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The NBA All-Star break encapsulated six days, but managed to feel infinitely longer. Now the league returns just a day shy of its one-year anniversary of the first cancellation due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. It’s a brief two-game pocket, but with the past year in the rearview mirror, those two games feel precious.
In cash contests, the argument will be between whether to roster Luka Doncic or Russell Westbrook. With just four teams on the floor, and both Doncic and Westbrook playing such an integral role to their success on nearly a possession-by-possession basis, both will also have GPP intrigue in droves.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/10/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor globally, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Bradley Beal - SG, WAS @ MEM ($9,400)
Not even the shrewdest of prognosticators would have slotted Beal in as the league’s scoring champ through the first half when the 2020-21 season kicked off. But he enters play Wednesday on an epic scoring run that has seen him rattle off 32.9 PPG, going for at least 23 points in 31 of his 32 outings.
But it’s not as if his contributions have been of the one-trick pony genre. Pitching in 5.4 boards and 4.7 assists on a nightly basis has helped elevate his appeal, even as his DK price tag has remained somewhat in check over the past month-plus.
Ja Morant - PG, MEM vs. WAS ($7,800)
Morant closed out the first half of the season with back-to-back 35-point showings, the first of which came against the Wizards. The second was versus Milwaukee, and featured the most aggressive offensive showing of his career, including new career highs in shots (25) and three-point attempts (13).
With the Wizards playing at the league’s fastest pace, Morant’s appeal kicks into turbo.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
DeMar DeRozan - SF/PF, SA @ DAL ($8,000)
Even with a cavalcade of Spurs expected back for Wednesday’s contest, DeRozan stands to lead the charge offensively. Having attempted 21 field-goal attempts in two of his last three games, DeRozan has also been on an assist surge with 11 dimes in three of his four previous outings.
DeRozan’s last meeting versus Dallas saw him drop 29 points while taking a season-high 16 free throws. There’s not an obvious wing stopper that the Mavericks possess to slow DeRozan, who has shown over the past month that he’s able to pack the DFS scorecard in a multitude of ways.
Tim Hardaway Jr. - SG/SF, DAL vs. SA ($4,800)
The uber-aggressive marksman of Dallas’ second unit stands out in a short slate for his scoring upside. Having reached both double figures in scoring and multiple makes from behind the arc in 13 of his last 15 games, Hardaway has a firmly entrenched role that stabilizes his DFS floor.
Additionally, the Spurs have struggled mightily at containing opposing wings this season. After some recent strong performances, the team’s opponents three-point percentage has dipped (38.3), but it still ranks as the fifth-highest mark in the league. With Hardaway’s intrigue directly tied to his three-point shooting, the Spurs’ defensive deficiencies -- and the 239 points that the squads combined for in their latest meeting -- stand out.
Davis Bertans - SF/PF, WAS @ MEM ($4,400)
On the topic of three-point shooting, Bertans is equally appealing Wednesday, particularly in GPP formats. Even as he has rattled off 18 straight outings with multiple threes finding the bottom of the net, Bertans’ scoring has fluctuated from as low as six points to as high as 35 in that span. Averaging just .2 of a made field goal inside the arc since Jan. 31, it’s rather evident that Bertans will go as far as his long range shooting takes him.
Fortunately, with Washington playing at the league’s top pace and Memphis not far off at the eighth-highest, that shooting upside is extenuated in a two-game slate. Having scored in double figures in each of his last four outings, Bertans is Wednesday’s ultimate roll-of-the-dice selection.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Jonas Valanciunas - C, MEM vs. WAS ($7,100)
Valanciunas and double-doubles have become as friendly with one another as peanut butter and jelly. Having reeled off a double-double in eight of his last nine outings, Valanciunas has averaged 14.2 points and 12.6 boards in that span. It was just eight days ago that Valanciunas secured a double-double against Washington, snatching 16 rebounds, which stands tied for his second-highest total this year.
Memphis’ big man also stands to benefit from being in the advantageous position of facing the Wizards’ interior defense. Jockeying for position with Minnesota for being the worst-ranked unit in the league per DK scoring, the Wizards have been scorched to the tune of 59.1 points per outing by opposing centers.
Jakob Poeltl - C, SA @ DAL ($6,000)
Slowly but surely, the Mavericks’ interior defense has been climbing the leaderboards in all of the wrong ways when it comes to winning basketball, but all of the right ways when it comes to highlighting potential opponents with favorable matchups. The 56.1 DK points per contest that Dallas has yielded to the other team’s center is up to the fifth-highest total in the league, which plays into Poeltl’s hands, especially in light of his recent run.
Since entering the starting five back on Feb. 3, Poeltl has averaged 8.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Infrequently relied upon as a cornerstone of the offense, his upside is somewhat capped; but with Dallas featuring multiple bigs with considerable length, his minutes allotment is likely to be sizable enough to keep him in contention during cash contests.
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