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

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NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Those Christmas NFL games were a dud but the NBA stole the show with some close games and exciting finishes. We’ll have the final Thursday slate of 2024 on deck -- as usual, FanDuel will feature all nine games on their main slate while DraftKings will be excluding the two late 10 o’clock ET tip-offs, taking their main slate down to seven games. It's time to recoup some of that gift-giving money and head into the New Year with a little extra coin in the bank! Best of luck!

Today’s Key Injuries

• Hornets: B. Miller - Questionable, T. Mann - OUT

• Wizards: K. Kuzma - OUT, M. Bagley III - OUT

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

• Pacers: M. Turner - Questionable, A. Nesmith - OUT

• Heat: J. Butler - OUT, T. Rozier - Questionable, D. Smith - OUT

• Magic: F. Wagner - OUT, P. Banchero - OUT, G. Harris - OUT

• Bulls: J. Giddey - Questionable, A. Dosunmu - Questionable, L. Ball - OUT, M. Buzelis - Questionable

• Hawks: T. Young - Questionable, B. Bogdanovic - Questionable, O. Okongwu - OUT

• Raptors: J. Poeltl - OUT, I. Quickley - OUT, J. Walter - Questionable, J. Shead - Questionable

• Grizzlies: M. Smart - OUT, V. Williams Jr. - OUT, J. Huff - OUT

• Rockets: D. Brooks - OUT, T. Eason - Questionable

• Pelicans: Z. Williamson - OUT, B. Ingram - OUT, T. Murphy III - Questionable, J. Alvarado - OUT, J. Green - Questionable

• Nets: C. Thomas - OUT, B. Simmons - Questionable, Z. Williams - OUT, T. Watford - OUT

• Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - Questionable, D. Lillard - Questionable, K. Middleton - Probable

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

• Pistons: J. Duren - Probable, I. Stewart - Questionable, R. Holland II - Questionable

• Kings: D. Sabonis - Questionable

• Jazz: J. Collins - OUT, K. George - OUT, J. Clarkson - OUT

• Trailblazers: R. Williams - Questionable, D. Banton - Questionable

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

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 Trae Young, ATL | DK: $9.2k, FD: $9.2k | vs. CHI

Young is officially “questionable” with a nagging heel injury, but he has often been playing through it so he should probably considered closer to “probable”. Assuming he suits up, Young lands in a great spot versus the Bulls -- both teams in this game are top-three in pace while the Bulls check in at 25th in DEFRTG. As a result, it’s no surprise to see a slate-high 242.5 over/under pinned on this game with the Hawks being 6.5-point home favorites (124.5 implied team total). Young is averaging a studly 12.0 assists per game this season and has put up a points/assists double-double in 21 of his 28 starts. He hasn’t been immune to his fair share of lackluster performances this season but Young brings plenty of upside at his $9,200 salary on both sites. The “Q” tag by his name may also keep his ownership in check but, of course, make sure he sheds that injury designation before locking him into lineups tonight!

SG/SF Amen Thompson, HOU | DK: $6k, FD: $6.6k | at NOP

Thompson has been among the best bench players in the NBA this season and, with Dillon Brooks (ankle/out) set to miss a second consecutive game, he should earn himself another spot start. Thompson was in the starting five against the Hornets on Monday and went on to provide a 19/11/3 stat line with three blocks and a steal across 38 minutes -- a performance that netted him 46.75 DKFP/46.70 FDFP. Barring a surprise, Thompson will slot in at the starting small forward position and owns dual eligibility at SG and SF on both sites. The depleted Pelicans have ranked dead last versus starting SFs over their L20Games and, considering he should play mid-30s minutes again, Thompson should have no major problems returning value on his $6k DFS salaries. He’s going to be very popular today but he’ll be a tough guy to fade.

SG Trevelin Queen, ORL | DK: $3.6k, FD: $4.2k | vs. MIA

The Magic continue to play without their two best players -- Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner -- and they recently lost arguably their best role player off the bench, Mo Wagner, for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL. The Magic are 26th in the NBA in PPG (107.3) so, in an effort to develop an offensive spark, Trevelin Queen earned his first career start against the Celtics on Monday. Orlando pulled off the upset win over Boston and Queen impressed with a 17-point performance which included three assists and three steals across 34 minutes. Queen has only appeared in five games this season but I can’t imagine they’ll be sending him back into obscurity after his successful showing. So, assuming he starts again, we’ll like Queen at his bargain bin price points. We’ll like him a bit more if SG Gary Harris (hamstring/questionable) remains out, but Harris also has not played in a month so, even if he sheds his questionable designation, he likely won’t play major minutes this evening.

Update: Gary Harris has been ruled out.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC at IND

PG LaMelo Ball, CHA vs. WAS (Boost if B. Miller remains out)

PG/SG Tyler Herro, MIA at ORL

PG/SG Jordan Poole, WAS vs. CHA

SG/SG Desmond Bane, MEM vs. TOR

PG/SG Dyson Daniels, ATL vs. CHI (Boost if Young is out)

PG/SG Malcolm Brogdon, WAS vs. CHA

SG/SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, ORL vs. MIA

SG Duncan Robinson, MIA at ORL

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PG Cade Cunningham, DET at SAC

PG/SG Malik Monk, SAC vs. DET (Boost if Sabonis is out)

PG/SG Collin Sexton, UTA at POR

SG Svi Mykhailiuk, UTA at POR

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF Jalen Johnson, ATL | DK: $9k, FD: $9.2k | vs. CHI

Forward is a little thin at the top of pricing on this slate but you can rarely go wrong by slotting Jalen Johnson into lineups, especially in a match-up as juicy as this one. Johnson brings a high floor to the table on a nightly basis and he went for 54.75 DKFP/53.10 FDFP against the Bulls the last time these teams faced off in late November. Johnson has been a reliable double-double producer throughout the season and, given how many points and possessions there should be in this game, it’d be a mild surprise if he doesn’t record yet another double-double tonight. While I don’t believe Trae Young (heel/questionable) will miss this game, if the star point guard is ruled out, that would boost Johnson’s role as he has taken on a +4.8% USG% boost and +5.6 more FP per 32 minutes increase with Young off the floor.

PF/C Alexandre Sarr, WAS | DK: $5.4k, FD: $6.3k | vs. CHA

Sarr sat out Monday’s game with a back issue but is off the injury report and should be back in the starting lineup this evening. He has shown some nice upside in relation to his current DFS salaries, particularly while Kyle Kuzma (ribs/out) has been sidelined. He excelled against this same Hornets team one week ago, posting a 19/9/5 stat line with three blocks and securing 43.75 DKFP/43.3 FDFP across 33 minutes. We’ll look for the No. 2 overall pick from this year’s NBA Draft to have another productive game this evening.

PF Santi Aldama, MEM | DK: $5.1k, FD: $6.2k | vs. TOR

Aldama has been a brand favorite around these parts for much of the season. Since his minutes are a bit unpredictable, he’s never guaranteed to pay off but Aldama almost always goes under-owned and routinely pops for 35+ FP. Aldama is averaging a stout 1.27 FPPM over his L20Games and if he can find his way to 25-30 minutes tonight, he should excel in this match-up against the Raptors. Toronto is 23rd in overall DEFRTG but they have ranked dead last versus reserve power forwards over their L20Games. Memphis is tied with the Hawks, owning a slate-high 124.5 implied team total, and Aldama should continue to provide a significant spark off the bench.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. BKN (Currently questionable)

PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM vs. TOR

SF/SG Zach LaVine, CHI at ATL (Boost if Giddey and/or Dosunmu are out)

PF/C Bobby Portis, MIL vs. BKN (Preferred if Giannis remains out)

SF Bilal Coulibaly, WAS vs. CHA

PF/C Jabari Smith Jr., HOU at NOP

SF/PF Jake LaRavia, MEM vs. TOR

PF Patrick Williams Jr., CHI at ATL

SF/PF Jaime Jaquez Jr., MIA at ORL (Only if starting again)

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PF/SF Lauri Markkanen, UTA at POR

SF/SG Malik Beasley, DET at SAC

PF Micah Potter, UTA at POR (Only if starting again)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC | DK: $7.3k, FD: $7.6k | at IND

Hartenstein has been a steady presence in the Thunder rotation while Chet Holmgren (hip/out) has been on the mend. Out of his 14 games played this season, Hartenstein has really only disappointed, from a DFS perspective, just once. He is easily averaging a double-double with 13.0 PPG and 12.6 RPG to go along with a strong 1.27 FPPM average. The Pacers represent a fairly middling match-up for opposing centers but the match-up may improve for Hartenstein if Pacers’ starting center Myles Turner (oblique/questionable) is ruled out. Either way, Hartenstein profiles as an excellent floor play with decent 40+ FP potential.

C Mark Williams, CHA | DK: $4.9k, FD: $5.2k | at WAS

The minutes have been tough to come by for Williams but he has made the most of his limited time on the court, averaging a hefty 1.55 FPPM over his four games as a starter. Williams missed most of last season and the start of this season with various injuries, so it’s fair for the Hornets to be cautious with their big man, but given how effective he’s been when he’s out there, you have to think they’ll ramp up his workload sooner rather than later. He’s been paying off his low-end DFS price points while playing under 20 minutes -- if he ever jumps up to, say, 25 minutes, he could be a tournament-winning play.

Other Centers to Consider

C Alperen Sengun, HOU at NOP

C Nikola Vucevic, CHI at ATL

C Yves Missi, NOP vs. HOU

C Clint Capela, ATL vs. CHI

C Zach Edey, MEM vs. TOR

FanDuel Main Slate Only

C Walker Kessler, UTA at POR

C Deandre Ayton, POR vs. UTA

PrizePicks NBA Power Play of the Day ⚡

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's NBA action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these bets so I don't just lightly throw these out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

No picks from me today but there are some great NBA recommendations in the props video posted at the top of this newsletter!

🔥 Props AI 🔥

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing 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 and UnderDog Fantasy!

Speaking of props, put the Props AI tool to use by signing up for PrizePicks (Promo code: LINESTAR) or Underdog (Promo code: LINESTAR). You'll receive a 100% match on first deposits up to $100 PLUS a free month subscription to LineStar Premium. Many people may not realize that you can legally place prop bets in most states using UnderDog (or PrizePicks) – it’s called Pick'Em, and it’s incredibly easy.

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!