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 six-game Thursday slate hits the board. No double-digit spreads tonight, so we should get plenty of competitive environments. The injury report is also manageable with most teams dealing with only one or two notable injuries, outside of Golden State. With every team down to seven or fewer games remaining, it’s worth weighing matchups with playoff implications a bit more this time of year… and it’s also worth being extra wary of tanking teams. Let’s get into it. 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 Be sure to stay up-to-date on all injury news leading up to tip-off as the list below may be a bit outdated by the time you’re reading this.}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.}

• Suns: M. Williams – Questionable

• Hornets: None

• Timberwolves: A. Edwards – Questionable, J. McDaniels – OUT

• Pistons: C. Cunningham – OUT, I. Stewart – OUT, M. Sasser – Questionable

• Lakers: M. Smart – OUT

• Thunder: A. Caruso – Questionable

• Cavs: J. Tyson – OUT, D. Wade – OUT

• Warriors: St. Curry – OUT, G. Santos – Questionable, D. Melton – Questionable, G. Payton II – Questionable, A. Horford – OUT, Q. Post – OUT, Se. Curry – Questionable

• Pelicans: T. Murphy III – Questionable, K. Matkovic – OUT

• Trailblazers: S. Sharpe – OUT, J. Grant – OUT, V. Krejci – OUT

• Spurs: V. Wembanyama – OUT

• Clippers: I. Jackson – 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 🏀

PG Luka Doncic, LAL | DK: $12.2k, FD: $12.8k | at OKC

Doncic is once again pacing the slate in consensus projection, and the recent form backs it up. He’s cleared 60 DKFP in three straight and six of his last seven, averaging 67.7 DKFP/gm over that stretch. The usage has been absurd as well, sitting at 41.8% over his last five games, easily the highest mark on the slate. The matchup isn’t as intimidating as it looks on paper. While OKC ranks first in overall defensive rating, they’ve been more vulnerable to opposing point guards, checking in at a slate-worst 20th in DvP versus starting PGs over their last 20 games. Luka didn’t have much success in the first meeting against the Thunder this season, but he’s playing at a completely different level right now.

SG Stephon Castle, SAS | DK: $7.3k, FD: $8.2k | at LAC

Castle has been in excellent form lately, averaging a well-rounded 18.4 PPG, 9.2 APG, and 7.0 RPG over his last five games, which has translated to 1.48 FPPM and 43.0 DKFP/gm. That per-minute production trails only Luka Doncic (1.70 FPPM) among guards on this slate. He had success in this matchup recently, posting a 23/7/8 line for 44.75 DKFP in 36 minutes against the Clippers a couple of weeks ago. The Clippers also check in at 28th in DvP versus starting SGs over their last ten. The Spurs do come in on the second leg of a back-to-back, but with San Antonio sitting just two games behind OKC for the top seed in the West, this is still a spot where they’ll be highly motivated. This game also has a narrow 3.5-point spread so Castle should remain heavily involved as the Spurs look to keep the pressure on OKC at the top of the standings and attempt to extend their win streak to eleven games.

Update: Victor Wembanyama has been ruled out, so Castle now sets up as an even stronger play.

PG/SG Pat Spencer, GSW | DK: $4k, FD: $4.5k | vs. CLE

This value play is somewhat dependent on who the Warriors will have available tonight. Spencer is currently projected for 21.0 minutes, but that could climb if some of Golden State’s questionable players (Melton, Payton, Santos) are ruled out. He’s taken advantage of the increased opportunity recently, posting 23.75, 29.25, and 37.0 DKFP over his last three games, including a 38-minute outing off the bench last night where he finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. If the minutes push back toward that range, he becomes one of the stronger salary-saving options on the slate.

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF/PF Deni Avdija, POR | DK: $8.9k, FD: $9.4k | vs. NOP

Avdija stands out as one of the top overall plays on the slate in a great spot against New Orleans. Portland is pushing for playoff positioning, sitting just 0.5 games back of the Clippers for the No. 8 seed, so there’s plenty on the line here and we should see a full workload from their top guys. Avdija has been excellent when healthy, averaging 43.8 DKFP/gm on the season. He has also been more productive at home, where he’s averaging +12.1% more FPPG, and he just posted 54.75 DKFP in 34 minutes in his last outing. The matchup only adds to the appeal, with the Pelicans allowing the second-most FPPG to starting power forwards over their last 20 games. He also torched New Orleans earlier in the season for a 34/7/11 line and 65.25 DKFP, and a similar ceiling performance could be in the cards tonight.

PF Tobias Harris, DET | DK: $5.9k, FD: $6.6k | vs. MIN

Harris has taken on a larger role with Cade Cunningham still sidelined, and the recent production reflects it. He’s up to 1.10 FPPM over his last five starts, a noticeable bump from his season baseline (0.94 FPPM). The scoring has been steady, and he’s chipped in across the board to keep his floor intact. He already found success in this matchup, posting an 18/4/4 line with three blocks and a steal (37.0 DKFP) against Minnesota last weekend. The Pistons won that game by 22 points, which limited Harris to 28 minutes, but if this one stays competitive as the current spread suggests (MIN +3.5), there’s room for him to push into a mid-30s minute workload. In a game with playoff implications on both sides, Harris should remain heavily involved as Detroit looks to stay afloat until Cunningham can return to the lineup.

SF/PF Matisse Thybulle, POR | DK: $3.6k, FD: $4.1k | vs. NOP

With Jerami Grant out for a third straight game, Thybulle should be a good bet to handle around 20–25 minutes off the Portland bench, which puts him in play at these low-end price points. Much of his value comes from premium defensive stats (steals and blocks), but he can chip in some scoring and rebounding as well – he’s been extremely efficient from beyond the arc at home this season, shooting 46.7% from three in that split. Overall, he has averaged a respectable 0.98 FPPM on the season, so the uptick in run gives him a path to return solid point-per-dollar value. He also showed the upside recently with 32.5 DKFP in 23 minutes against Milwaukee last Wednesday. The matchup helps as well, with New Orleans ranking 26th in DvP versus bench forwards over their last 20 games.

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Brook Lopez, LAC | DK: $5.2k, FD: $6k | vs. SAS

Center feels like a good spot to save salary today, especially with top option Victor Wembanyama ruled out, and Lopez stands out as one of the more logical plays at these price points. The absence of Wemby also makes this matchup considerably easier. The Clippers are very thin at center after trading away Ivica Zubac, with Isaiah Jackson sidelined due to injury, and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser out for the season, which should lock Lopez into a secure workload. He’s taken advantage of his recent run, averaging an excellent 1.24 FPPM and 35.1 DKFP/gm over his last five games.

C Luke Kornet, SAS | DK: $3.4k, FD: $3.8k | at LAC

Jumping over to the other side, we have another cheap center to consider in Luke Kornet. As noted, Victor Wembanyama will sit on the second leg of this back-to-back, which opens the door for Kornet to draw the start. He hasn’t been a consistent producer in that role this season, but he should land in the mid-20s in minutes and has averaged a serviceable 0.94 FPPM across 64 games. At sub-$4k price tags on both sites, that projected workload is enough to keep him in the value conversation.

🔥 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!