in his debut season with the Trailblazers. Through five games, Holiday is putting up 19.6 PPG, 7.8 APG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.8 STL+BLK/gm, which has resulted in a stout 1.29 FPPM average. His DFS salaries have been steadily climbing, but if he maintains this level of play, he’s still looking a bit underpriced. The Trailblazers are currently playing at the second-fastest pace in the NBA, and this is also an outstanding matchup for Holiday, as the Nuggets have ranked dead last in DvP versus starting point guards.

PG Collin Gillespie, PHX | DK: $4.8k, FD: $4.9k | vs. UTA

With Dillon Brooks (groin) out and Jalen Green (hamstring) yet to make his season debut, there have been some backcourt minutes up for grabs. Collin Gillespie has emerged as a big part of the Suns' offense and has played at least 31 minutes off the bench in back-to-back games while scoring 36.0 DKFP/36.7 FDFP (versus Memphis) and 48.25 DKFP/47.10 FDFP (versus Utah) in those contests. Both of those games were competitive, and Gillespie closed out each game with most of the other starters in the fourth quarter; that is always a very positive sign when it comes to projecting a player’s role, even if they aren’t in the starting lineup. Gillespie has already had a huge game against the Jazz, even if you discount the numbers he put up in the extra overtime period, and if he gets close to, or exceeds, 30 minutes again tonight, he’s a great bet to pay off these sub-$5k salaries.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Luka Doncic, LAL | DK: $11.5k, FD: $11.7k | at MEM

PG Tyrese Maxey, PHI | DK: $9.8k, FD: $9.5k | vs. BOS

PG James Harden, LAC | DK: $8.7k, FD: $8.7k | vs. NOP

SG VJ Edgecombe, PHI | DK: $7.5k, FD: $6.6k | vs. BOS

PG/SG Keyonte George, UTA | DK: $6.9k, FD: $6.9k | at PHX

SG Payton Pritchard, BOS | DK: $6.4k, FD: $6.5k | at PHI

PG/SF Nickeil Alexander-Walker, ATL | DK: $5.7k, FD: $5.8k | at IND (Assuming he starts for T. Young)

PG RayJ Dennis, IND | DK: $5.2k, FD: $4.8k | vs. ATL

PG/SG Jeremiah Fears, NOP | DK: $4.6k, FD: $4.3k | at LAC

PG/SG Lonzo Ball, CLE | DK: $4k, FD: $4.2k | vs. TOR (Boost if D. Mitchell is out)

PG Blake Wesley, POR | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4k | vs. DEN

PG Craig Porter Jr., CLE | DK: $3.3k, FD: $3.9k | vs. TOR (Boost if D. Mitchell is out)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF Pascal Siakam, IND | DK: $9.3k, FD: $9.5k | vs. ATL

Given the banged-up nature of this Pacers roster, Pascal Siakam has had to take on a huge workload, and his recent DFS price increases are fully warranted. Siakam is up to a 30.7% USG% after posting a 24.2% USG% last season. Since the Pacers have not found a solid answer at center following the exodus of Myles Turner, Siakam has also spent some time playing the five and has seen a notable uptick in his rebounding as well. He’s up to 11.0 RPG across four games this season compared to 6.9 RPG last season. He shoots from all areas of the court, but he may be able to find more success around the rim this evening as the Hawks have allowed the second-most points in the paint per game. The Hawks are also a subpar 22nd in DEFRTG and, if the Pacers (+2.5) hope to get their first win of the season on the board, Siakam is going to have to have another huge performance.

PF Josh Minott, BOS | DK: $4.5k, FD: $4.7k | at PHI

Minott has been a big surprise of the early season, and it looks like the fourth-year player out of Memphis could be due for a breakout campaign. Minott has been elevated to the starting lineup in each of the Celtics’ last two games. These were Minott’s first two starts of his career, and, in those games, he has averaged 13.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.0 STL+BLK/gm, and an excellent 1.21 FPPM. The two Minott starts have also resulted in Boston’s first two wins of the season, so they will be rolling with him as a starter for the foreseeable future. We probably need to temper expectations a bit, especially following his 42.25 DKFP/42.0 FDFP performance on Wednesday. But he is still too cheap for the current role he has been assigned.

PF/C Collin Murray-Boyles, TOR | DK: $3.9k, FD: $4.3k | at CLE

With Jakob Poeltl (back/out) sustaining a back injury in Monday’s game, the rookie 9th overall pick out of South Carolina, Collin Murray-Boyles, has stepped in as the Raptors’ interim primary center. He has averaged 0.88 FPPM over the last two games, which isn’t amazing, but he’s been solid from a scoring perspective, and I believe his rebounding numbers will begin to tick up as well, as he has corralled only four boards L2Games. The matchup would get a bit easier if Jarrett Allen (finger/questionable) sits for the Cavs, but CMB is cheap enough to consider as a value option regardless.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF Evan Mobley, CLE | DK: $8.7k, FD: $8.7k | vs. TOR (Boost if D. Mitchell and/or J. Allen are out)

SF Jaylen Brown, BOS | DK: $8.6k, FD: $8.4k | at PHI

PF Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK | DK: $8.5k, FD: $8.4k | at CHI

PF Scottie Barnes, TOR | DK: $8.1k, FD: $8.1k | at CLE

SF Lauri Markkanen, UTA | DK: $8k, FD: $7.8k | at PHX

PF Matas Buzelis, CHI | DK: $6k, FD: $6k | vs. NYK

SF/PF Jarace Walker, IND | DK: $5.5k, FD: $5.1k | vs. ATL

SF De’Andre Hunter, CLE | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.2k | vs. TOR (Boost if D. Mitchell is out)

SF/PF Royce O’Neale, PHX | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.4k | vs. UTA

SF Jaylon Tyson, CLE | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4k | vs. TOR

SF/PF Peyton Watson, DEN | DK: $3.7k, FD: $4k | at POR (Boost is J. Murray is out)

PF/C Larry Nance Jr., CLE | DK: $3.2k, FD: $3.8k | vs. TOR (Preferred if J. Allen is out)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Walker Kessler, UTA | DK: $6.8k, FD: $7.7k | at PHX

Nikola Jokic (DK: $12k, FD: $12.2k) is, of course, always worth considering anytime the Nuggets are on the slate. And there is plenty of value to be able to fit him in today. But, if you’re not going for the Jokic spend-up, Walker Kessler is going to be an appealing option out of the mid-range. He has posted at least 44.5 DKFP/41.4 FDFP in three games this season while averaging 1.37 FPPM. Kessler is one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA and already has a pair of four-block games this season. One of those four-block games came against this same Suns team on Monday, when Kessler would go on to rack up 53.25 DKFP/53.20 FDFP in 35 minutes. That game did go to OT and ended with a monster 272 points scored. But Kessler had already hit value in regulation. The Suns have also been an excellent matchup to target early on. They play at an above-average pace, but, more importantly, they rank 28th in DEFRTG. Kessler has a good bit of volatility to him, but he’s also capable of dropping 50+ FP in any matchup, especially when he meets or exceeds 30 minutes (projected for 30.5 minutes tonight).

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

I’m not sure how many times I’ve ever spotlighted two centers on the same team, but Nurkic has been a nice bargain option up to this point. He has always been an excellent FPPM player, and he’s at a sturdy 1.38 FPPM through the first four games this season. Of course, as the backup center to the aforementioned Kessler, his minutes are going to be limited, barring an injury or foul trouble [for Kessler]. But he has already met value multiple times this season despite only playing around 18 minutes/gm. As noted, the Suns have been awful defensively, and they also check in at 27th versus backup centers this season. Nurkic will be a more appealing target on DraftKings, where I believe he has a great shot at returning 6x-7x value tonight. He went for 28.25 DKFP/27.60 FDFP in 18 minutes against the Suns on Monday.

Other Centers to Consider

C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $12k, FD: $12.2k | at POR

C Mark Williams, PHX | DK: $7.4k, FD: $7.4k | vs. UTA (Assuming he starts again)

C Ivica Zubac, LAC | DK: $7.1k, FD: $6.1k | vs. NOP

C Onyeka Okongwu, ATL | DK: $6.6k, FD: $6.5k | at IND

C Neemias Queta, BOS | DK: $5k, FD: $4.9k | at PHI

C Luka Garza, BOS | DK: $4k, FD: $3.9k | at PHI

C Sandro Mamukelashvili, TOR | DK: $3.4k, FD: $4.3k | at CLE

C Thomas Bryant, CLE | DK: $3k, FD: $3.5k | vs. TOR (Only if J. Allen is 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!