Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 3/9/18

Welcome to NBA Friday! We have 10 games to look through with plenty of different options. We do have 3 different 227+ totals and not a single spread on the slate is greater than 10. To make it simple, this is a fun slate with a lot of different routes to a completed lineup.

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Point guard

Damian Lillard FD - $9700 DK - $9400
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 45.43 DK - 47.19
We’ll kick things off in Portland, where the Blazers will host a Warriors team coming off a nail-biter vs the Spurs. Steph Curry rolled his ankle early in the game and didn’t return. He’s questionable for tonight and I wouldn’t be surprised if he misses. With that being said, it’s still hard to pinpoint the minutes between Cook and Livingston. For that reason, I’ll revisit the Warriors in a bit and take a look at Damian Lillard. Likely facing the likes of Livingston and Quinn Cook, Lillard should have 0 problem putting up fantasy points. He’s playing some of his best basketball of the season and can be counted on for 34 minutes and 45 fantasy points as a baseline in cash games. The upside is ridiculous in tournaments and we prefer him at home in big games. Damian Lillard is now going to cost you close to $10k, but he’s paying it off on most nights and sees a match-up tonight with a Warriors squad that’s going to force him to run and gun. If the Blazers expect to keep it close, Lillard is a lock and load in all formats.

Lonzo Ball FD - $7500 DK - $7600
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 38.74 DK - 38.74

Love or hate him, Lonzo Ball has been extremely productive as of late. He's been over 35 fantasy points in 3 of the last 4 and eclipsed 40 in two of those. He's been over 33 minutes in every game and is controlling the offense like a vet. The match-ups haven't been that great, either, topping 40 against the Spurs and Heat. He now sees an affair with the Denver Nuggets that holds a crazy 230 total and 6.5 point spread. The Nuggets rank 24th against the position since the Al-Star Break and there isn't much to dislike in this spot. His shot is starting to fall and his price is still fair. He needs you 33-38 in cash games and I really don't see that being much of a problem if the game stays close. You also have to consider the loss of Brandon Ingram, who does take some time at PG on occasion. Ball's minutes are as safe as possible and you can play him in any format. He'll be in most of my cash games and tournaments.

Frank Mason III FD - $3900 DK - $3800
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 26.79 DK - 26.87

We now get to one of the easier prospective plays on the entire slate. With De’Aaron Fox questionable to play, we could be looking at 35+ minutes out of a minimum-priced Frank Mason Jr. He’s been beyond effective when on the floor and it just comes down to strictly opportunity. With Fox heading out early last game, Mason picked up 29 minutes and came through with 32 fantasy points, to no surprise. He’s at 1.36 FP per minute on the season and it’s only gone up over the last 20. Tonight, the Magic are nothing to worry about in terms of a match-up. They rank 22nd against the position since leaving Elfrid and it has most to do with Augustin and Mack being inept. The lifeless Vucevic doesn’t help, either. This play just comes down to the status of De’Aaron Fox. If he plays, ignore this situation. If he sits, Frank Mason is the top value PG and a lock in every format.

Shooting Guard

Bradley Beal FD - $8600 DK - $9100
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 44.16 DK - 45.37

These next 2 options face-off with each other in what should end up as one of the better head-to-head match-ups of the night. We’ll start with Brad Beal, who’s playing the best basketball of his career. He’s putting up 40-50 fantasy points in every game and looks to be locked in over 35 minutes. Without John Wall, this team sits in the lap of Beal. He dictates both the pace and whether or not the Wizards can keep it close. Tonight, he faces a porous Pelicans defense that’s allowed the 6th most FP to opposing SG’s. Beal is going to continue shooting a ton and the ball will stay in his hands almost every single possession. The floor is rock solid at 40 with the upside for 60 any time he takes the floor without John Wall.

Jrue Holiday FD - $8500 DK - $8500
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 37.09 DK - 37.43

Now to the guy I like just a tad bit more. Jrue Holiday has been excellent as a number 2 option with Cousins out. He’s been putting up, like Brad Beal, between 40-50 on most nights. It now looks like they’ll be without Davis, so there are a ton more shots to go around. Holiday will pick up 30-35 minutes and I think it’s safe to rely on 15-25 shots. Mirotic will take a few at the 4, but his shots are mostly up in the air and hard to bet on. Holiday is a guy that’s shown initiative to run the offense and should be force-fed if this game stays close. He’s always been a lethal DFS contributor, so get your fair share tonight and don’t let yourself get talked off. Holiday is my favorite SG on this slate and I’ll have him in every lineup of mine.

Ben McLemore FD - $4800 DK - $4800
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 24.14 DK - 24.25

You don’t have to try hard to put up a mental block with Ben McLemore. If you’re a long-time NBA DFS player, you know him as the guy who would stand on the wing and take shots away from Boogie in Sacramento. He’s quite obviously evolved from there and is now able to create offense on his own. Over the last 3 games, McLemore has posted 31, 33, and 37 fantasy points. He’s been over 30 minutes in each and has to be trusted in all formats because of it. The price has slowly risen, but we’re still at a point where 25-30 makes you comfortable. The match-up with the Jazz isn’t great, but it’s better here at SG than almost any other position. McLemore is an elite savings option across the board.

Small forward

Jonathon Simmons FD - $4500 DK - $4700
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 26.11 DK - 26.54
Mario Hezonja FD - $4300 DK - $4200
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 23.45 DK - 23.43

With Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon out, both of these guys jump into relevancy. He’s been grabbing 30 minutes in every night, so there is plenty of opportunity to around. A few minutes may go to Arron Afflalo at the 2 and Isaac at the 4, but most will head towards the 3 at Jonathan Simmons and Mario Hezonja. Both are now guaranteed to see over 30 minutes and are elite plays against a Kings team that doesn’t play much perimeter defense. Both of these guys have struggled recently, but it has a lot more to do with the fight for minutes than anything else. Tonight, that won’t be an issue and I suspect value won’t either. If I had to pick, I go Simmons. He has just a tad bit more upside and is trusted to run the offense on occasion. You can go either way with Fournier out and I don’t hate playing both in a cash game. We will see both over $5k next slate if either Gordon or Fournier remains out.

Kevin Durant FD - $9800 DK - $8900
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 48.72 DK - 48.69

Stephen Curry exited after just 2 minutes last night with a rolled ankle and didn't return. It's already been announced that he'll miss the next 2 games and we'll likely see Kevin Durant pick up the slack. He did play a lot last night, but I suspect they just let him play big minutes and rest him a bit when Curry returns. If you watched the game last night, I bet you already have KD in your lineup. He's obviously feeling it right now and is going to touch the ball on every possession without Curry on the floor. His price is still fair on both sites and he is far cheaper than both LeBron and Giannis. He's a strong play in both cash games and tournaments and the guy I'm hitching my wagon to. If you want to pivot off of Durant, go with an uber-expensive Lebron that should be lower owned.

Power forward

Kyle Kuzma FD - $6800 DK - $6400
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 35.56 DK - 36.64

Ingram is still being held out for a couple games, so it’s the Kyle Kuzma party once again. He got up to a crazy 42 minutes last game and put up 44 fantasy points. Before that, 37 minutes and 34 fantasy points. He’s been electric without Brandon Ingram and is now safer than anyone else on the team. He’s played incredible when on the floor and it makes you wonder what he will be doing in 4 or 5 years. The Nuggets have allowed the 6th most fantasy points per game to opposing power fowards this year. Millsap is a lot better than the others, but he’s still returning and not focused on defense. Kuzma is a lock once again and can be booked for at least 25-30 fantasy points as a floor. As we sit, he’s in 100% of my lineups and I’m hoping that sticks.

Nikola Mirotic FD - $6700 DK - $7000
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 33.83 DK - 34.57
Cheick Diallo FD - $3500 DK - $3900
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 1.06 DK - 1.04

With Anthony Davis all but ruled out, these 2 guys should be in play tonight. Mirotic is an obvious choice as he should hop into the starting lineup and play at least 30-35 minutes. He has no problem shooting the ball and I suspect there's a lot of 2-man game between him and Jrue Holiday. This team knows Mirotic is lethal and the entire offense will change with Davis out. I just don't see much merit in fading Mirotic if Davis is held out. Cheick Diallo is a different story. His minutes are still volatile, though I wouldn't be surprised if he got up to the 20-25. He puts up points when on the floor and this match-up against the Wizards is solid. First things first, make sure Anthony Davis is out. He'll not only open up 35 minutes, but an insane amount of usage.

Larry Nance Jr. FD - $7800 DK - $7100
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 40.29 DK - 39.98

Tristan Thompson is out for the foreseeable future, so we might want to get used to Larry Nance Jr. With TT out the last 2 games, Nance has put up 45 and 48 fantasy points. He’s been over 30 minutes in each and now sees a very friendly match-up with a weak Clips interior. He’ll likely end up matching with DeAndre Jordan, which is fine by me. He doesn’t have much of a chance staying with him on the perimeter and I suspect Nance Jr. has a big game. He’s locked into the majority of my cash games and tournaments as one of the safer plays to go around. Let’s keep it goin’.

Center

Andre Drummond FD - $10200 DK - $9500
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 52.24 DK - 52.88

First things first - it's going to be tough to pay up in as many spots as you'd like tonight, so this one might be a bit of a stretch. Drummond will be matched up with Robin Lopez in his first game back after 2 weeks, which should be something of a rude awakening for him. He’s finally reached the $10k price tag and now needs you 50 to make you happy. Drummond hasn't necessarily been paying that price reliably recently, but the Bulls have given up the 2nd most fantasy points per game to opposing centers this season, so I am a buyer. Again, I think I like other big money options for the safety of your cash games but the upside for big tourneys here is undeniable.

Marcin Gortat FD - $4000 DK - $4900
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 21.2 DK - 21.07

This doesn’t excite me, but Gortat is a somewhat-appealing way to pay down at Center. It starts with the price. At just $4k, you’re happy with 15 out of the Polish hammer. He’s seeing just over 20 minutes in every game and should have a ton of success when on the floor in this one. With AD assumed to be off the floor, Gortat will be the biggest guy on the floor. He’s not all that talented at this point, but has maintained his role and is in there down the stretch. This game holds a 225+ total and it’s because of the Pelicans insane PACE. We’ve touched on a lot of the Pelicans so far, but the Wizards are in play here too. If you need to pay down, look for 18-24 fantasy points out of Gortat with the rare upside for more. Good luck tonight and feel free to comment below with any questions! Thanks!

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