RADIO
We have a modest slate tonight, with only two out of conference games, meaning that most of the contests tonight will be competitive. With seeding becoming more and more important every day, The eight games on the main slate have very enticing options. The 76ers-Warriors game will be the game to watch because of the high-scoring potential, but I will be watching for the Jazz-Bucks game to turn into last night's Hawks-Bulls.
Ben Simmons, Jrue Holiday, Tobias Harris, Aaron Gordon, and JaVale McGee round out my five players I have locked in tonight, so luckily, I won't need too much value to help keep me above the cash-line. If you are choosing to stack a game, just go directly for the Warriors and 76ers rosters and have at it. There is so much upside that it's hard to look at any of those players and say, "Yeah, not in my lineup." That being said, I do like the idea of young Lakers, mainly Reggie Bullock playing against the Suns. The Lakers need to win this game and I think there will be a special emphasis on making sure they don't toss this one away. Tonight, I'm really liking the idea of Paul George being the top source of production and there is nothing about the Spurs defense that really convinces me otherwise.
For the rest of the article, I have provided my daily fantasy basketball lineup for DraftKings on 3/2/19. As always make sure to check the status of players before the opening tip. Find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
T.J. McConnell - PG/SG vs. GSW ($3,400)
Sadly, there is a reason why T.J. McConnell's price is so low. His ceiling is really limited because of his role on the offense, BUT that doesn't mean he has no use in DFS formats. Against the Warriors, a team notorious for letting up big games to opposing point guards, there is a very good chance he sees an increase is minutes and overall usage. There is no way the Warriors stick one of their better defenders on him, so expect McConnell to be floating around the court all game, seemingly getting to his spots.
If Embiid doesn't play again, that really works into McConnell's upside. With this price so low, his consistency is actually a really pleasant site. He will produce tonight and in hoping that he can break the ten point threshold, I'm confident his other contributions will be reflected in the box score. His poor shooting is the cause for his most recent under-projected performances, but one game can turn that all around and teams tend to play better, or at least with more intensity when facing Golden State.
Joe Harris - SG/SF @ MIA ($4,300)
This has to be my favorite pick of the night. I already like the matchup against the Heat and along with D'Angelo Russell, this game is going to be a shootout. Goran Dragic just returned to the Heat rotation and is already producing like his old-self.....young-self? Anyway, while both teams are capable of playing with some of the league's elites, their major drawback is neither team is a prolific three-point shooting squad. While I do think this game will revolve around player who can get to the rim, Joe Harris is going to have his work cut out for him.
The Heat defense isn't terrible, but they will struggle to chase out all the deep threats that Brooklyn has. They might be able to stop players like DeMarre Carroll and since Caris Levert is slowly returning to form, the Nets will need serious contributions from their best three-point shooters. That means Harris will have a hair-trigger, while Russell is going to have another high-usage night. All in all, both have upside, but for such a cheap price I am taking the guy who has built, and is continuing to build, a career on making threes.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jerami Grant - PF @ SA ($5,100)
When first looking at this game, I was looking to see at the value Davis Bertans had this game. When it finally came across my mind that he would be lining up against either Markieff Morris or Jerami Grant, I lost all hope in that pick. That doesn't mean Bertans is an ideal fade candidate, but it does mean that whoever goes up against him will have upside. I'd just like to say, that despite Bertans being the subject of way too many posters this year, his shot-blocking has improved and the energy he focuses into his shot-blocking hasn't changed. Hopefully for him, he learns to block more shots, but tonight I don't see it turning out well.
Grant lives at the rim and while Morris can stretch the floor, both are strong forwards who don't really cater to anyone else's game. The Spurs are going to have to find a way to keep Grant out of the paint and I just can't see it happening the way the Thunder are built. For Grant to get shut down, it means that both Russell Westbrook and Paul George got locked down from the git-go. That just doesn't happen in today's NBA, thus leading me to my next topic. Just how many times will Jerami Grant dunk? And how many of those dunks will be posters. My guess is somewhere between three and four posters, with seven total dunks. Not many times will dunking be so important but the Spurs defense lacks the tools needed to try and stop the machine that has become the Thunder offense.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - SG/SF @SAC ($3,100)
Hopefully you can follow me on this one. Normally playing a veteran against a young-team makes no sense. But that's the Lakers for you. This entire season has just not made sense. Exactly why I think tonight will be used as a sort of launch pad for the entire Lakers team. If they lose to the Suns, it's over. There is no way this team will be able to emotionally rebound from a loss of this caliber. They NEED to be slightly under perfect to make the playoffs, and while they might only be a few games outside of contention, it will be a solely, LeBron James effort if they make it.
Aside from that, Kenatvious Caldwell-Pope needs to start playing like he knows what he's doing. It's one thing if you are a defense-first player, it's an entire other conversation if you are arguably doing nothing on both ends. His minutes have been somewhat all over the place and even though that is mainly in part to the Lakers have too many player and not enough minutes, Caldwell-Pope is one of those players that will always see the floor. Tonight, I see this as a last chance type of deal. He is going to play against the Suns, but if he can't score, then I don't see him having any future with this team. Yeah, he might be a Laker, but in regards to giving him minutes and playing him the playoffs, he's way too much of a liability to even use.
He showed signs of promise earlier this season, but that is all but gone and even though this isn't the case, Caldwell-Pope stats seems the most affected by all this chemistry nonsense. I do think he has upside tonight, but knowing him, he could take 15 shots and miss every last one...but hey, look how cheap he is. Ever wonder why some players can always roster a $3,000 player who posts a 30FPTS a night? This is how it happens.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Mirotic - PF/C @ UTA ($4,900)
So many options from this game and while Brook Lopez was considered, I don't want to even tempt going at Rudy Gobert. I do think Lopez is one of those matchup-proof players, but Rudy Gobert ruins ceilings and projected values like it's job. Actually, it is his job. So that's why Nikola Mirotic get's the nod. He is just as capable of a three-point shooter, just won't have to deal with Gobert chasing him around and contesting his shots. Luckily, Mirotic's price is still low since this is still considered a new team for him, but I'm starting to have more concerns about the team around him.
Mirotic is going to be solid tonight because the Jazz play directly into his style of play, but don't expect the rest of the Bucks to have just as much success. Giannis Antetokounmpo should be fine like always, but the bench scoring is where Mirotic needs to do the most amount of work. There isn't much pulling from Mirotic's upside in terms of the Jazz defense and he should have no problem keeping his double-digit scoring streak going in Utah.
