Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks – Friday, March 8, 2024

Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks - Friday, March 8, 2024

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Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

Dejounte Murray FD - $8900 DK - $9200
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 44.25 DK - 47.1

Bogdan Bogdanovic FD - $6700 DK - $6400
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 35.49 DK - 37.98

The Hawks are already without Trae Young for the rest of the season and now have lost Jalen Johnson as well. There are a lot of shots opening up here for a team that still wants to keep its play-in hopes alive. Dejounte Murray is averaging almost 20 shots per game over the last week or so, with the minutes pressing toward 40 in close ones. His price is still pretty reasonable, all things considered, and Memphis isn’t going to provide much in the way of resistance, either.

And we should see more minutes and looks from Bogdan Bogdanovic with Johnson out of the lineup. The former is in the starting lineup, and the minutes will be in the 34-35 range if the game is close. He needs to put the ball in the basket to really hit, but 15 or so shots should be in the diet here considering the state of the Atlanta team.

Vasilije Micic FD - $5400 DK - $5300
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 28.59 DK - 31.68

It might be a bit weird to start things off with Vasilije Micic, but we have some good reasons to do so. For starters, he’s in the starting lineup now with Cody Martin (and LaMelo Ball) on the shelf. And there’s a chance Tre Mann sits this game out as well. Over the last three games, with an increased role, Micic is averaging 15.3 points and 5.7 assists while getting after it on the defense end as well. The price doesn’t totally reflect the new opportunity and there’s a chance it even expands if the Hornets are down another guard.

Jordan Goodwin FD - $6200 DK - $5200
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 32.05 DK - 33.68

The Grizzlies have been a total mess all year, with guys in and out of the lineup every single game. It looks like Jordan Goodwin will be back for this one and should be starting with Luke Kennard considered doubtful as of the time of this writing. The last three times Goodwin has played, he’s run more than 30 minutes in each, averaging six points, six assists, and 5.3 rebounds with a whopping 10 blocks+steals in that stretch. The scoring leaves a lot to be desired, but he’s made it up with the defensive stats easily. He’s a little too expensive on FanDuel, but the DraftKings price still works.

Small Forward

Deni Avdija FD - $6600 DK - $6700
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 36.99 DK - 40.18

The Wizards can be a frustrating team to roster night in, and night out because they stink and also will buzz off the starters’ minutes without caring too much about it. But Deni Avdija has played 35 and 36 apiece in the last two, averaging 15 points and nine rebounds along the way. The matchup against the Hornets is a good one and his price on both sites is still more than reasonable. We could see him have a lot of ownership on this slate.

Saddiq Bey FD - $6300 DK - $5700
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 33.44 DK - 36.36

De'Andre Hunter FD - $5700 DK - $5000
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 31.1 DK - 33.71

Again, the Atlanta Hawks are missing a lot in terms of minutes and shots right now, meaning we should see extended runs from both Saddiq Bet and De'Andre Hunter on this slate. Bey is coming off playing 41 minutes on Wednesday against the Cavaliers, taking 14 shots and finishing with 23 points and eight rebounds. That kind of run and usage should be there again tonight, and if anything, we might see it increase.

Meanwhile, De'Andre Hunter should join the starting lineup to replace Jalen Johnson, making him a pretty easy plug-and-play on both sites. Even coming off the bench, Hunter was averaging 18 points and 3.5 rebounds over the last month since returning from injury. That should easily increase just on the minutes alone. I suspect he’s one of the more popular plays on this slate.

Power Forward/ Center

Jaren Jackson Jr. FD - $9000 DK - $8200
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 46.7 DK - 48.08

With Memphis almost all injured, we’ve seen Jaren Jackson Jr. get crazy usage when he’s actually been in the lineup. He’s taken 23+ shots in three of his last four games, putting up 29 or more in all of them. Plus, the rebounding has jumped back up over the last couple of years with 13 and 11 boards, respectively. Simply put, he’s been one of the best fantasy producers around, and you can chuck in massive blocks of upside as well. I love him as a play on both sites tonight, but especially on DraftKings where he’s coming much too cheap.

Santi Aldama (FD 6000 DK 6000) could be a good play here as well.

Miles Bridges FD - $8400 DK - $8400
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 44.58 DK - 47.98

Want to talk about crazy minutes upside? Almost no one in the NBA gets to play as much as Miles Bridges, and that gives him a solid floor night in and night out. Combine it with the Hornets playing the Wizards, the worst defensive team in the league, and you have a pretty easy call here. He’s not all that efficient, something that actually keeps the price moderately in check considering the run. But he’s gone for 21 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game over the last month. That could increase here considering how good a matchup he’s seeing with the Wiz.

Doug Norrie