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

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DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

We’ve got a fully loaded Friday slate with 11 games on DraftKings and 12 on FanDuel (including DAL–OKC). It’s a strong overall board with several appealing DFS environments, but the injury report is the real headline tonight. Nearly every team has at least one major piece either out, doubtful, or questionable, and some -- like the Lakers, Cavs, Hawks, Sixers, and Bulls -- have multiple high-impact situations that could swing the slate in a big way.

Between the volume of games and the sheer number of moving parts, value is going to open fast as news hits. Expect plenty of late projection shifts, and be ready to adjust as starting lineups roll in. Let’s get to it, and 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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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.}

• Lakers: L. Doncic - OUT, L. James - OUT, M. Smart - OUT

• Celtics: None

• Heat: T. Herro - Doubtful

• Magic: None (Banchero back from a 10-game absence)

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

• Hawks: J. Johnson - Questionable, T. Young - OUT, K. Porzingis - Questionable

• Hornets: L. Ball - Probable, B. Miller - Questionable, C. Sexton - OUT, R. Kalkbrenner - Questionable, T. Mann - Questionable, P. Connaughton - OUT

• Raptors: RJ Barrett - OUT, O. Agbaji - OUT

• Spurs: V. Wembanyama - OUT, S. Castle - OUT, L. Kornet - OUT, J. McLaughlin - OUT

• Cavs: E. Mobley - Questionable, D. Garland - OUT, J. Allen - OUT, S. Merrill - OUT, T. Proctor - OUT, L. Nance Jr. - OUT

• Trailblazers: J. Holiday - OUT, D. Clingan - Questionable, R. Williams - Questionable, K. Murray - Questionable

• Pistons: D. Robinson - Questionable, M. Sasser - Questionable (would be season debut)

• Jazz: J. Nurkic - Questionable

• Knicks: OG Anunoby - Questionable, L. Shamet - OUT

• Pacers: A. Nesmith - OUT, Q. Jackson - OUT, B. Sheppard - OUT

• Bulls: C. White - Questionable, A. Dosunmu - Questionable, T. Jones - Doubtful, K. Huerter - OUT, J. Smith - Doubtful, P. Williams - Probable, I. Okoro - Doubtful, D. Terry - Probable, Z. Collins - Questionable (would be season debut)

• Suns: D. Booker - OUT, J. Green - OUT, I. Livers - Questionable

• Rockets: A. Sengun - Questionable, T. Eason - OUT

• Clippers: B. Bogdanovic - OUT, D. Jones Jr. - OUT, J. Miller - Questionable

• Grizzlies: J. Morant - OUT

• 76ers: J. Embiid - OUT, K. Oubre Jr. - OUT, T. Watford - OUT

• Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - OUT

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

• Mavs: PJ Washington - Questionable, D. Gafford - OUT, D. Lively II - OUT

• Thunder: I. Hartenstein - OUT, I. Joe - Questionable, L. Dort - OUT, A. Caruso - 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 🏀

SG Austin Reaves, LAL | DK: $9.5k, FD: $9k | at BOS

As expected, Reaves went crazy in last night’s contest with Luka Doncic (personal) out of the lineup, dropping 44/5/10 and 66.75 DKFP while taking on a 35.7% USG%. Luka remains out this evening, and now LeBron (foot/doubtful) isn’t expected to suit up on the second leg of the back-to-back. Reaves has posted monster 38.2% USG%, 42.7% Assist Rate, and 1.66 FPPM with Luka and LeBron off the floor this season -- in three full games without them, Reaves has averaged 67.2 DKFP/gm. As long as fatigue isn’t a major factor (he played 41 minutes last night), Reaves should dominate the usage and ball-handling responsibilities in a big way tonight. Boston has defended starting PGs well this season, but they rank 22nd versus the position over their last five. Without two of their big three stars, the Lakers are 8.5-point underdogs, and their 109.5 implied team total is the second-lowest on the slate. But, even with elevated price points, Reaves has a great chance of hitting value due to the immense workload he’ll need to take on. And he’ll need another huge game if the Lakers are going to pull off the upset.

Update: LeBron is officially out.

PG Kevin Porter Jr., MIL | DK: $6.6k, FD: $6.8k | vs. PHI

With Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) sidelined for the next two to four weeks, Kevin Porter Jr. steps into a massive opportunity for Milwaukee. He has played in only four games this season after missing time due to a back injury, but the fantasy production has been immediate since he returned to the lineup last Saturday. KPJ posted 50.5 DKFP in 31 minutes in his second game back, then followed that up with 41.0 DKFP across 35 minutes on Wednesday. His usage rate jumped to an outrageous 34.5% in that last game, in large part because Giannis only played three minutes, and he is averaging 1.40 FPPM on the year, which is elite for someone in this mid-$6k range. He’s projected for mid-30s minutes tonight in a competitive matchup (MIL +1.5), and if he continues commanding this level of usage, he is simply underpriced. The 76ers also check in at 28th in DvP versus starting backcourts over their last 10 games. KPJ is shaping up as one of the strongest mid-tier guard spends on the slate and a very logical building block in all formats.

PG TJ McConnell, IND | DK: $4.7k, FD: $5.6k | at CHI

We’ll likely get more standout value guards once more injury news drops, but, for now, McConnell jumps out as one of the stronger salary-saver guards on DraftKings at just $4,700. He rarely sees huge minutes, but that has never stopped him from producing at a high per-minute rate. Case in point: he played only 16.5 minutes against Denver on Wednesday and still dropped 31.75 DKFP. With guard Ben Sheppard (calf/out) missing his first game of the season, McConnell should land somewhere in the low-to-mid 20s minutes range, which is plenty of time for him to post another excellent point-per-dollar performance. McConnell has met or exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of his last eight games, and the fast-paced Bulls remain a very beatable matchup for ballhandlers. He’s a perfectly viable value play on FD as well, but the DK tag is especially appealing.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Tyrese Maxey, PHI at MIL

PG Cade Cunningham, DET vs. POR

SG Donovan Mitchell, CLE vs. SAS

PG James Harden, LAC at MEM

PG Jamal Murray, DEN at ATL

PG/SG Ryan Rollins, MIL vs. PHI

PG Jalen Suggs, ORL vs. MIA

PG/SG Collin Gillespie, PHX at HOU

PG/SF Vince Williams Jr., MEM vs. LAC

SG/SF Shaedon Sharpe, POR at DET

SG Toumani Camara, POR at DET

PG/SG Anthony Black, ORL vs. MIA

SG/SF Jordan Goodwin, PHX at HOU

PG Craig Porter Jr., CLE vs. SAS

PG Jamal Shead, TOR vs. CHA

PG Dru Smith, MIA at ORL

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC vs. DAL

PG Ryan Nembhard, DAL at OKC

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF Jaylen Brown, BOS | DK: $9.5k, FD: $9.4k | vs. LAL

Perhaps a slight gamble here, as Jaylen Brown missed last night’s game due to an illness. But he is now off the injury report entirely, so, as long as there are no lingering side effects from that illness, he sets up as a strong spend-up forward this evening. Brown has been on an absolute tear over his last five, averaging 34.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.6 STL+BLK/gm, and 1.56 FPPM on an enormous 39.3% USG%. Any time a player is pushing a 40% usage rate over a decent span of games, they’re going to be impossible to ignore. Considering that the Celtics are 8-2 over their last 10 games, I don’t see any reason they should change what they’ve been doing, which is letting Jaylen Brown dominate with the greenest of green lights. The Luka/LeBron-less Lakers also head into this matchup ranking dead last in DvP versus small forwards over their last five games.

SF/SG Norman Powell, MIA | DK: $6.6k, FD: $6.9k | at ORL

Norman Powell doesn’t usually offer much in the way of strong peripheral stats, but he continues to do what he does best: score in bunches. He’s dropped 28+ points in three of his last four games and is coming off a 44.25 DKFP performance in his most recent outing. He missed Miami’s last game with an ankle issue but enters tonight with no injury designation. His salary has dipped back under $7k on both sites after climbing into the mid-$7k range before Tyler Herro made his season debut last Monday, and with Herro (toe) now doubtful, Powell should slide right back into his pre-Herro usage. When the two have shared the floor, Powell has acquired a modest 21.3% USG% and 0.95 FPPM, but without Herro on the court, those numbers have spiked to a team-leading 27.7% USG% and a much stronger 1.23 FPPM. Assuming Herro is eventually ruled out, Powell becomes one of the best mid-tier wing options on the slate and brings real 40+ FP potential again tonight. Powell also popped for a 28/9/4 stat line and 49.75 DKFP against the Magic in the first game of the season, so this is clearly a matchup he can thrive in, and this game features a huge 241.5 over/under with a fairly close spread (MIA +5.5).

SF/PF Jake LaRavia, LAL | DK: $4.5k, FD: $3.9k | at PHI

With Luka (personal) already ruled out and LeBron (foot/doubtful) trending toward a scratch, Jake LaRavia becomes a legitimate value option on this slate. He hasn’t been a major fantasy contributor when the Lakers are at full strength -- averaging just 0.77 FPPM on the season -- but that bumps to a more respectable 0.87 FPPM with both superstars off the floor. Though he will likely continue to play off the bench, he projects for 30.5 minutes tonight and, in the four games he’s played without both Luka and LeBron this season, LaRavia has averaged 30.6 DKFP, which is extremely strong for someone sitting at $4.5k on DraftKings and sub-$4k on FanDuel.

Update: LeBron is officially out.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK vs. UTA

SF/PG Deni Avdija, POR at DET

PF Scottie Barnes, TOR vs. CHA

PF/C Evan Mobley, CLE vs. SAS (Currently questionable)

SF/SG Kevin Durant, HOU vs. PHX (Boost if Sengun is out)

SF Kawhi Leonard, LAC at MEM

SF/SG Josh Hart, NYK vs. UTA (Preferred if Anunoby remains out)

SF Dillon Brooks, PHX at HOU

SF/PF Jerami Grant, POR at DET (Boost if Clingan is out)

PF/C Bobby Portis, MIL vs. PHI (Preferred if starting)

PF/C Kyle Filipowski, UTA at NYK (Preferred if Nurkic is out + Filipowski starts again)

SF AJ Green, MIL vs. PHI

PF Tobias Harris, DET vs. POR

PF Jordan Walsh, BOS vs. LAL

SF/PF Jarace Walker, IND at CHI (Only if starting)

PF Jeremy Sochan, SAS at CLE

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SF/PF Jalen Williams, OKC vs. DAL

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Zach Edey, MEM | DK: $7.4k, FD: $7.6k | vs. LAC

Edey has been on a nice roll, scoring an outstanding 1.50 FPPM over his last six games. Outside of the game against the Nuggets, where he played only six minutes, Edey has corralled 15+ boards in his other five recent contests while also averaging 17.8 PPG and 3.0 BLK/gm in those games. This is a sizable pace-down spot (MEM: 12th in pace, LAC: 28th in pace), and Edey does have a wide range of outcomes even when he plays 30+ minutes. But it’s a strong individual matchup (LAC ranks 21st vs. starting centers) and if you want a < 10% center with some significant upside, Edey should be on the radar.

C Kelly Olynyk, SAS | DK: $3.2k, FD: $3.7k | at CLE

Kelly Olynyk is shaping up as a strong salary-saver with superstar Victor Wembanyama out for a tenth consecutive game, and Luke Kornet ruled out for the first time since taking over as the interim starting center. Olynyk is near-min salary on DK and still very affordable on FD, yet projects for roughly 22 minutes -- plenty for someone who continues to produce well on a per-minute basis (0.94 FPPM this season). Whenever Olynyk lands in that low-20s minute range, he routinely beats value at these price points, and tonight’s opportunity should be no different, especially if he grabs a spot in the starting lineup.

Other Centers to Consider

C Nikola Jokic, DEN at ATL

C Nikola Vucevic, CHI vs. IND

C Myles Turner, MIL vs. PHI

C Moussa Diabate, CHA at TOR (Boost if Kalkbrenner is out)

C Steven Adams, HOU vs. PHX (Major boost if Sengun is out)

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PF/C Chet Holmgren, OKC vs. DAL

🔥 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!