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

🏀Tyler’s NBA (and other sports) prop bets can be found on the LineStar YouTube Shorts page!🏀

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

We’ll close out 2025 with a five-game NBA main slate! The board features a few even matchups, a couple of potential blowouts, and some injury absences to some key players. Just about every player that is banged up has already been ruled out and the one truly impactful questionable designation belongs to Stephon Castle. Let’s jump straight into it! Best of luck!

Note: I’m a bit short on time today, so this will be a more concise newsletter than usual. And of course -- Happy New Year to everyone!

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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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

• Pelicans: H. Jones – OUT, J. Alvarado – OUT

• Bulls: J. Giddey – OUT, C. White – OUT, Z. Collins – OUT

• Knicks: J. Hart – OUT, M. Robinson – OUT, L. Shamet – OUT

• Spurs: S. Castle – Questionable, D. Vassell – OUT

• Nuggets: N. Jokic – OUT, A. Gordon – OUT, C. Johnson – OUT, C. Braun – OUT, J. Strawther – Probable

• Raptors: J. Poeltl – OUT

• Wizards: K. George – OUT, C. Kispert – OUT

• Bucks: None

• Trailblazers: J. Holiday – OUT, J. Grant – OUT, K. Murray – Questionable

• Thunder: I. Hartenstein – OUT, Jay. Williams – OUT, O. Dieng – 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 🏀

PG Jamal Murray, DEN | DK: $9.3k, FD: $9.1k | at TOR

With Nikola Jokic sidelined and Denver now missing multiple starters, Jamal Murray is left as the clear offensive focal point. While his usage hasn’t fully spiked yet without Jokic, the path to heavier volume is obvious given the lack of alternatives. Murray has been in strong form regardless, topping 46.5 DKFP in four of his last five games and averaging 1.41 FPPM in that span. At these price points, he stands out as one of the cleaner high-end guard options as Denver reshapes its offense around him.

PG/SG Jordan Poole, NOP | DK: $5.0k, FD: $5.5k | at CHI

Jordan Poole is back in the mix after dealing with some injury woes and has flashed upside in two of his last three games, posting 36.75 DKFP against New York and 42.25 against Phoenix. He’s averaging 1.06 FPPM over the past month and now lands in the best game environment on the slate, as Pelicans–Bulls carries a massive 246.5 total (and a narrow 2.5-point spread). Chicago has struggled with opposing bench guards, ranking 24th in DvP versus the position over their last 20 games. Poole is a bit volatile, but the role, pace, and scoring environment give him clear upside at a modest tag.

PG/SG Tre Jones, CHI | DK: $4.5k, FD: $5.4k | vs. NOP

Tre Jones shapes up as one of the strongest value guards on the slate with Chicago missing both Josh Giddey and Coby White. That opens the door for expanded run, and Jones has been efficient when on the floor this season at 1.02 FPPM. He’s projected for close to 30 minutes, which is plenty given his ability to contribute as both a scorer and distributor. With dual guard eligibility and a clear path to minutes, Jones is tough to pass up in a condensed slate like this.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Jalen Brunson, NYK at SAS

PG Kevin Porter Jr., MIL vs. WAS

PG De’Aaron Fox, SAS vs. NYK (Preferred if Castle is out)

SG Trey Murphy III, NOP at CHI

PG Immanuel Quickley, TOR vs. DEN

PG/SG Ryan Rollins, MIL vs. WAS

SG/SF Ayo Dosunmu, CHI vs. NOP (Assuming he starts)

SG/SF Tim Hardaway Jr., DEN at TOR

PG/SG Cason Wallace, OKC vs. POR

PG/SG Tre Johnson, WAS at MIL

SG/SF Ja’Kobe Walter, TOR vs. DEN

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF Zion Williamson, NOP | DK: $7.1k, FD: $7.7k | at CHI

Zion Williamson residing in the $7k range stands out given his per-minute production when he’s on the floor. Since returning from injury eight games ago, he’s averaged 1.39 FPPM and just went for 48.25 DKFP in 29 minutes against the Knicks – which was also his first game back in the starting lineup since his most recent injury absence. His workload has been capped around 28-30 minutes recently, but that’s still plenty in a matchup against the Bulls, who continue to struggle defensively – they’ve allowed the most FPPG to starting power forwards over their last 20 contests. In a game environment that should stay fast and fantasy-friendly, Zion has clear upside even with the light minutes limit in place.

PF Matas Buzelis, CHI | DK: $4.6k, FD: $5.7k | vs. NOP

Matas Buzelis may not see a major minutes spike, but his usage jumps meaningfully with Josh Giddey and Coby White off the floor. In that split, he’s seeing a +6.7% usage bump and has averaged 1.01 FPPM, and projects for around 27 minutes tonight. That’s enough runway to hit solid value. I’m kind of spamming these Chicago players today, but it’s tough to get away from the Bulls’ value on this slate, particularly on DraftKings, where several of these guys simply weren’t priced up enough (or at all).

SF/SG Kevin Huerter, CHI | DK: $4.3k, FD: $5.3k | vs. NOP

Kevin Huerter is yet another Bulls option that should see an expanded role with Josh Giddey and Coby White sidelined, and even with him likely to still play off of the bench, he’s projecting for around 30 minutes this evening. With both Giddey and White off the floor this season, Huerter has averaged a rock-solid 1.05 FPPM while seeing a meaningful +3.5% usage bump. He’s not a high-floor option, but the minutes and shot volume should be there in a fast, fantasy-friendly spot. Huerter looks particularly attractive on DraftKings at his $4,300 price tag, though he remains viable at $5,300 on FanDuel with real 6x (or better) upside.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF Scottie Barnes, TOR vs. DEN

SF Jalen Williams, OKC vs. POR

PF Chet Holmgren, OKC vs. POR

PF OG Anunoby, NYK at SAS

PF/C Jalen Smith, CHI vs. NOP

SF/PF Keldon Johnson, SAS vs. NYK (Boost if Castle is out)

PF/C Collin Murray-Boyles, TOR vs. DEN

PF Mohamed Diawara, NYK at SAS (Only if starting again)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Victor Wembanyama, SAS | DK: $9.9k, FD: $11.4k | vs. NYK

Victor Wembanyama is still operating under a minutes cap, but his per-minute production remains absolutely elite. Since returning from the calf injury, he’s averaged an absurd 1.83 FPPM, allowing him to rack up fantasy points without needing a full workload. Even in limited run, his scoring, rebounding, and defensive stats give him access to a strong ceiling. We could also insert a light revenge narrative here in this NBA Cup Championship Game rematch. He stands out much more on DraftKings given the four-figure price tag compared to FanDuel.

C Jonas Valanciunas, NOP | DK: $5.5k, FD: $5.5k | at TOR

With Nikola Jokic sidelined, Jonas Valanciunas should step into the starting lineup, which immediately puts him on the DFS radar. He’s continued to be an outstanding per-minute producer, averaging 1.28 FPPM this season, but has only played 13.0 minutes/gm behind Jokic -- he’s projected for 28 minutes in this expanded role tonight. The matchup against Toronto isn’t ideal, as they’ve allowed the 2nd-fewest FPPG to starting centers over their last 20, but Valanciunas doesn’t need a perfect spot to pay off when his minutes are elevated.

Other Centers to Consider

C Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK at SAS

C Nikola Vucevic, CHI vs. NOP

C Derik Queen, NOP at CHI

C Myles Turner, MIL vs. WAS

🔥 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!