RADIO
When the Houston Rockets dealt James Harden to Brooklyn earlier this season, they knew that today, March 3, 2021, would come. Harden is back in the city where he became a mega-star and the team’s decision to announce his number retirement at a future date Tuesday should make for quite the occasion. All of which is jolly for fans of the Rockets -- until the tip happens, of course, because after which, Harden becomes a DFS force of nature that carries triple-double potential.
Wednesday is a stacked slate coming on the penultimate day of the season’s first half. It appeared as if we may not get here back in late December/early January, but the season stands tall. Toronto is the lone squad dealing with health and safety protocols issues as of Tuesday night, so their tentative outing versus Detroit is worth monitoring right up until tip to make sure they have enough active players to take the floor.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/3/21. 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
James Harden - PG, BKN @ HOU ($11,000)
The move to Brooklyn to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving was supposed to have stunted Harden’s DFS appeal. Instead -- even with Durant (hamstring) currently sidelined -- it’s only propelled that appeal forward. Harden enters his first outing against Houston since March 13, 2012, on the heels of a 30-point, 15-assist, 14-rebound barrage that marked his seventh triple-double since joining the Nets.
While Durant’s absence has a lot to do with Harden’s increased upside, it’s not a stretch to believe that he’ll be taking the floor with increased vigor Wednesday. The end to his tenure with the Rockets was notably messy, and despite the good will attempt by announcing the jersey retirement, No. 13 is heading toward another evening of sizable DFS contributions.
Dennis Schroder - PG/SG, LAL @ SAC ($5,900)
After popping up on the injury report for nearly the entire first half of the season with a lingering ankle issue, LeBron James will finally miss his first contest of the year Wednesday. And with that, the Lakers’ roster becomes open season from a DFS perspective. Fortunately, they’ll be taking on a moribund Kings defense that ranks dead-last in the league in defensive efficiency and PPG allowed (120.3).
James and Schroder combined to take 41 of L.A.’s 77 shots against the Suns on Tuesday. Without James in the mix, it’s certainly feasible that Schroder challenges his career high of 28 shot attempts in a single regular-season outing.
Terence Davis - PG/SG, TOR vs. DET ($3,400)
The Raptors, if they play, will see their depth chart carved up by the league’s health and safety protocols. With Fred Vanvleet already ruled out, Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell also stand out as tremendous options, but neither possesses a price tag quite like Davis’.
While he’s far from a shoe-in to enter the starting five, Davis has dropped 12 points and hit a pair of threes in each of his prior starts this year. Having averaged 15 shot attempts per 36 minutes played this year, he’ll hold sizable punt play appeal due to the thin nature of the Toronto backcourt.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Zion Williamson - SF/PF, NO vs. CHI ($9,100)
There aren’t many similarities between Williamson and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Even with that in mind, there’s a parallel to be drawn between the two: after Jokic demolished the Chicago interior Monday to the tune of 39 points, 14 boards, and nine assists, it’s not hard to draw a straight path to where Williamson could similarly feast on the team’s interior.
In fact, he has already done so this year. When the two sides squared off Feb. 10, Williamson went 12-for-18 from the floor en route to a 29-point showing. From that point forward, he has averaged 29.5 PPG while shooting 64.4 percent overall, not finishing below 23 points scored in an outing. With his rebound numbers on the come-up after having logged back-to-back double-doubles for the first time since late December, Williamson can be seen as a cornerstone cash option whose assist potential could push him into exorbitant value territory.
Sterling Brown - SF/PF, HOU vs. BKN ($4,100)
Keeping up with the Rockets’ availability on a nightly basis has been an Olympian task over the past 6-7 weeks, but gleaning through the thicket, it certainly appears as if Brown is in line for an increased role Wednesday. With David Nwaba (wrist) out, and Eric Gordon (knee) and Danuel House Jr. (knee) tagged as questionable, there should be ample wing minutes available with the second unit for Brown.
Having hoisted eight and seven three-point attempts, respectively, in his last two games, that offensive aggression favors Brown, who will be playing at an elevated pace versus the Nets. Both his positional flexibility and amenable price tag bode in his favor, while an absence from either Gordon or House would propel him into upper-tier DFS territory.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Montrezl Harrell - C, LAL @ SAC ($5,500)
Fantasy managers flocked to Harrell like geese to bread crumbs Tuesday when it was announced that he was making his first start of the season. But those same managers were burned by rushing in, as Harrell played just 19 minutes and finished with just six points.
It’s all but certain that Harrell will make his second start of the year Wednesday considering L.A. is down James, Anthony Davis (calf) and Marc Gasol (health protocols). With back-to-back six-point showings, Harrell’s DFS stock could benefit from managers making a hard right turn. But consider that Sacramento has yielded the third-most DK points per contest (57.4) to opposing centers this year, and with Hassan Whiteside (health protocols) unavailable, they’ll be equally short-handed in the frontcourt to combat a rebounder that boasts the tenacity that Harrell does.
Justin Patton - C, HOU vs. BKN ($4,000)
The new-look Rockets have had to get Patton up to game speed in short order. After playing just 26 minutes in his first career start Sunday due to foul issues, Patton’s workload can be expected to hover around the 30-32 mark Wednesday, which undoubtedly puts him in play when considering both his price tag and the Nets’ torrid offensive pace.
In addition to the rebounding opportunities that Patton will have, he’s blocked a pair of shots in each of his first two career starts. He combined for nine three-point attempts in those outings as well, an indication of the upside that he possesses. No DeMarcus Cousins (released) and Christian Wood (ankle) should mean a pile of run for Patton, especially since Brooklyn will likely be down Jeff Green (shoulder), funneling more minutes toward true center DeAndre Jordan.
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