FanDuel NBA Picks and DraftKings NBA Picks - Thursday, 3/18/21

We crushed Tuesday's article with guys like Damian Lillard, Tomas Satoransky, Moses Brown, Brandon Ingram, and John Collins and Wednesday appears to be off to a nice start. This second half has been a lot better to us in general, with not as much late-breaking news killing our lineups (knock on wood!). We have another great slate here and a lot to discuss, though, so let's go ahead and get into it!

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Point Guard

Ricky Rubio FD - $5400 DK - $5800
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 26.69 DK - 27.18

Rubio has always been overlooked for fantasy purposes because of his lack of scoring, but this dude has been awesome recently. What's made him valuable is that Minnesota is so shorthanded in the backcourt, playing without Jordan McLaughlin, D'Angelo Russell, and Malik Beasley. That leaves Rubio as the primary ball-handler, leading to his best stretch of the season. He's now scored at least 21 fantasy points in 18 of his last 20 games while averaging 28 fantasy points per game in that span. He actually has a 34-point average over his last five fixtures, and that makes him hard to fade below $6K. Rubio happens to have some of his best career numbers against the Suns, too, averaging 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game in 23 meetings with them.

Michael Carter-Williams FD - $4700 DK - $5700
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 27.66 DK - 28.33

Is it 2015? Rubio and MCW as our point guard recommendations feels like a weird start but these two are in great spots right now. Carter-Williams has benefited just like Rubio, gaining the starting PG position in Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony's absences. Since taking over this role 13 games ago, MCW has at least 18 fantasy points in each of those en route to a 25-point average. That makes the $4,700 price tag on FanDuel criminal, especially when you see Carter-Williams' 28-point average over the last five games. New York happens to be missing Elfrid Payton at point guard, too, and he's their defensive stopper at that position.

Damian Lillard was our highlight player on Tuesday and dropped a 50-burger on the same team he faces today!

Shooting Guard

Devin Booker FD - $7500 DK - $7900
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 41.72 DK - 43.66

Booker really struggled to adjust in his first month with Chris Paul, but he's really starting to hit his stride recently. Amazingly, Booker has at least 32 fantasy points in 18-straight outings, averaging nearly 40 DraftKings points per game in that span. That earned him an All-Star appearance, and it makes it hard to believe he's well below $8,000. The reason we want to ride him today is this matchup, though, with Minnesota ranked 28th in points allowed and 26th in defensive efficiency. That was on full display when Book had season-best 58 fantasy points against them a few weeks ago.

Immanuel Quickley FD - $5100 DK - $6300
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 33.38 DK - 34.94

We already discussed a little bit about Elf Payton's absence, and New York is also without Derrick Rose as well. That leaves Quickley as the only guy left, and that has Knicks fans running to the team store to buy a Quickley jersey. This rookie is averaging 21.1 DK points per game in less than 20 minutes a night this season, and it's scary to think how good he could be when he gets the 30-35 minutes we anticipate here. He's actually played at least 33 minutes in two of his last three games, posting a 28-point average in that stretch. All of that is great, but we love that Orlando owns a 27th OPRK against opposing point guards as well.

Eric Bledsoe has been all over the map but has some serious upside at $4,500 on FanDuel.

Small Forward

LeBron James FD - $10800 DK - $10700
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 53.13 DK - 56.17

Honestly, you could have put LBJ in your lineup in almost any game for the past 20 years, and you'd probably be off to a good start. The reason we like him more than usual is that Anthony Davis is out. That's leaving James with a usage rate north of 30 percent, collecting triple-doubles in back-to-back games. His floor might be the most amazing aspect of using LBJ, scoring at least 31 fantasy points in all 39 games he's played while scoring at least 41 fantasy points in 34 of those outings. The best part of this might be the matchup, with Charlotte ranked 21st in total defense while owning a 25th OPRK against opposing small forwards.

Rui Hachimura FD - $5000 DK - $5600
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 28.48 DK - 29.01

We've been waiting for Rui to break out for over a year now, and we might be in the midst of it. The defensive stud has played at least 37 minutes in each of his last two games, combining for an absurd 93.6 DraftKings points in those outings. That's a truly absurd two-game stretch, and it's extremely rare to see that from a player hovering around $5K. What adds to his intrigue here is that this is the second half of a back-to-back set, with Russell Westbrook or Bradley Beal possibly limited or sitting. Some might worry about the matchup with Utah, too but a hustle guy like this isn't really affected by the matchup, especially when Washington needs him out there for big minutes to defend.

R.J. Barrett has been better with all of the guards out in New York and remains a decent value around $6K.

Power Forward

John Collins FD - $7500 DK - $7200
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 38.38 DK - 38.73

Collins has been slightly disappointing for season-long fantasy managers, but he's in a fantastic spot right now. Atlanta's training room is stuffed with frontcourt players, with Clint Capela, Cam Reddish, De'Andre Hunter, and Onyeka Okongwu all dealing with injuries. Two of those guys happen to be the only two real centers on this roster, leaving Collins to feast on the boards. In the last two games without those guys, JC has 42 points and 23 rebounds combined, scoring at least 43 fantasy points in each of those games. That's the stud we saw last season, and he should have no problem duplicating that with Oklahoma City surrendering the most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing PFs.

Aleksej Pokuševski FD - $4300 DK - $4700
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 25.13 DK - 24.61

This kid has some serious growing pains headed his way and has had some terrible moments, but we love how much run he's getting. Oklahoma City is in full-on rebuild mode right now, and they need to see what this youngster can do. That's forced him into the starting lineup since the All-Star break, playing at least 29 minutes in all four games since. Poku is also averaging 26 DraftKings points per game in that span, which is really solid from a sub-$5K player. If we get word that Al Horford and Darius Bazley are out again, Pokusevski is easily one of the best values on the board. The matchup isn't too shabby either, with Atlanta sitting 22nd in defensive efficiency ratings.

Julius Randle has been crushing all season long and is definitely in play against Orlando.

Center

Rudy Gobert FD - $8700 DK - $8200
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 43.47 DK - 43.15

What if I told you that the best rebounder and defensive big in the NBA faces a Washington team that ranks 22nd in offensive efficiency while playing at the fastest pace in the league? That means more possessions and more missed shots than usual, giving Gobert a legit shot at 20 rebounds and three blocks. That's scary considering the other side of the ball, with Utah getting more possessions while facing a 27th-ranked Wizards defense. That means a 20-20 game is definitely in play, considering Rudy is averaging exactly 20 points and 20 rebounds over his last two outings.

Moses Brown FD - $4400 DK - $4300
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 28.41 DK - 27.1

This is cognizant of Al Horford's status, but Moses is a pretty good play whether he suits up or not. In a spot start for Big Al on Tuesday, Brown tallied 20 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks in the best game of his career. He was solid in a reserve role before that anyway, scoring at least 23 fantasy points in each of his previous three games. That means he's a good play if Horford suits up and arguably the best per-dollar play on the board if Al sits. The matchup is stupendous, too, with Atlanta missing all of their centers while owning the subpar defense we discussed earlier.

Steven Adams remains below $5,500 on both sites, which is strange to see from a guy who has 15-rebound potential.

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