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DFS NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Saturday 3/19/22
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Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Luka Doncic FD - $8800 DK - $9600
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 58.76 DK - 64.08
We are going to want to stack some of these Mavericks on this slate of games facing off against Charlotte who runs the third-fastest pace and plays a defense ranked in the bottom third of the league. That’s a great spot and Luka makes for a pretty easy spend-up. The Mavericks are coming on the second half of the back-to-back here after losing to the Sixers on Friday, and Doncic definitely struggled. He went 5-20 from the field in the loss. But the Hornets provide a soft landing here considering the potential pace of the game and no clear defensive stopper on their team. Luka is likely to be a chalkier play on the three-gamer.
Spencer Dinwiddie FD - $6100 DK - $6700
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 34.32 DK - 37.67
Jalen Brunson FD - $5200 DK - $6300
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 31.92 DK - 34.61
Stacking Mavericks? You bet. I think running the three-guards from this team is totally reasonable considering the way they’ve been playing and the matchup. For starters, Dinwiddie is getting up about 14 shots per game in the short term, and since the trade deadline has averaged right around 19 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Plus, the production has gotten a bit more consistent since he joined the starting lineup on a permanent basis. On a bigger slate, there is almost no way I would consider this, but the shorter ones make for more interesting decisions.
And then there’s Brunson whose production has been similar all things considered. He and Dinwiddie are the second and third scoring options on this team by a pretty wide margin over the rest of the group, working to lighten some of the offensive load off of Luka. It’s mostly worked. Are they a bit expensive for their production? Sure, but I think stacking the three against Charlotte provides a nice floor in cash games.
Russell Westbrook FD - $6900 DK - $8700
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 36.23 DK - 40.46
He’s so cheap on FanDuel that you have to consider him even within the context of how this season has gone. Sure, it’s been a total mess through and through. There is no denying that at all. But just looking at his fantasy line, this price is a bit too low on FD. Russ is averaging right around 33 FanDuel points over the last nine games and is coming off a triple-double on Friday. Is he a good basketball player at this point in his NBA career? Not really. But they are still running him minutes and he can pile it on at times. Against his former team, I think he can pay off the FanDuel price. I’m not touching him on DraftKings though.
Small Forward
LeBron James FD - $10700 DK - $11400
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 54.87 DK - 58.94
The Lakers won in overtime on Friday in Toronto, keeping their head above water when it comes to the play-in game in the Western Conference. It’s been a disaster of a season, no doubt. But from a fantasy perspective, we can still run Lebron out there in cash games for a high floor. He went for 36 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in that game which is pretty close to what he’s been averaging over the last month or so. Considering the Lakers’ situation here, I think we still see him at max minutes on the back-to-back so I’m not worried about the run. He’s a bit too expensive on DraftKings if you are running Luka so this is more of a FanDuel play.
Lauri Markkanen FD - $6100 DK - $5900
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 30 DK - 32.31
With Jarrett Allen out, the Cavaliers have needed more minutes from Markkanen at the four. In the time since Allen went down, Lauri is averaging 20 points and seven rebounds on almost 37 points per game (2 OTs in there). The Cavs are coming on the back-to-back here, but I’m not worried about the run for Markkanen all things considered. The matchup against Detroit is a good one and they trend a bit bigger on their backline meaning Lauri can stand to run a few more minutes here. He’s a solid value play on both sites with the short slate limiting the options.
Power Forward/ Center
Evan Mobley FD - $7900 DK - $7700
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 44.46 DK - 45.5
The Cavaliers took down the Nuggets in overtime on Friday and Mobley was, once again, critical to what Cleveland was trying to do. In his 39 minutes, he put up 27 points and 11 rebounds. Since Jarrett Allen went down with a broken finger, Mobley has had to play much more exclusively at the five and the line has reflected the adjustment. Over that stretch, he’s averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks+steals. Now he’ll face a Pistons team ranked 24th on defense and clearly in the tank. The price, especially on DraftKings, hasn’t really fully adjusted for this new role and I think he makes for a pretty easy play.
Kyle Kuzma FD - $7000 DK - $8000
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 35.31 DK - 38.83
I think there is a very good chance that Kristaps Porzingis sits out this game on Saturday considering he played 29 minutes on Friday and they might not want to run him on the back-to-back. If he sat then I think we would definitely have to play Kuzma against his former team. The Lakers have snuck into the conversation as the best DFS matchup around. On the season they are now allowing the second-most fantasy points to opponents behind only Houston. That’s a remarkable race to the bottom. If Kristaps sits then Kuzma is completely mispriced on FanDuel and would be a DraftKings consideration as well.
Dwight Powell FD - $4200 DK - $4600
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 26.1 DK - 27.75
Though he’s been starting most of the season, only recently have we seen something of a minutes uptick for Powell. He’s run 30 or more minutes in three of the last four games, averaging 14 points and more than six rebounds in that stretch. He’ll never have much of a usage rate in this offense considering all of the ball handlers and his particular skill set. But he’s also pretty cheap on both sites. I think the minutes will be there once again and it’s easier for him to stay in this game because the Hornets employ centers that like to stay near the rim.
Consider Wenyen Gabriel (FD 3500 DK 3000) who got the start for the Lakers on Friday.
