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

NBA DFS Today w/ Tyler Wiemann

🏀Tyler’s NBA prop bets can be found on the LineStar YouTube Shorts page!🏀

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

A seven-game Friday NBA slate takes us into the weekend. Like most late-season slates, this one features a mix of potential blowouts and a few competitive matchups. Outside of the Bulls, the injury report is fairly clean with limited impactful questionable tags.

With the MLB season now underway, in an effort to get both newsletters posted as soon as possible, these NBA breakdowns will be trimmed down to keep things efficient while still hitting the key spots. We’re also nearing the finish line, with every team down to 10 or fewer games remaining on the regular season schedule, so the playoffs are on the horizon!

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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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

• Clippers: None

• Pacers: A. Nesmith – Probable, O. Toppin – Questionable

• Hawks: J. Landale – Questionable

• Celtics: J. Brown – OUT, N. Vucevic – OUT

• Heat: J. Jaquez Jr. – Probable

• Cavs: J. Allen – Probable, J. Tyson – OUT, D. Wade – OUT, C. Porter Jr. – OUT

• Rockets: None

• Grizzlies: T. Jerome – OUT, J. Mashack – DOUBTFUL, J. Wells – OUT

• Bulls: A. Simons – OUT, J. Smith – OUT, N. Richards – Questionable, J. Ivey – OUT, G. Yabusele – Questionable, R. Dillingham – Probable, I. Okoro – Probable

• Thunder: C. Holmgren – OUT

• Pelicans: T. Murphy III – OUT, D. Murray – OUT

• Raptors: I. Quickley – OUT

• Jazz: L. Markkanen – OUT, I. Collier – OUT, K. George – OUT

• Nuggets: None

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: $9.1k, FD: $9.6k | vs. UTA

The Nuggets carry a massive 134.0 implied team total tonight, which is about as high as you’ll see. While there’s clear blowout risk with Denver nearly 20-point favorites, this game can still produce strong fantasy outputs, especially if Utah manages to keep things somewhat competitive. Murray has averaged a strong 1.25 FPPM over his last five starts, coming off a 53-point, 69.0 DKFP performance on Wednesday, and he also posted 64.0 DKFP in the previous meeting with the Jazz. If he approaches a full workload, Murray has clear upside in this spot against a Utah team that ranks 29th in DEFRTG.

PG Andrew Nembhard, IND | DK: $6.2k, FD: $7.1k | vs. LAC

Nembhard has been doing his best Tyrese Haliburton impression lately, averaging 17.3 PPG, 13.3 APG, 1.29 FPPM, and 43.2 DKFP/gm over his last three starts. It’s been a lost season for the Pacers, but he’s still playing with plenty of purpose and handling a heavy playmaking role. If that continues, another points-assist double-double is well within reach. This also sets up as a sneaky-good matchup against a Clippers team that has allowed the 6th-most FPPG to starting point guards over their last 20 games.

PG/SG Jeremiah Fears, NOP | DK: $4.3k, FD: $4.6k | at TOR

With Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray both sidelined, Fears should move into the starting lineup and take on a featured role. He hasn’t started since January 21st, but he’s shown plenty of upside off the bench. Since the start of February, Fears has averaged 1.07 FPPM while leading the team with a 27.9% USG% with both Murphy and Murray off the floor, which comes in a solid 300+ minute sample size. In a starting role, he’s a much safer bet to push toward 30 minutes, and that combination of usage and efficiency gives him strong upside at these price points. He brings a clear path to 6x or better value in this spot.

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF Jayson Tatum, BOS | DK: $9k, FD: $8.7k | vs. ATL

This sets up as one of the more competitive environments on the slate, with Boston listed as 4.5-point favorites. With Jaylen Brown (calf) sidelined, Tatum should step into a clear alpha role offensively. Since making his season debut on March 6th, all of Tatum’s games have come with Brown active, but when Brown has been off the floor, Tatum’s usage jumps to 34.9%, a significant increase from his 25.1% mark when playing alongside him. He doesn’t appear to be under any real restrictions at this point, coming off a 35-minute outing that resulted in 53.0 DKFP against Oklahoma City. Tatum has also been far more productive at home, averaging 1.46 FPPM compared to 1.07 FPPM on the road. With the expected bump in usage and a strong game environment, this is a prime spot for him to deliver.

PF Gregory “GG” Jackson, MEM | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.9k | vs. HOU

Memphis recently ruled out Ja Morant for the remainder of the campaign, and he’ll join a slew of other Grizzlies players that will not play again until next season. Jackson has clearly benefited from all of the injuries, carrying a team-leading 27.6% USG% over his last five games, which leads all projected Memphis starters by a decent margin. He’s coming off one of his more complete performances of the season, posting a 20/7/2 line with two steals and a block (39.25 DKFP) in 30 minutes against San Antonio. Memphis enters as a sizable underdog, but if the last two games are any indication (MEM got blown out in both), Jackson should still see around 30 minutes regardless of game script, and the matchup is favorable with Houston allowing the 8th-most FPPG to starting power forwards over their last 20 games.

SF/PF Sam Hauser, BOS | DK: $3.7k, FD: $4k | vs. ATL

Sliding back to the Celtics frontcourt, Hauser sets up as a sensible value option. His recent production has been underwhelming from a fantasy perspective, but the absence of Jaylen Brown opens the door for a larger role tonight. Hauser projects for 29.0 minutes, which is a sizable uptick from the 22.4 minutes/gm he has averaged over his last five starts. He’s also had success in this matchup earlier in the season, averaging 37.6 DKFP/gm across two meetings with Atlanta. It’s unlikely he reaches that level again, but a return in the mid-20s DKFP range is well within reach.

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $12.5k, FD: $13k | vs. UTA

As mentioned in the Jamal Murray section, this game carries clear blowout potential with Denver listed as 19.5-point favorites at home. However, if the Nuggets meet expectations on their 134.0 implied team total, you have to assume that Jokic will be responsible for scoring or assisting on a huge chunk of those points. He’s typically one of the safest options on any slate, but the potential for limited minutes adds some risk here if the game gets out of hand early. That said, even at his hefty price points, Jokic’s ceiling is always a major draw, and who knows, maybe Utah manages to keep things somewhat competitive tonight!

C Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC | DK: $5.8k, FD: $5.8k | vs. CHI

Hartenstein brings some volatility, but the per-minute production has been excellent, averaging 1.48 FPPM over his last five games. His minutes have been capped around 22 per game, though there’s a chance he picks up a slight bump with Chet Holmgren ruled out. Even without a major workload, he’s shown the ability to deliver big performances, highlighted by a recent game against Washington where he posted a 20-rebound, 10-assist line in just 25 minutes, finishing with 53.5 DKFP and one point shy of a triple-double. OKC is an 18.5-point favorite today, but Hartenstein generally plays the first half of each quarter before subbing out, so a blowout shouldn’t have much, if any, impact on his minutes. The matchup also works in his favor, with Chicago allowing the 2nd-most FPPG to starting centers over their last 20 games. The Bulls could also be down multiple bigs with Jalen Smith ruled out while Nick Richards and Guerschon Yabusele are both questionable.

🔥 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!