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Happy Tuesday, Rotoballers! We are officially under a month away from the end of the regular season, so tonight's lineup gives us some valuable practice for those smaller playoff slates on the horizon. With only four games tipping off, it'll be essential to fill up on high-usage studs and find those surprising values in line for some extra minutes.
As of this writing, the Memphis-Indiana and Brooklyn-Orlando games are firmly above the Detroit-Miami and Phoenix-New Orleans matchups in terms of DFS attractiveness. The Grizzlies lead all eight teams with a 119.6 offensive rating over their previous seven games, and they get to play the team with the worst defensive rating over the last seven games, the Magic. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving will take the court as the Nets play on the road. The polarizing All-Star is someone I'm heavily targeting on this four-game schedule.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 3/15/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kyrie Irving - PG/SG, BKN at ORL ($10,200 DraftKings; $10,000 FanDuel)
After tonight's game in Orlando, the Nets only play four of their remaining 13 games on the road. One of those away fixtures is against the Knicks. Therefore, due to the New York vaccine mandates, this is one of four remaining chances DFS managers have to utilize Kyrie Irving in our DFS lineups for the 2021-22 regular season. Irving offers the highest ceiling among guards on this four-game slate, especially if Ja Morant (back) sits out. When he plays, the 29-year old is coming out firing. In five of his previous seven games, Kyrie's attempted at least 19 shots, and when he reaches that benchmark, the seven-time All-Star averages 56.55 DraftKings fantasy points.
Cade Cunningham - SG/SF, DET at MIA ($8,300 DK; $7,400 FD)
This is a straight-up 'I want to watch a fun player on my DFS team' call with Cade Cunningham taking on a stifling (at times) Miami defense. Hopefully, we have a few more games of the No. 1 overall pick before he picks up whatever strange ailment forces him to sit out 'x' amount of games as the Pistons enter full-on tank mode to secure one of the three-worst records in the NBA. Regardless, Cunningham has turned around his first year in the league to become one of the more promising talents to watch out for in his sophomore year. This month, the former Oklahoma State guard averages 23.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.9 triples a night with a 30.2 percent usage rate to boot. While I don't usually recommend a slugfest for DFS purposes, I believe Cunningham shows us something special to end the year, and I want a piece of that action on Tuesday night.
Tyus Jones - PG, MEM at IND ($3,400 DK; $4,200 FD)
Ja Morant (back) is questionable for Tuesday's contest in Indiana. If the budding superstar is forced to watch the game from the sidelines, Tyus Jones is a candidate to soak up most of Morant's missing minutes. On the surface, the Jones looks like a player to gloss over, but with a bottom-of-the-barrel pricepoint and encouraging per 36 numbers (14.4 points, 7.2 assists, and 1.6 steals), there are a lot worse options than taking a flyer on Jones if Ja sits out. The 25-year old has scored at least 22.5 DraftKings fantasy points in three of his previous four games despite playing 20 minutes or less in every game. Plus, the Pacers give up the third-most DK FPPG (DraftKings Fantasy Points Per Game) to points guard over their last seven games.
Also consider: Tyrese Haliburton vs. MEM ($9,300 DK; $8,800 FD), Cameron Payne at NOP ($7,700 DK; $7,000 FD), Dillon Brooks at IND ($4,900 DK; $5,000 FD), R.J. Hampton vs. BKN ($3,400 DK; $3,700 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Franz Wagner - SF, ORL vs. BKN ($5,300 DK; $5,500 FD)
Wagner has been one of the bright spots in a rather forgetful season for Magic fans, but he seems to be running into a bit of a rookie wall with some up and down performances in recent weeks. However, the Brooklyn defense provides a perfect opportunity for an "up" performance after giving up the most DK FPPG (49.88) to small forwards over the last seven games. In the previous two weeks, the 20-year old's two best box-score outputs came against two weaker defenses in the Grizzlies and Pelicans, and that gives me confidence he can do the same versus the Nets tonight. The forward from Berlin provides counting stats across the board and is a great floor play on Tuesday for cash-game lineups.
Isaiah Jackson - PF/C, IND vs. MEM ($5,200 DK; $5,700 FD)
Indiana is actively trying to lose games right now, and it's left their rotation in a bit of a mess. Several forwards have the chance to fill in the gaps for the Pacers, and, for my money, the guy to roster is Isaiah Jackson. The 20-year old rookie is filling in admirably during his first season in the pros and provided some eye-catching performances in the process. In March, Jackson's averaging 12.2 points on 57.7 percent shooting while adding 8.3 boards and 2.3 blocks per outing. While I wish his salary was slightly lower than the $5,200 it sits at on DraftKings, I believe Jackson can exploit this Grizzlies frontcourt defense as they've allowed the fourth-most DK FPPG to power forwards over the previous seven games.
Also consider: Kevin Durant at BKN ($11,100 DK; $11,200 FD), Jaren Jackson Jr. at IND ($6,500 DK; $6,400 FD), Miles Bridges at NOP ($5,900 DK; $6,600 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jonas Valanciunas - C, NOP vs. PHX ($8,600 DK; $8,200 FD)
Brandon Ingram (hamstring) is out for the Pelicans tonight. While C.J. McCollum (protocols) has a chance to return from his quarantine. As a result, big man Jonas Valanciunas has been shouldering a massive offensive workload for New Orleans and is producing some terrific results. He racked up 54.5 DK fantasy points on Sunday versus Houston after dropping 32 points and 10 rebounds on the Rockets. That performance came two games after he crushed the Magic with 30 points and 15 rebounds for a whopping 62.25 DK fantasy points. Even with McCollum back in the picture, I expect the Pelicans to rely on their big man near the basket as an easy avenue to points. They'll need his best effort as they battle for a play-in tournament spot against the No. 1 team in the West, Phoenix.
Also consider: Bam Adebayo vs. DET ($8,200 DK; $9,200 FD), Deandre Ayton at NOP ($7,300 DK; $7,600 FD), Marvin Bagley III at MIA ($5,900 DK; $5,300 FD)
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