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

NBA DFS Today w/ Tyler Wiemann

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

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

It will take some time before the full impact of the NBA trade deadline truly reveals itself, but as we do every season, we’ll make our best judgments and adjust as we go. We head into a big sports weekend with a modest Friday NBA main slate – four games on DraftKings and six on FanDuel with the inclusion of the two 10:00 PM ET tip-offs. It’s a solid-looking slate overall, and with no double-digit spreads on the board, we should get some competitive games across the slate. We will also get a little more time than usual to put our game plan together, as the first game will not lock until 7:30 PM ET. Best of luck, and I hope everyone enjoys their Super Bowl Sunday!

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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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

Reminder: Keep an eye out for the availability of recently traded players!

• Heat: T. Herro – OUT

• Celtics: None

• Knicks: K. Towns – DOUBTFUL, J. Hart – Probable, OG Anunoby – Questionable, M. McBride – OUT, J. Alvarado – OUT

• Pistons: J. Duren – Questionable, T. Harris – Probable, D. Robinson – Probable

• Pacers: I. Zubac – OUT, M. Potter – Questionable

• Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo – OUT, B. Portis – Questionable, K. Kuzma – OUT, G. Harris – Questionable

• Pelicans: D. Terry – OUT

• Timberwolves: J. Randle – Questionable, A. Dosunmu – OUT, J. Phillips – OUT

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

• Clippers: D. Garland – OUT, B. Mathurin – OUT, I. Jackson – OUT

• Kings: D. Sabonis – Questionable, K. Murray – OUT

• Grizzlies: J. Morant – OUT, Z. Edey – OUT, S. Aldama – OUT, T. Jerome – OUT, S. Pippen Jr. – Questionable (would be season debut), K. Anderson – Questionable

• Trailblazers: D. Avdija – Questionable, K. Murray – 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 Anthony Edwards, MIN | DK: $9.5k, FD: $10.1k | vs. NOP

Unlike many recent games, Edwards doesn’t land on the injury report today and comes in off back-to-back performances with 54.75+ DKFP. He draws an excellent matchup against a leaky Pelicans defense that ranks dead last in DvP versus starting SGs and has allowed the third-most FPPG to the position over the last 20 games. Minnesota also owns the highest implied team total on the slate at 123.0 points and this game features a slate-high 236.5 over/under, which indicates a strong overall environment. Julius Randle (thumb) is questionable, and if he sits, Edwards would see a tangible bump in his usage rate (+2.5% USG% boost in Randle on/off splits). Even if Randle plays, Edwards’ combination of volume, minutes, and matchup gives him a clear path to another ceiling game.

PG Payton Pritchard, BOS | DK: $7.2k, FD: $7.5k | vs. MIA

In an interesting mid-season adjustment, the Celtics have moved Pritchard to the bench in each of their last two games. While Jaylen Brown sat out one of those contests, Pritchard’s sixth-man role has resulted in 41.5 and 43.25 DKFP, scoring 26+ points with seven assists in both outings. He still closed both games alongside the starters, but the added run with the second unit has given him more freedom to command the offense and elevate his usage (26+% USG% L2Games vs. 21.2% USG% on the season). It remains to be seen whether this level of production holds if the role continues, but the setup is solid for another 40+ FP effort. And, as a reminder, Pritchard is the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, so this recent role is one he is familiar with. Boston (30th in pace) picks up the largest possible pace boost against Miami (1st in pace), and the Heat rank 27th in DvP versus bench PGs this season. Interestingly, Pritchard would actually be less appealing if he’s pushed back into the starting lineup tonight.

PG/SG Jeremiah Fears, NOP | DK: $3.8k, FD: $5.1k | at MIN

Fears could see a slight bump in opportunity with Jose Alvarado no longer in the mix, and even a modest increase in minutes would go a long way at this salary. He’s averaged a strong 1.14 FPPM over his last five games and has scored at least 24.0 DKFP in two of his past three outings despite playing under 22 minutes in both. Fears is particularly appealing on DraftKings, where his price leaves more room for profit if he pushes into the 20–25 minute range. He’s already had success against Minnesota this season, averaging 37.25 DKFP in two prior meetings, albeit in a larger role at the time. The Timberwolves have also allowed the fourth-most FPPG to second-unit players over their last 20 games.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Cade Cunningham, DET vs. NYK

PG Ryan Rollins, MIL vs. IND

PG Trey Murphy III, NOP at MIN

PG Kevin Porter Jr., MIL vs. IND

PG Andrew Nembhard, IND at MIL

PG Donte DiVincenzo, MIN vs. NOP (Boost if Randle is out)

SG/PG AJ Green, MIL vs. IND

SG/SF Herbert Jones, NOP at MIN

SG/SF Landry Shamet, NYK at DET (Preferred if Anunoby is out)

PG TJ McConnell, IND at MIL

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PG/SG Cam Spencer, MEM at POR

SG/SF Cedric Coward, MEM at POR

PG Jrue Holiday, POR vs. MEM (Boost if Avdija is out)

PG/SG Kris Dunn, LAC at SAC

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF Jaylen Brown, BOS | DK: $9.7k, FD: $10k | vs. MIA

Brown continues to thrive with Jayson Tatum sidelined, and he’s been putting together one of the most productive stretches of his career without sacrificing efficiency. He’s been on a strong fantasy run as well, eclipsing 51 DKFP in seven of his last nine games while averaging 1.44 FPPM in that stretch. This matchup adds another layer of appeal, as Boston receives the largest possible pace boost, going from dead last in pace to facing a Miami team that ranks first. The Heat have also struggled badly against opposing small forwards of late, ranking dead last in DvP versus the position over their last 10 games. Nikola Vucevic is expected to make his Celtics debut tonight and could absorb some usage but, on a shorter slate as this one, Brown still profiles as a high-end priority spend-up with a strong combination of volume, efficiency, and environment.

PF/C Naz Reid, MIN | DK: $6.3k, FD: $6.7k | vs. NOP

Reid has been playing some of his best basketball of the season, backed by both steadier minutes and a noticeable jump in per-minute production. He’s up to 1.33 FPPM over his last five games and has consistently produced whenever his role expands. Julius Randle is questionable, and if he were to miss his first game of the season, Reid would be in line for a sizable minutes bump into the 32–35 range, well above his 26.4 minutes per game baseline. The matchup also sets up favorably, as New Orleans ranks 26th in DvP versus backup power forwards. Reid has already found success in this spot, averaging 41.5 DKFP across two previous meetings with the Pelicans this season. Even if Randle plays, Reid remains firmly in play, but his ceiling would rise considerably if the frontcourt rotation thins.

SF Aaron Nesmith, IND | DK: $5.6k, FD: $5.7k | at MIL

Nesmith steps into a stable role with Bennedict Mathurin no longer in the mix and should see a healthy workload on Friday. With Mathurin off the floor this season, he’s averaged a respectable 0.85 FPPM, and the minutes projection sits around 32.0 today, giving him a solid path to value. He’s topped 30.5 DKFP in three of his last five games, which is more than enough production at this salary range. The matchup is trending in his favor as well, as Milwaukee has slipped to 23rd in DvP versus starting small forwards over their last 10 games. Nesmith brings a reliable floor at these price points, with enough peripheral production to flirt with a ceiling outcome if things break his way.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Pascal Siakam, IND at MIL

PF Zion Williamson, NOP at MIN

SF/SG Josh Hart, NYK at DET (Boost if Anunoby is out)

SF Jaden McDaniels, MIN vs. NOP (Boost if Randle is out)

SF Ausar Thompson, DET vs. NYK

SF/SG Pelle Larsson, MIA at BOS

PF Ronald Holland II, DET vs. NYK (Preferred if Duren is out)

SF/SG Gary Trent Jr., MIL vs. IND (Boost if starting)

SF/SG Baylor Scheierman, BOS vs. MIA (Only if he starts again)

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SF/PF Kawhi Leonard, LAC at SAC

SF/PF Toumani Camara, POR vs. MEM (Boost if Avdija is out)

PF/SF GG Jackson, MEM at POR

SF/SG Jaylen Wells, MEM at POR

PF/C Olivier-Maxence Provence, MEM at POR (Preferred if starting)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Mitchell Robinson, NYK | DK: $4.3k, FD: $4.3k | at DET

Spending up at center isn’t especially appealing on this slate, so it makes sense to spotlight some more affordable bigs. Karl-Anthony Towns (eye) is officially doubtful, which would open the door for Robinson to step into the starting lineup. While many of his previous starts haven’t always produced eye-popping results, this would be just the second game all season in which Robinson is active while KAT is sidelined. The last instance came on December 7th against Orlando, when Robinson logged 25 minutes and finished with 28.75 DKFP. New York will likely continue to monitor his workload and mix in other backup frontcourt pieces (e.g. Ariel Hukporti, Trey Jemison, or Dillon Jones), but if Robinson is in line for roughly 25 minutes again, his 1.10 FPPM on the season makes him an excellent value at $4,300 on both sites.

C Pete Nance, MIL | DK: $3.6k, FD: $4k | vs. IND

We may need Bobby Portis (hip/questionable) to sit out a third consecutive game for this value play to pay off, but Nance has been productive lately off the Bucks’ bench and could continue to see some decent run tonight. He has posted at least 24.5 DKFP in three of his last four games while averaging 1.10 FPPM in that span. He currently projects for 19.5 minutes, which would be enough run for him to turn in another solid point-per-dollar performance. Kyle Kuzma (calf) being ruled out does also open up some additional frontcourt minutes so, even if Portis is back in action, Nance should hang onto a decent role.

Other Centers to Consider

C Jalen Duren, DET vs. NYK (Currently questionable)

C Rudy Gobert, MIN vs. NOP (Boost if Randle is out)

C Myles Turner, MIL vs. IND

C/PF Jay Huff, IND at MIL

C Paul Reed, DET vs. NYK (Only if Duren is out)

C Jericho Sims, MIL vs. IND (Preferred if Portis is out)

FanDuel Main Slate Only

C Donovan Clingan, POR vs. MEM

C Robert Williams, POR vs. MEM

C Brook Lopez, LAC at SAC

C Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, LAC at SAC

🔥 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!