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 📰

We’ve got a smaller slate lined up tonight -- four games on DraftKings and six on FanDuel, thanks to the additions of the two late West Coast games. Even with multiple teams dealing with meaningful injury situations, the overall injury report is pretty manageable due to the smaller slate size. A few key pieces of news will still shape the puzzle, but nothing too overwhelming as we head toward lock. Let’s dig 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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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.}

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

• Warriors: J. Kuminga - OUT, B. Hield - Probable

• Magic: P. Banchero - OUT, J. Suggs - Questionable

• Pistons: C. Cunningham - Questionable, A. Thompson - Questionable, C. LeVert - OUT, T. Harris - Questionable

• Hawks: T. Young - OUT, O. Okongwu - Questionable, K. Porzingis - Questionable, Z. Risacher - Questionable

• Celtics: None

• Nets: C. Thomas - OUT

• Grizzlies: J. Morant - OUT, J. Small - OUT

• Spurs: V. Wembanyama - OUT, S. Castle - OUT, D. Harper - OUT, J. McLaughlin - OUT

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

• Jazz: K. Filipowski - Questionable, T. Hendricks - Questionable, K. Anderson - Questionable

• Lakers: **L. James - Questionable

• Suns: J. Green - OUT, G. Allen - OUT

• Trailblazers: J. Holiday - Doubtful

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 De’Aaron Fox, SAS | DK: $8.3k, FD: $8.3k | vs. MEM

All it really takes to realize that De’Aaron Fox is a premier play today is to look at the Spurs’ injury report; they’re set to be without two of their star players -- Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle -- and talented rookie Dylan Harper is also out for an eighth straight game. This will be the first game in which all three of those players will be sidelined this season. But, in the last Spurs game, which Wemby missed and Castle exited after playing only 16 minutes, Fox popped for a 28-point, 11-assist double-double and 51.5 DKFP. It was his second consecutive 50+ DKFP performance, and, after getting a bit of a late jump on the season, Fox looks to be fully back up to speed at this point. The Grizzlies have also ranked 26th versus starting PGs L5Games and have allowed a hefty 1.52 FPPM to the position in that stretch, so it’s a great individual matchup. Other Spurs will have to step up tonight, but Fox will be the sole star player out there. He’s going to be extremely chalky, but also perhaps the scariest fade on the slate.

PG Derrick White, BOS | DK: $7.2k, FD: $7.6k | at BKN

White has been cruising lately, averaging a stout 1.20 FPPM and 41.7 DKFP/gm over his last five. He’s posting 19.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.8 STL+BLK/gm in that stretch, so he’s contributing nicely across the board and hasn’t been overly reliant on pure scoring. For just about any team playing the lowly, dysfunctional Nets, who are dead last in DEFRTG, there is going to be some blowout concern. But the 10.5-point spread here isn’t too sizable, and White has also put up some strong performances in a couple of recent blowouts where he has played under 30 minutes. For what it’s worth, he projects for 33.5 minutes this evening and, as bad as they are, the Nets are still capable of keeping this game close against the currently 7-7 Celtics, who are simply not as dominant without Jayson Tatum available this season.

SG/SF Drake Powell, BKN | DK: $3.6k, FD: $3.8k | vs. BOS

Pending further injury news, there isn’t a ton of enticing guard value on this slate, but Drake Powell does check off some boxes as a viable cheap option. Powell was selected with the 22nd overall pick of this year’s NBA Draft out of North Carolina. After being limited with an ankle injury to start his rookie campaign, Powell has averaged 22.5 minutes/gm over the Nets’ last five games. He’s had a finite amount of opportunity up to this point, but he has shot an efficient 45.5% from three-point range and 52.9% overall. If you ask me, for a Nets team that is currently 27th in 3P% (33.2%) and 28th in overall FG% (44.0%), Powell should continue to see his role and minutes grow, especially while the Nets remain without a top-two top scoring option, Cam Thomas, who will miss a sixth straight game due to a hamstring injury. But, as long as he continues to handle low-20s minutes, Powell makes for a decent salary-saving option.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Steph Curry, GSW at ORL

SG Desmond Bane, ORL vs. GSW

PG/SG Payton Pritchard, BOS at BKN

PG Daniss Jenkins, DET at ATL (Only if Cunningham is out again)

SG/SF Julian Champagnie, SAS vs. MEM

PG/SG Cam Spencer, MEM at SAS

SG Terance Mann, BKN vs. BOS

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PG Luka Doncic, LAL vs. UTA (Preferred if LeBron remains out)

PG/SG Devin Booker, PHX at POR

PG/SG Shaedon Sharpe, POR vs. PHX

PG Isaiah Collier, UTA at LAL

PG Collin Gillespie, PHX at POR

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF Jalen Johnson, ATL | DK: $9.5k, FD: $9.4k | vs. DET

Jalen Johnson is arguably one of the more underrated stars in the league. Despite the Hawks playing without Trae Young (knee/out) for the last nine games, they have ripped off a 7-2 record in that stretch, largely thanks to Johnson stepping up. Over his last five games, he has averaged an elite 1.61 FPPM while contributing 23.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 8.2 APG, and 2.4 STL+BLK/gm. He exploded for a ridiculous 31/18/14 triple-double with SEVEN steals against the Jazz five days ago, which is a sort of stat line that even Nikola Jokic would have a difficult time pulling off. Of course, Detroit represents a tougher matchup, coming in at 3rd in DEFRTG, and they also don’t play at a particularly fast pace, ranking 19th in that regard. However, Detroit does check in at 22nd in DvP versus starting power forwards over their last five games, and this matchup also owns a solid 229.5 over/under alongside the narrowest spread on the slate (ATL -1.5). All things considered, Johnson could easily go for 50+ FP again in this spot and push for another triple-double.

SF/PF Tristan da Silva, ORL | DK: $5k, FD: $4.4k | vs. GSW

With Paolo Banchero (groin/out) set to miss a third consecutive game, Tristan da Silva should pick up a third consecutive start. da Silva has gone for 32.5 DKFP and 37.8 DKFP over the last two games as a starter, averaging 17.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, and 2.5 STL+BLK/gm in those contests. He projects for a healthy 32.0 minutes tonight and sets up well versus a Warriors team that is 25th in DvP versus starting power forwards this season.

SF/PF Vince Williams Jr., MEM | DK: $4k, FD: $4k | at SAS

Williams is only forward eligible on DraftKings (SF/SG on FanDuel), but he should serve as the starting point guard for the Grizzlies tonight due to Ja Morant’s absence. In the two games Morant has missed this season, Williams has averaged 24.3 DKFP while taking on a 21.8% USG%. Even with several injuries to players who have yet to make their season debut, the Grizzlies tend to run a deep rotation. So, Williams may not crack 30 minutes tonight, but at a flat $4,000 on both sites, we don’t necessarily need him to. He’s been right at an FPPM on the season and should handle mid-20s minutes, giving him an easy pathway to 6x (or better) value. The Spurs’ defensive metrics also take a massive hit whenever Victor Wembanyama (calf/out) is off the floor, and this game environment is one of the more attractive ones on the slate, given its 233.5 over/under and fairly close spread (MEM +5.5).

Other Forwards to Consider

SF Jaylen Brown, BOS at BKN

SF Franz Wagner, ORL vs. GSW

SF Michael Porter Jr., BKN vs. BOS

SF Devin Vassell, SAS vs. MEM

SF Moses Moody, GSW at ORL

PF/C Santi Aldama, MEM at SAS

SF/PF Keldon Johnson, SAS vs. MEM

SG/SF Vit Kreji, ATL vs. DET (Preferred if Risacher is out)

PF Jordan Walsh, BOS at BKN

SF/PF Ziaire Williams, BKN vs. BOS

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SF/PF Deni Avdija, POR vs. PHX

SF/SG Dillon Brooks, PHX at POR

PF/SF Jerami Grant, POR vs. PHX

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Jalen Duren, DET | DK: $8k, FD: $8.1k | at ATL

After missing a couple of games, Duren shook off any concerns about his ankle immediately last night, smashing the Pacers for 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 55.3 DKFP in his return while looking every bit like the breakout force he’s been all season. He’s now topped 50 DKFP in five of his last seven starts, and the leap is backed by a quantifiable growth in his role -- Duren is currently hitting career-high marks in usage (23.1%) and rebound rate (22.5%), plus an elite 1.50 FPPM with this expanded workload. Atlanta isn’t a cupcake matchup -- they’re 14th in DvP versus starting centers. However, both of their primary centers (Okongwu and Porzingis) are questionable to play tonight. Regardless, as long as Duren is logging his usual minutes, $8k/$8.1k is flat-out too cheap for the floor/ceiling combo he’s offering right now. Duren would look like an even better option if Cade Cunningham (hip/questionable) sits for a fourth consecutive game.

C Luke Kornet, SAS | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.1k | vs. MEM

Kornet is stepping in for Wemby again tonight, and these salaries are just a bit too soft for a starting center in this spot. He drew the same starting role on Sunday against Sacramento and responded with 34.8 DKFP in 27 minutes, logging a clean 13-point, 11-rebound double-double in the process while also contributing three blocks. Memphis hasn’t offered too much resistance defensively, especially on the interior, where they’re allowing 52.0 PPG in the paint (12th-most) and rank 22nd in Rebounding%. With Kornet locked into another spot start, his 28.0 projected minutes should be enough for him to pay off.

Other Centers to Consider

C Onyeka Okongwu, ATL vs. DET (Currently questionable - Preferred if Porzingis is out)

C Kristaps Porzingis, ATL vs. DET (Currently questionable - Preferred if Okongwu is out)

C Nic Claxton, BKN vs. BOS

C Wendell Carter Jr., ORL vs. GSW

C Neemias Queta, BOS at BKN

C Kelly Olynyk, SAS vs. MEM

C Luka Garza, BOS at BKN

FanDuel Main Slate Only

C Deandre Ayton, LAL vs. UTA

C Mark Williams, PHX at 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/X or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!