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

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NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler & Shannon

NBA DFS & Props shows will be posted later this afternoon. Click the link above to view all of the latest LineStar YouTube content!

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Trade deadline day is here! It has already been a busy week with multiple big names being traded around the league but I’m anxious to see what last-minute deals will be made. For now, we’ll set our sights on the six-game main slate lined up for this Thursday evening. I am writing today’s newsletter earlier than usual so be mindful that the injury report below may be a bit outdated by the time you read this. If there is ever a day when you need to stay on top of any late-breaking news, that would be today! Best of luck!

NBA Trade Tracker (3 pm ET deadline)

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/transactions/trade/

Today’s Key Injuries

• Mavs: A. Davis - Doubtful, PJ Washington - OUT, D. Lively II - OUT, C. Martin - OUT, D. Powell - OUT

• Celtics: J. Holiday - Questionable

• Rockets: F. VanVleet - OUT, T. Eason - Questionable, J. Smith Jr. - OUT, S. Adams - Doubtful

• Timberwolves: J. Randle - OUT, D. DiVincenzo - OUT

• Magic: J. Suggs - Doubtful, K. Caldwell-Pope - Questionable, G. Harris - Questionable

• Nuggets: R. Westbrook - OUT, P. Watson - OUT

• Kings: None

• Trailblazers: None

• Warriors: A. Wiggins - OUT (traded), J. Kuminga - OUT, D. Schroder - OUT (traded), T. Jackson-Davis - Questionable, M. Moody - Questionable, K. Anderson - OUT (traded), G. Santon - Questionable, L. Waters III - OUT (traded)

• Lakers: L. Doncic - OUT, L. James - Probable, D. Knecht - OUT (traded), G. Vincent - Probable, C. Reddish - OUT (traded)

• Pacers: None

• Clippers: None

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/SG Anthony Edwards, MIN | DK: $9.7k, FD: $9.7k | vs. HOU

Ant dropped a 49-point gem in last night’s game versus the Bulls while taking on a mammoth 52.5% USG%! He has now posted at least 59.25 DKFP/59.90 FDFP in three of his last four games. Edwards’ usage rate has increased by +4.34 percentage points with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo (both out) off the floor this season. Both teams in this game rank top 10 in DEFRTG and are in the bottom half of the league in pace, so it’s not a major surprise to see a slate-low 214 over/under being pinned here. However, this should be a very competitive game, given its 1.5-point spread, and the Rockets have allowed the 4th most FPPG to starting SGs L20Games. The 23-year-old Anthony Edwards hasn’t shown any ill effects from back-to-backs this season, so I’m not concerned about that aspect of this play after he logged 37 minutes last night.

SG/SF Christian Braun, DEN | DK: $5.5k, FD: $5.7k | vs. ORL

Braun popped for another spike game last night, finishing with a 23/9/3 stat line along with three steals and a block (46.75 DKFP/49.30 FDFP). Braun has now gone over 46 FP in three of his last four games as a starter and he’s been getting it done on some highly efficient shooting, both recently and throughout the season. Braun’s 62.2% eFG% ranks 6th among all NBA players (min. 25 min/gm) -- all five players ranked ahead of him are centers who take the majority of their shots around the rim. The match-up against the Magic (3rd in DEFRTG, 29th in pace) may not be a sexy one, but Braun went for 38.25 DKFP/35.2 FDFP against them back on Jan. 19th and, at his current price points, we’d happily take a similar result from him tonight. Braun may also have a bit more gas in the tank on the second leg of this back-to-back than some of his other teammates -- Jokic, Porter, and Murray all played 35+ minutes last night while Braun played just 29 minutes.

PG/SG Brandin Podziemski, GSW | DK: $4.4k, FD: $5.1k | at LAL

The Warriors completed a trade last night that will net them Jimmy Butler while sending away Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, and Lindy Waters III. Brandin Podziemski ended up receiving a spot start last night and responded with 29 points and 45.5 DKFP/44.20 FDFP across 40 minutes of action. Obviously, Jimmy Butler isn’t going to be available to make his Warriors debut just yet and the Warriors also lost some role players in the trade process. So, there aren’t many scenarios in which Podziemski doesn’t receive another start, and there is a reasonable chance he sticks in the starting rotation moving forward. Regardless, he is priced too low for his current role so he’ll be one of the most obvious value plays on this slate. His ownership will be through the roof, but it’s simply some tough value to pass up on.

Other Guards to Consider

PG James Harden, LAC vs. IND

PG/SF Amen Thompson, HOU at MIN

PG/SG Austin Reaves, LAL vs. GSW

PG Steph Curry, GSW at LAL

PG/SG Malik Monk, SAC at POR

SG/SF Norman Powell, LAC vs. IND

PG/SG Anfernee Simons, POR vs. SAC

PG/SG Derrick White, BOS vs. DAL

PG/SG Cole Anthony, ORL at DEN

PG TJ McConnell, IND at LAC

SG Buddy Hield, GSW at LAL

PG/SG Shake Milton, LAL vs. GSW

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF/PF Jayson Tatum, BOS | DK: $9.8k, FD: $10.1k | vs. DAL

The obvious spend-up at forward today looks to be LeBron, who should continue to shoulder a huge role before the new-look Lakers lineup with Luke Doncic and Mark Williams takes shape. As a pivot off of the highly-owned LeBron, we could consider Jayson Tatum, who has shown signs of emerging out of a recent funk. Tatum has put up at least 20 shots in three straight games, highlighted by a 35/7/11 game (66.75 DKFP/62.90 FDF) against the 76ers on Sunday. Right now, Tatum is projecting for 5-10% ownership, so there is plenty of leverage to be had by rolling him out. It’s also an excellent match-up as the Mavs have allowed the 3rd most FPPG to PF starters L20Games. I’ll like this game atmosphere a bit more if Anthony Davis (abdomen/questionable) is able to make his Dallas debut since that would increase the odds of this match-up staying competitive.

Update: AD now officially “doubtful” to make his Mavs debut tonight. Tatum remains a strong leverage play.

SF/PF Michael Porter Jr., DEN | DK: $6.4k, FD: $7k | vs. ORL

MPJ has now strung together two monster games heading into tonight, combining for 75 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block over his last two starts. As mentioned yesterday, the Peyton Watson (knee/out) injury seems to be having a clear impact on Porter’s minutes -- Porter has averaged 39.3 Min/gm in the three games since Watson got hurt. Russell Westbrook (hamstring/out) being injured also opens up a bit more usage and peripheral stats for the other Nuggets starters. It’s not exactly a hot take, but I’d expect Porter to cool off a bit tonight -- this is a back-to-back, and the match-up isn’t great. Nonetheless, he is still at a reasonable-enough price and deserves plenty of consideration on this fairly small slate.

PF Jarred Vanderbilt, LAL | DK: $3.2k, FD: $4k | vs. GSW

Vanderbilt has averaged a quality 1.06 FPPM in the five games he has played since making his season debut for the Lakers. He got up to a season-high 18 minutes in the previous game on Tuesday, and he’ll be a good bet to play 18-22 minutes tonight. That may not seem like much run because, well, it isn’t. But Vandy is capable of piling up the stats in a hurry and, if you need a dirt cheap play to jam in multiple studs today, I’d say you could do far worse than taking a flier on Vanderbilt.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF LeBron James, LAL vs. GSW

SF Franz Wagner, ORL at DEN

SF/PF Deni Avdija, POR vs. SAC

PF/C Naz Reid, MIN vs. HOU

SF/PF Rui Hachimura, LAL vs. GSW

PF Tari Eason, HOU at MIN (Currently questionable - Preferred if starting again)

PF Derrick Jones Jr., LAC vs. IND

SF Dante Exum, DAL at BOS (Only if starting)

SF/PF Dorian Finney-Smith, LAL vs. GSW

PF/C Zeke Nnaji, DEN vs. ORL (Only if A. Gordon is out + Nnaji starts)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Alperen Sengun, HOU | DK: $8.8k, FD: $8.8k | at MIN

Upon his return to action on Tuesday, Sengun looked no worse for the wear following a three-game absence due to a calf injury as he went on to supply a 24-point, 20-rebound double-double and 55.0 DKFP/51.0 FDFP across 35 minutes versus the Nets. Sometimes, even if it is due to injury, a brief period of rest in the middle of the season can be a blessing in disguise for some of these big men and it was certainly encouraging to see Sengun play mid-30s minutes right out of the gates. Normally, the Timberwolves are a match-up I avoid when it comes to centers -- they’ve ranked 2nd versus starting centers this season. But Sengun has had no issues against them. In the first match-up versus the T-Wolves this season, Sengun posted a 22/10/11 triple-double (with three blocks and three steals) and he followed that up with a big 38-point, 12-rebound game the second go-round in late December. Overall, he has averaged 60.25 DKFP/60.7 FDFP against Minnesota this season and he has also seen a team-high usage boost with both Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. (both out) off the floor. There will still be some risk involved but I also love both the leverage and upside for Sengun today at his reasonable $8,800 salary on both sites.

C Kevon Looney, GSW | DK: $4k, FD: $4.2k | at LAL

If you’re looking to go cheap at center, Looney has certainly been getting it done from a value perspective. He may not be starting anymore, but Looney has still put up 1.20 FPPM over his L5Games and he has scored at least 26.5 DKFP/27.5 FDFP in four of those previous five games. Looney’s minutes off the bench will be more secure if Trayce Jackson-Davis (knee/questionable) remains out tonight. If TJD is active, I’ll be more hesitant to trust Looney since Quinten Post will eat up some center minutes as well.

Other Centers to Consider

C Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. ORL

C Domantas Sabonis, SAC at POR

C Kristaps Porzingis, BOS vs. DAL

C Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. IND

C Daniel Gafford, DAL at BOS

C Deandre Ayton, POR vs. SAC

C Quinten Post, GSW at LAL (Preferred if T. Jackson-Davis remains out)

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.

Brandin Podziemski MORE than 13.5 Points

Naz Reid MORE than 2.5 Three-Pointers Made

🔥 Props AI 🔥

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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!