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

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DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Monday brings us a lighter slate with four games on DraftKings and five on FanDuel (thanks to the late MEM at LAC nightcap), but the matchup quality helps make up for the lack of volume. No game carries a spread larger than 5.5 points, and three of the five contests sit at just 1.5-point spreads, so competitive environments should be expected… but we all know how the National Blowout Association can be even when teams are evenly-matched on paper. The injury report is relatively clean as well, with only three or four truly impactful questionable tags to monitor as lock approaches. All in all, this shapes up as a fun, balanced slate! 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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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.}

• Pistons: None

• Celtics: P. Pritchard - Questionable

• Raptors: RJ Barrett - OUT, AJ Lawson - Questionable, J. Battle - Probable

• Heat: P. Larsson - OUT

• Mavs: A. Davis - Questionable, D. Gafford -Questionable, B. Williams - Questionable, D. Russell - OUT, D. Lively II - OUT (will miss rest of season, so he’ll be excluded on future injury reports)

• Jazz: J. Nurkic - OUT

• Rockets: T. Eason - Questionable

• Nuggets: A. Gordon - OUT, C. Braun - OUT, J. Strawther - Questionable

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

• Grizzlies: Z. Edey - OUT, J. Konchar - OUT, B. Clarke - Doubtful (would be season debut if he’s upgraded)

• Clippers: J. Harden - Questionable, D. Jones Jr. - OUT, N. Batum - Questionable

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: $7.8k, FD: $7.7k | vs. DAL

Keyonte George has firmly seized the starting point guard role for Utah and continues to show a ceiling that can swing DFS slates. He’s coming off a monster outing against Memphis, pouring in 39 points on excellent efficiency (12-20 FGM/FGA & 10-10 FTM/FTA) and erupting for 63.5 DKFP. George is at his best when games stay tight and the minutes climb into the mid-30s, which is exactly what we’re projecting tonight in a near pick ’em matchup. This game also sets up beautifully from an environmental standpoint, as both teams rank in the top seven in pace, and it carries the highest total on the slate at 240.5. With volume, tempo, and competitiveness all working in his favor, George brings legitimate 50+ DKFP upside again and profiles as one of the stronger guard spend-ups on the board.

SG Cooper Flagg, DAL | DK: $7.2k, FD: $8k | at UTA

Flagg has been settling into his role at the professional level and has been producing at a high clip. Outside of a recent 21-point loss to OKC – a team that’s been blowing everyone out – he has logged at least 35.0 DKFP in six straight games, including four outings of 42.5 DKFP or more in that span. His per-minute production has been strong over that stretch (1.13 FPPM), and in seven competitive games this season, Flagg is averaging an impressive 42.36 FPPG. This matchup sets up as another close one, with Dallas favored by just 1.5 points. Anthony Davis (calf) is also questionable, and his absence would further raise Flagg’s ceiling – he’s seen a +3.5% usage bump with AD off the floor. Utah ranks 29th in defensive rating and has allowed the fourth-most FPPG to starting shooting guards over their last 20 games, making this one of the best matchups Flagg has drawn all season. He’s a stronger value on DraftKings, but remains firmly in play on FanDuel as well, especially if Davis is ruled out.

SG/SF Tim Hardaway Jr., DEN | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.4k | vs. HOU

Barring additional injury value opening up, guard is fairly thin on viable, cheap options on this slate, which keeps Tim Hardaway Jr. squarely in play. He’s one of the few cheap guards with a stable role, as Denver’s wing injuries (Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun) have locked him into steady minutes off the bench. Hardaway has now logged at least 25 minutes in ten straight games, giving him one of the more reliable minute profiles among sub-$5k options. Most of his fantasy output comes via scoring, and while his per-minute production has been modest (0.70 FPPM over that 10-game stretch), he’s shooting a strong 41.4% from three on the season. If the shot is falling, he’s capable of returning 6x-plus value at these salaries. The floor has also been respectable, with Hardaway clearing 20.75 DKFP in five of his last six games. It’s not flashy, but he’s a dependable value piece who can help unlock higher-end builds on this slate.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Cade Cunningham, DET at BOS

SG Brandon Ingram, TOR at MIA

PG/SG Derrick White, BOS vs. DET (Boost if Pritchard is out)

PG Immanuel Quickley, TOR at MIA

PG Ryan Nembhard, DAL at UTA (Preferred if B. Williams is out)

PG Brandon Williams, DAL at UTA (Currently questionable)

PG/SG Anfernee Simons, BOS vs. DET (Preferred if Pritchard is out)

SG/SF Brice Sensabaugh, UTA vs. DAL

PG/SG Jaden Ivey, DET at BOS

PG/SG Walter Clayton Jr., UTA vs. DAL

PG Isaiah Collier, UTA vs. DAL

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PG/SG James Harden, LAC vs. MEM (Currently questionable)

PG/SG Kris Dunn, LAC vs. MEM (Major boost if Harden is out)

SG/SF Bogdan Bogdanovic, LAC vs. MEM (Boost if Harden is out)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF Jaylen Brown, BOS | DK: $9.7k, FD: $9.8k | vs. DET

Jaylen Brown remains the clear top dog for Boston with Jayson Tatum out of action this season, and the results have largely been excellent. The Celtics have found their groove after a sluggish start, winning 10 of their last 13 games, with Brown carrying a massive offensive load throughout that stretch. Over his last eight games, he’s averaging 32.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 54.8 DKFP on a massive 36.8% USG%, while contributing across the board defensively as well. The usage has simply been enormous, and there’s no reason to expect that to change tonight. Brown is coming off a slightly disappointing fantasy outing in a blowout loss to Milwaukee, where he still scored 30 points but saw his minutes capped below 30, and he failed to pile up peripherals. That kind of game could keep ownership in check heading into tonight’s slate, which is appealing given this matchup. Despite ranking out as one of the best defensive teams in the league and ranking 3rd in DvP versus SFs, Detroit has had no answer for Brown this season. In two previous meetings with the Pistons, Brown has averaged 37 points and 58 DKFP while launching 28 shots per game and shooting efficiently from deep. He’s also been a bit more productive at home this year, further strengthening the case.

PF/C Kyle Filipowski, UTA | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.8k | vs. DAL

Kyle Filipowski will be very popular as one of the better and most obvious mid-tier value options on this slate. With Jusuf Nurkic sitting tonight for rest purposes, Filipowski should get the nod as Utah’s starting center. In his last two games as a starter, Filipowski delivered 44.0 DKFP and 37.0 DKFP, and he’s a clear double-double threat with an elevated workload. The matchup only strengthens the case. Dallas has struggled mightily on the interior, ranking near the bottom of the league in rebounding rate and points allowed in the paint, and they’ve allowed 37.3 FPPG (3rd most) to starting centers L20Games. As long as he logs around or above 30 minutes this evening, Filipowski has a great chance to end up as an optimal play and he’ll be a risky fade.

PF Jordan Walsh, BOS | DK: $5k, FD: $5.5k | vs. DET

If you are looking to fade the aforementioned chalky Kyle Filipowski, or if you just want another affordable forward option, Jordan Walsh fits the bill. Celtics players not named Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, or Payton Pritchard have been difficult to trust this season, but Walsh has been making a name for himself lately. The third-year forward out of Arkansas has been in the Celtics’ starting lineup since mid-November, and he’s been putting up some truly effective efforts in recent weeks. Over his last five games, Walsh has averaged 15.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.8 STL+BLK/gm, and 1.16 FPPM across 26.6 minutes/gm. He projects for 29.0 minutes tonight, and his usage could be a bit more solidified if Payton Pritchard (neck/questionable) is unable to suit up.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF Scottie Barnes, TOR at MIA

SF/SG Kevin Durant, HOU at DEN

SF/SG Norman Powell, MIA vs. TOR

SF/PF PJ Washington, DAL at UTA (Boost if Davis is out)

SF/SG Naji Marshall, DAL at UTA (Boost if Davis is out)

SF Ausar Thompson, DET at BOS

PF Tobias Harris, DET at BOS

SF Ace Bailey, UTA vs. DAL

PF/C Kyle Anderson, UTA vs. DAL

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SF/PF Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. MEM (Boost if Harden is out)

PF/C Santi Aldama, MEM at LAC (Assuming he starts again)

PF/C John Collins, LAC vs. MEM (Preferred if Harden is out)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $12.7k, FD: $12.8k | vs. HOU

Nikola Jokic once again sits alone at the top of the slate in terms of raw production. He’s scored 50+ DKFP in every game this season while averaging 67.5 DKFP per game overall. He ranks first in the league in rebounds and assists and fifth in scoring, and he’s doing it with the same absurd efficiency we’ve come to expect. The Rockets look intimidating on paper for opposing bigs, as they lead the league in rebounding rate and sit top-10 in paint defense, but Jokic had no issues with that matchup earlier this season – he carved them up for 34/10/9 with two steals and a block, finishing with 69.5 DKFP. He’s also been noticeably stronger at home, where his already elite floor jumps to a 70.9 DKFP average. Even in a game featuring two below-average pace teams (DEN: 20th in pace, HOU: 27th in pace), the 237.5 total signals plenty of scoring opportunity. With a decent number of viable value plays available across the slate, paying up for Jokic’s unmatched combination of floor and ceiling remains a very straightforward decision.

C Kevin Love, UTA | DK: $3.9k, FD: $3.8k | vs. DAL

Kevin Love flashed some vintage form in his last outing, scoring 20 points in just 20 minutes off the bench and finishing with 35.5 DKFP. Even at 37, he remains a strong per-minute producer, averaging 1.09 FPPM on the season and 1.17 FPPM over his last five games. With Jusuf Nurkic sidelined again, Love should be in line for another 18-22 minutes, which is plenty of run for him at these sub-$4k price points. He’ll continue to come off the bench, but the matchup is favorable, especially if Dallas is shorthanded up front with Anthony Davis and/or Daniel Gafford limited or out. Love doesn’t need heavy usage to return value, and another efficient scoring-and-rebounding line would get him there quickly.

Other Centers to Consider

PF/C Alperen Sengun, HOU at DEN

C Jakob Poeltl, TOR at MIA

C Steven Adams, HOU at DEN

FanDuel Main Slate Only

C Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. MEM

🔥 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!