RADIO
Welcome back to RotoBaller, your source for all things fantasy sports! We have an eight-game main slate on Draftkings tonight that locks at 6:00 PM. For those of you grinding NBA DFS like I am every day, I have my favorite combination of value plays and high-priced studs to help you get your lineups started.
The main injury news today revolves around Giannis Antetokounmpo (doubtful), Fred Vanvleet (questionable), T.J Warren (questionable), Tim Hardaway (questionable), Victor Oladipo (questionable), and Marc Gasol (questionable). We already know that some key players will be out tonight with LaMarcus Aldridge, Ish Smith, Jae Crowder, Seth Curry, Deandre Ayton, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Jaylen Brown, and Malcolm Brogdon all listed as out. That's a whole lot of injuries and therefore this slate should be a little tricky and we should expect a good bit of value to be available as a result, too.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/8/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Find me on Twitter @ThunderDanDFS where I am usually tweeting about fantasy sports and DFS. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Eric Bledsoe - PG, MIL @ PHO ($5,400)
So Draftkings must not have got the memo about Giannis being doubtful before releasing their prices, creating a situation where we should see both Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton (6,500) at massive ownership in cash games and GPPs. All I can say is "EAT THE BUCKS CHALK!" Bledsoe has been absolutely dynamic in the four games that the reigning MVP has missed, averaging 26 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in only 29 minutes. Don't get cute here and try to pivot because this is an easy 7x play with the potential for 8-9x if the game stays close and I think Phoenix has a chance of doing that against the Bucks today at home.
Delon Wright - PG/SG, DAL vs. IND ($4,500)
Wright and J.J. Barea are really the last men standing for Dallas in the backcourt as far as combo guards who can play on or off the ball with Luka Doncic. Both Jalen Brunson and Seth Curry are out tonight, leaving more minutes for Wright and Barea. Wright is the guy I want to target here whether he starts or comes off the bench. He played 29 minutes in Dallas's game against Memphis on Friday night and posted 34.5 DK points. He does a little of everything and isn't scoring dependent. His ability to rack up boards, assists and steals gives him some serious fantasy potential and I expect him to be the primary playmaker when Doncic is off the floor tonight.
DeMar DeRozan - SG/SF, SA @ CLE ($7,300)
After a few mediocre games, DeRozan returned to form on Friday night, posting 24 points, five boards, and nine assists against Brooklyn. Today he faces a very bad Cavs defense that struggles specifically against scoring guards like DeRozan. With Aldridge out again, we can expect DeRozan to be the main option on offense and also the main ball-handler. His assist numbers have risen dramatically lately and he's averaging nearly nine assists per contest over his last five. The Cavs are coming off a big victory against the Nuggets last night, but are playing their main guys huge minutes since they are shorthanded, meaning they should be tired tonight and even more vulnerable on defense.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Derrick Jones - SF/PF,MIA @ WAS ($3,400)
With Jae Crowder on the shelf today, Jones should see a nice uptick in minutes in a great matchup against the worst-ranked Washington defense. Don't sleep on his teammate Andre Iguodala (3,300) either. Both of these wings are versatile fantasy players who should benefit from a paced-up game environment and their potential for boards, steals, and blocks go up in a game with more possessions and more transition basketball.
Bogdan Bogdanovic - SG/SF, SAC vs. TOR ($5,200)
Bogdan (not Bojan) is one of my favorite young European players in the league. He's been up and down this season, but right now is surging and showing just how talented he is. He finally broke though with a huge ceiling game last night in Portland as he posted 52 DK points in only 29 minutes against the Blazers. His minutes are trending up and so is his production. He's taken on more ball-handling responsibilities as the de-facto point guard with the second unit and is seeing a nice bump in assists as a result. This might feel like a chase play as the Kings face a much tougher opponent in Toronto tonight, but Bogdan is still a really nice target at his price based on his minutes, usage, and increased role on this Kings team.
Christian Wood - PF/C, DET @ NY ($7,900)
Sticking with the theme of riding the hot hand, Wood is fresh off back-to-back big performances as he posted 46 DK points against OKC and Utah, two tough opponents. I would never refer to the Knicks as a "tough opponent" so Wood's matchup gets quite a bit easier today. One look at his game log will reflect that his minutes are secure and that his production has been very steady since the departure of Andre Drummond at the trade deadline and I think makes for an excellent cash game target on tonight's slate as he should be able to flourish against this bad Knicks defense.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Kristaps Porzingis - C, DAL vs. IND ($9,300)
I'm going right back to my guy - the "Unicorn" Kristaps Porzingis tonight as my top play at the center position. He continues to go overlooked on these bigger slates despite the incredible tear that he's on. In his last five games, he's averaging 30 points, 12 boards, and a massive 3.6 blocks. He's finally flashing the elite ceiling that we know he has and showing why he's one of the more exciting young players in the NBA. Some of his big performances earlier this season were when Luka Doncic was out, but he's still flourishing lately with Luka in the lineup and if anything Dallas is leaning on him more to take some of the pressure off Doncic. Indiana has a big front line of Sabonis and Turner, but don't let that fool you. They can struggle to rebound the ball and are vulnerable to shot blockers. This game should be a battle and I expect Porzingis to rack up another 50+ DK points tonight.
