RADIO
We start off the week with a solid eight-game slate that already has a couple of big-name injuries casting a shadow over it. Giannis Antetokounmpo is doubtful for Monday due to a knee sprain suffered Saturday, while the Hornets will be playing their first game without LaMelo Ball, who sustained a season-ending wrist injury on that same day.
The night appears to definitely tilt toward competitive games if current point spreads are reasonably accurate, and the even better news is there’s also plenty of offense projected. As of early Monday morning, all four games that have over/unders listed sport totals of 224 points or greater.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 3/22/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
De'Aaron Fox, PG – at CLE ($8,900)
There are an abundance of appealing guards on Monday’s slate as evidenced by the robust “Also Consider” section below, but Fox offers a nice combination of a reasonable salary for his ceiling. The fourth-year guard is coming off a dud Saturday against the Sixers, a game in which he shot just 5-for-14 on the way to a modest-by-his-standards 27.8 FD points. However, prior to that contest, Fox averaged 48.1 FD points over the 10 previous games, a span during which he scored under 42.9 FD points only once. In all, Fox has come with three-tenths of an FD point of delivering at least 5x his salary on 15 occasions this season, and a matchup against a Cavaliers team allowing the fourth-most points (27.6), sixth-most steals (2.2) and 49.8 FD points per game to point guards over the last 15 games could well facilitate a 16th.
Collin Sexton, SG – vs. SAC ($7,300)
Sexton is an excellent mid-salary play on the other side of the Cavaliers-Kings matchup, and the star guard enters Monday’s game having scored between 37.0 and 54.8 FD points in six of the last nine games while also shooting a career-high 48.0 percent, including 39.8 percent from deep. Sexton also draws an outstanding matchup against the defensively porous Kings, which have allowed the fourth-most FD points per game (50.4) to point guards, including the third most (54.0) over the last seven games. Moreover, Sacramento brings a bump in pace for the Cavs, which will give Sexton a few more possessions than usual to work with.
Donte Divincenzo, SG – vs. IND ($5,700)
DiVincenzo already checks into Monday’s game with plenty of momentum, and he becomes an even more appealing play at his salary when factoring in Giannis Antetokounmpo is doubtful for the contest due to his knee injury. DiVincenzo is averaging 34.7 FD points per 36 minutes without Antetokounmpo on the floor, and he already racked up 53.9 FD points when he last saw Indiana on Feb. 25. DiVincenzo has scored 25.6 to 45.1 FD points in the last five games, and the Pacers check into Monday surrendering 40.5 FD points per game to two-guards on the season and ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency (23.3 percent) allowed to the position.
Also consider: DeMar DeRozan ($8,900); Trae Young ($8,700); Zach LaVine ($8,400); Donovan Mitchell ($8,400); Paul George ($8,200); Fred VanVleet ($8,100); Kyle Lowry ($7,900); John Wall ($7,800); Victor Oladipo ($7,800); Anthony Edwards ($7,700); Ja Morant ($7,400); Jrue Holiday ($6,800); Buddy Hield ($6,400); Mike Conley ($6,000); Terry Rozier ($5,900); Darius Garland ($5,500); Derrick White ($5,200); Jordan Clarkson ($4,600); Devonte' Graham ($4,300)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Domantas Sabonis, PF- at MIL ($9,100)
Sabonis has generated under 40 FD points in three of the last four games, but he’s also scored 48.8 to 62.6 FD points in three others since the All-Star break. The versatile forward is averaging career highs in multiple categories, and he touched up the same Bucks squad he’ll see Monday for 54.4 FD points back on Feb. 3 with Antetokounmpo in the lineup. Sabonis has already put up 46 FD points or more in 19 games this season, and with Bobby Portis likely stepping in for Giannis on Monday, Sabonis could have a much clearer path to a fruitful performance.
Jaylen Brown, SF – at MEM ($7,800)
Brown has scored 43.7 to 50.6 FD points over his last four games and boasts career highs in multiple categories on the season. He also generated his fourth-highest FD-point tally of the season Dec. 30 against the Grizzlies, when he compiled 53 over just 29 minutes. The production isn’t surprising when considering Memphis has been one of the most vulnerable teams to small forwards all season, surrendering the third-highest offensive efficiency (25.4 percent), along with the third-most FD points per game (45.9) to the position over the last 15. Kemba Walker will also sit out Monday on the second game of the back-to-back set, and Brown sports a 31.6 percent usage rate while averaging 44.5 FD points per 36 minutes without his teammate on the floor.
Keldon Johnson, SF – vs. CHA ($5,400)
Johnson has begun to take on a bigger role in the absence of LaMarcus Aldridge, as he’s now averaged 35.1 FD points over the last four games. A big part of that number is due to the massive 23-point, 21-rebound double-double he put up against the Cavaliers on Friday, but Johnson has actually delivered over 5x his current salary in exactly half his 36 games. That includes a 35.1 tally versus Charlotte on Feb. 14, and the Hornets come in with numbers against power forwards that imply they could well give up another strong game to Johnson. The Hornets are allowing NBA-high 28.0 percent offensive efficiency to power forwards, along with Eastern Conference-high 49.5 percent shooting to fours and the most FD points per game (49.8) to the position as well.
Also consider: Kawhi Leonard ($9,500); Jayson Tatum ($8,800); John Collins ($8,200); Christian Wood ($8,100); Pascal Siakam ($7,900); Norman Powell ($7,500); Khris Middleton ($7,000); Thaddeus Young ($6,500); Harrison Barnes ($6,000); P.J. Washington ($6,000); Larry Nance Jr. ($5,600); Kyle Anderson ($5,000); Bobby Portis ($3,700)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Karl-Anthony Towns– vs. OKC ($9,700)
First overall pick Anthony Edwards has been stealing a bit of Towns’ thunder with his spectacular play, but the big man is naturally still a centerpiece of the Timberwolves’ attack, especially with D'Angelo Russell (quadriceps) and Malik Beasley (suspension) out of action. Towns boasts a 29.6 percent usage rate and averages 49.2 FD points per 36 minutes without his teammates on the floor, and the Thunder is ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency (32.0 percent) surrendered to centers while giving up 54.1 FD points per game to the position over the last 15 as well.
Al Horford — at MIN ($6,100)
There are multiple appealing centers in the mid-salary level Monday, with some of the others listed in the “Also Consider” section. However, Horford could well slide under the radar a bit, considering he’s coming off a rest day and has been a bit up and down with his production. Nevertheless, Horford has scored over 30 FD points in four of the last seven contests, and he’s delivered more than 5x his current salary on 10 occasions already. The T-Wolves have also allowed the second-highest offensive efficiency (35.0 percent) to centers on the season and 50.5 FD points per game to the position over the last seven, while the 37.9 percent three-point shooting Minnesota surrenders -- sixth-highest figure in the league – could benefit the floor-spacing Horford (37.4 percent three-point shooting on career-high 5.4 three-point attempts per contest).
Brook Lopez– vs. IND ($5,100)
Like DiVincenzo, Lopez should be in prime position to benefit from Antetokounmpo’s expected absence Monday, and he already comes in averaging 29.5 FD points per 36 minutes without his teammate next to him in the frontcourt. Lopez put up just under an FD point per minute in his one previous meeting versus the Pacers, posting 22.7 across 23 minutes back on Feb. 3. Indiana has also been particularly vulnerable to centers of late as well, giving up the sixth-most FD points per game (58.0) to fives in the last seven contests. Lopez’s ability to space the floor also dovetails well with Indiana’s vulnerability to three-point shooting (37.9 percent allowed, fifth highest in the league), enhancing his already strong case at a salary that doesn’t reflect the expanded role he should enjoy Monday.
Also consider: Rudy Gobert ($8,300); Clint Capela ($7,800); Jonas Valanciunas ($7,600); Richaun Holmes ($6,700); Jarrett Allen ($6,700); Robert Williams III ($5,900); Myles Turner ($5,700); Jakob Poeltl ($5,400)
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