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We're to the point of the NBA season where late-breaking news can make or break a slate, so you'll need to remain glued to Twitter all day and up to lock to see what values open and which high-priced studs are out.
Given that caveat, I'll build all my lineups are Giannis Antetokounmpo in what should be one of the highest scoring games on the night. Other games I'll look to stack or have heavy exposure to include the Pacers, Raptors, and Heat.
Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 3/21/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options, to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel.
FanDuel DFS Guards
Delon Wright- PG, @CLE ($4,500)
Wright will be a nice source of salary relief assuming Fred VanVleet is unable to return to the lineup due to his hand injury. His recent track record is a bit deceiving due to the absence of Kyle Lowry or DeMar Derozan, so the recent 8X games aren’t the expectation. However, if VanVleet is out, Wright should continue to see a bump in minutes in a positive matchup against the Cavs, who have allowed a 112.3 defensive rating to guards over the last 10 games. I’d feel more comfortable playing Wright in GPP contests as this may be a rare occasion in which the Raptors play their starters heavy minutes, thus reducing Wright’s run.
Also Consider: Tyler Johnson- PG, vs. NY ($4,800)
Wayne Ellington- SG, vs. NY ($4,200)
If no big news breaks throughout the day, I’ll likely be playing Ellington and Middleton at the shooting guard position but I’d rather find a way to pay down from Middleton (unless value opens elsewhere-- Middleton does have a positive matchup). Ellington is more secure in my lineup thanks to his relatively steady role and FD contributions in the absence of Dwyane Wade. There’s really no upside for Ellington to do much than contribute 6X, but that’s more than can be said for the majoirty of the position. The tanking Knicks haven’t put up much of a fight defensively, as they have a 115.7 defensive rating against opposing guards over their past 10 games.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo- SF, vs. LAC ($12,000)
The Clippers have actually improved their defensive efficiency against opposing forwards of late, but they have gotten scorched by opposing wings all season. Outside of LeBron, there’s really no better player to exploit that matchup than Giannis. The game has a massive 227 total, so there should be no shortage of offense and the Bucks catch the Clippers on the back end of a back-to-back to make things just a bit safer. He’s my building block today.
Thaddeus Young- PF, @NO ($5,500)
The pricing is curious on Thad given that Domantas Sabonis has already been ruled out for this game, which should keep the Pacers’ frontcourt rotation tighter. On the season, Young has returned 5X on this price 55% of the time, 6X value 21% of the time, and 7X value 13% of the time. The one downside to Pacers players in general is their pace, as over the past 10 games they have the slowest pace in the entire NBA. However, the Pelicans land on the opposite end of that spectrum so the Pacers should be pushed to play at a bit faster pace and that combined with the price tag is enough to reassure me into playing Young.
Also Consider: Kevin Love- PF, vs. TOR ($7,300)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Kyle O’Quinn- C, @MIA ($5,300)
What you want to do at center will have a lot to do with your lineup build as a whole tonight, as the best plays appear to be either to pay all the way up to Jokic or Embiid or to pay down to Kyle O’Quinn or Myles Turner. If I’m paying up, I’d prefer Embiid despite Jokic’s recent run of hot play because his playing time is guaranteed and he doesn’t have to deal with the mood swings of tempermental Mike Malone. Meanwhile, the Knicks rotation is a disaster and a nightmare for the DFS community, but O’Quinn has maintained high teens to low 20s minutes through it. Though relying on blocks and steals is a risky game to play, they are paid off so well on FanDuel and O’Quinn has produced in those areas so consistently that he is a player who can return 5X value without scoring a single basket. If you have the cash, paying the extra $1,500 to Myles Turner is advisable. As the day wears on that should become more feasible as more salary relief comes into focus, but on the off chance it doesn’t, O’Quinn is a decent salary relief play.
Also Consider: Myles Turner- C, @NO ($6,800)
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