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

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NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler & Shannon

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Every team is down to the final two or three games remaining on their regular season schedules and Thursday will feature a five-game main slate. As usual, injuries (and "resting" players) will play a major part on this slate but, at the time of this writing, there at least aren’t many “questionable” tags to monitor. The one truly impactful player that is listed as questionable on this slate is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Meanwhile, you have teams like the Cavs, Knicks, Pelicans, and Nets who are sitting multiple starters today so several teams should be expected to run tight rotations. This is going to be an interesting set of games. Best of luck!

Current Playoff Standings: https://www.nba.com/standings

Today’s Key Injuries

• Knicks: J. Hart - OUT, OG Anunoby - OUT, M. Robinson - OUT

• Pistons: C. Cunningham - Probable, T. Harris - Probable, I. Stewart - Questionable

• Cavs: D. Mitchell - OUT, E. Mobley - OUT, D. Garland - OUT, M. Strus - OUT

• Pacers: B. Sheppard - Questionable

• Hawks: T. Young - Probable, C. Capela - OUT

• Nets: C. Johnson - OUT, D. Russell - OUT, N. Clowney - OUT, D. Sharpe - OUT

• Pelicans: J. Alvarado - OUT, K. Olynyk - OUT, Y. Missi - OUT, B. Brown - OUT, J. Hawkins - OUT

• Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - Questionable, D. Lillard - OUT, P. Connaughton - Questionable

• Timberwolves: None

• Grizzlies: J. Wells - OUT

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 🏀

SG Anthony Edwards, MIN | DK: $9.5k, FD: $9.3k | at MEM

This T-Wolves/Grizzlies matchup is the one game on this slate where both teams have something at stake in terms of postseason seeding implications. Four teams in the Western Conference (LAC, DEN, GSW, and MEM) are all currently tied with a 47-32 record while the T-Wolves sit at 46-33. Memphis and Minnesota are currently the first two teams outside the top six guaranteed playoff seeds, so a win for either team would be huge for their chances of moving out of the Play-In tourney and into one of those guaranteed playoff spots. So, we’ll want to keep the key players from this game in mind today. Anthony Edwards is pricey, but he should play some major minutes tonight and easily lead his team in usage. The T-Wolves also receive the third-highest pace differential on the slate and, under the right conditions, he may have a 60+ FP performance in his bag tonight.

PG Ty Jerome, CLE | DK: $4.7k, FD: $5.9k | at IND

This play won’t sneak up on anyone as the Cavs will be sitting four starters tonight -- Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Max Strus. That should open the door for Ty Jerome to receive a spot start. The Cavs are locked into the top seed in the East now that they’re four games up on the Celtics, who have just two games left to play. Jerome has been a significant part of the Cavs' second unit and is an important piece to a potential deep playoff run, so I do wonder if they’ll be hesitant to give him huge minutes in what is a pretty meaningless game tonight. For now, we’ll assume he’ll play around 30 minutes, which would more than justify using him in lineups. In two starts this season, Jerome has averaged 26.5 PPG, 4.5 APG, 2.5 RPG, and a hefty 1.39 FPPM. He has taken on a +7.3% USG% boost and averaged +8.13 FP per 32 minutes with those four aforementioned Cavs players off the floor this season and should be a strong bet to hit value tonight even if the Cavs are a little cautious with his workload.

SG/SF Antonio Reeves, NOP | DK: $4k, FD: $4.6k | at MIL

By my count, the Pelicans will be down to the minimum required eight active players tonight. The majority of their starters (D. Murray, Z. Williamson, CJ McCollum, T. Murphy III, H. Jones) have all had their seasons cut short for at least a short while now. They’ll now be sitting most of their fill-in starters (J. Alvarado, K. Olynyk, Y. Missi, B. Brown, J. Hawkins) tonight. Even if/when this game turns into a blowout (NOP +14), any active Pelicans player will handle some significant minutes tonight. Antonio Reeves is pretty much guaranteed to start today, and he could easily play high-30s minutes. This would be Reeves’s third consecutive start, and these teams just met four days ago. In that game, Reeves put up 23 points and 33.0 DKFP/30.4 FDFP over 37 minutes. A similar performance would represent excellent value, and with all of those backup players out, his usage rate should be higher than usual (in comparison to his previous starts). It’s also a positive individual matchup for Reeves as the Bucks have allowed the 2nd most FPPG to starting SGs L20Games.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Trae Young, ATL at BKN

PG Ja Morant, MEM vs. MIN

PG Jalen Brunson, NYK at DET

PG/SG Dyson Daniels, ATL at BKN

PG Kevin Porter Jr., MIL vs. NOP

SG/SF Caris LeVert, ATL at BKN

PG Reece Beekman, BKN vs. ATL

SG Dariq Whitehead, BKN vs. ATL

PG TJ McConnell, IND vs. CLE

PG Mike Conley, MIN at MEM

SG Sam Merrill, CLE at IND (Boost if starting)

SG Lester Quinones, NOP at MIL

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM | DK: $7.9k, FD: $8.1k | vs. MIN

There isn’t much to love at the top-end of forward pricing, especially if Giannis Antetokounmpo (shoulder/questionable) gets the night off against the Pelicans’ C squad. However, value is abundant, so since we have to spend lineup salary somewhere, targeting a more expensive forward like Jaren Jackson Jr. is going to make some sense even if he isn’t overly likely to return 6x-plus value. As discussed, this matchup is the only one on the slate where both teams should be highly motivated to win due to playoff seeding implications. JJJ hasn’t been overly consistent, but he still has the ability to push for a 50 FP score under the right circumstances, and the T-Wolves haven’t been stout against opposing power forwards, allowing the 6th most FPPG to the position L20Games.

PF/C Bobby Portis, MIL | DK: $5.7k, FD: $6.3k | vs. NOP

Portis returned from his 25-game suspension on Tuesday and put up a productive 18-point/10-rebound double-double in 29 minutes off of the Bucks’ bench, resulting in 40.5 DKFP/40.5 FDFP. He didn’t appear to have much rust to shake off, but the Bucks may want to continue to give him around 30 minutes over their final few games in preparation for the playoffs. And, of course, if Giannis Antetokounmpo (questionable) ends up sitting, Portis’ floor and ceiling skyrocket. Considering the type of lineup that New Orleans will be rolling out, along with the fact that the Bucks are nearly locked into the 5th seed in the East, it would seem logical that Giannis would be more likely to sit out tonight than play. But, either way, Portis is looking like a quality mid-range target.

PF/C Precious Achiuwa, NYK | DK: $3.3k, FD: $4.8k | at DET

Achiuwa has been a bust on multiple occasions this season when he has been highly owned, as he probably will be tonight. But he has also posted his fair share of big games when given an expanded role and added minutes. With the Knicks playing without Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson tonight, Achiuwa will likely land in the starting lineup and play big frontcourt minutes. He has averaged 11.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 1.9 STL+BLK/gm as a starter this season, which has equated to 28.1 DKFP/28.8 FDFP per game. The Knicks are nearly locked into the No. 3 seed but they can still look to stave off the No. 4 seeded Pacers, who are two games back from them with three to play. With pricing in mind, Achiuwa is going to stand out as a better value on DraftKings, where he is just $300 above the minimum, but he’s still a worthy cheap target on FanDuel… just perhaps not the most appealing of value plays.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. NOP (Currently questionable)

PF Pascal Siakam, IND vs. CLE

PF/C Julius Randle, MIN at MEM

SF/SG Mikal Bridges, NYK at DET

PF/C Karlo Matkovic, NOP at MIL

SF/PF De’Andre Hunter, CLE at IND

SF/PF Keion Brooks Jr., NOP at MIL

SF Maxwell Lewis, BKN vs. ATL

PF Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, NOP at MIL

SF Jamal Cain, NOP at MIL

PF Dean Wade, CLE at IND

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Onyeka Okongwu, ATL | DK: $8.4k, FD: $8.2k | at BKN

Okongwu has posted some mammoth DFS scores lately, notching at least 50.0 DKFP/46.9 FDFP in three of his last four starts, and he played at least 37 minutes in all three of those ceiling games. Logging big minutes has been an issue for Okongwu for much of the season, but the absence of Clint Capela (hand/out) has helped him tap into his ceiling. He’ll draw an excellent matchup versus a Nets team that has allowed the 3rd most FPPG to starting centers L20Games — Okongwu has averaged 50.4 DKFP/51.8 FDFP in two previous meetings with the Nets this season. The Hawks should also have plenty of motivation tonight. While they do not have a chance at a guaranteed top-six playoff seed, they currently possess the No. 8 seed and are one game up on the ninth-seeded Bulls. Finishing 7th or 8th is key, as it only requires one win to reach the playoffs in the Play-In tournament, while the 9th and 10th seeds must win twice. The Hawks (-14) are massive favorites tonight and, like all teams on this slate, they are also on the front end of a back-to-back. But if the Nets can keep this game fairly competitive, Okongwu could certainly pop for another loaded stat line.

C Zach Edey, MEM | DK: $5.5k, FD: $6.4k | vs. MIN

Consistency hasn’t been in Edey’s DFS profile this season but he has shown a significant ceiling when he has been given quality minutes. Edey’s role has increased recently as he has logged at least 28 minutes in four consecutive games. In three of those games, he has erupted for at least 40.0 DKFP/40.7 FDFP. He’s averaging nearly 1.30 FPPM in that span and, despite the matchup against the T-Wolves' difficult interior (MIN: 3rd vs. Centers L10Games), Edey brings some real upside to DFS lineups tonight. He also currently checks in at sub-5% pOwn% so perhaps he goes under the radar with so many other value options available to choose from.

Other Centers to Consider

C Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK at DET

C Rudy Gobert, MIN at MEM

C Jarrett Allen, CLE at IND

C Myles Turner, IND vs. CLE

C Brook Lopez, MIL vs. NOP (Preferred if Giannis is out)

C Drew Timme, BKN vs. ATL

C Kylor Kelly, NOP at MIL 

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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!

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

🫡 Check out our revamped BetFully Cashback App (iOS only sorry) and get up to $200 cashback for trying new Sportsbook, DFS, horse-racing apps and playing games! ✔️✔️✔️

_{Terms: Must be 18+ (some states may require 21+) and be present in an eligible state; if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling, and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER. Using an affiliate offer will help support LineStar who may receive a commission fee from the referral. Other conditions may apply, please see link for full details.}