Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks - Friday, March 31, 2023

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Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

Josh Giddey FD - $8000 DK - $8700
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 44.37 DK - 48.41

We are nearing the end of the season and this is where things can start getting real weird, real quick from a DFS standpoint. Teams’ motivations are all over the place and some for the spreads definitely represent this uncertainty. Even without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder seem to be putting their best foot forward and still are in the Western Conference play-in game as of this writing.

Josh Giddey is locked into around 35 minutes a game in this set up and is averaging 23 points, 10.5 assists, and seven rebounds in that stretch. His price, especially on FanDuel, hasn’t moved nearly enough to reflect this opportunity. He’s an easy play there.

Consider Isaiah Joe (FD 5500 DK 5300) who should stick in the starting lineup.

Shaedon Sharpe FD - $7700 DK - $7900
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 38.96 DK - 42.06

The Trailblazers have shut down Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, and Anfernee Simons for the season. And last game they ran a core of young guys a million minutes even in a massive blowout. That could be the case agains here against the Kings. Shaedon Sharpe took 27 shots in 45 minutes against these same Kings earlier in the week, finishing with 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. He could be in line for massive usage once again especially if Portland was no f’s to give when it comes to results here. The rookie is still very much a value under the current Blazers’ setup.

If Kawhi Leonard were out for personal reasons again then Russell Westbrook (FD 8300 DK 8700) would jump to the top of the list here. He went for 36 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds last game with both Kawhi and Paul George out of the Clippers’ mix.

Keep an eye on the situation in Charlotte going into this game. Last time out, Dennis Smith Jr. (FD 6500 DK 6800) was a very (very) late scratch and Théo Maledon (FD 5300 DK 5500) ended up starting and playing a ton of minutes. That could be the case once again and the Hornets are clearly in the tank.

And along with them, Svi Mykhailiuk (FD 5200 DK 6300) played a ton as well. But he’s gotten a bit expensive in the short term.

Small Forward

Nassir Little FD - $4700 DK - $5600
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 31.43 DK - 34

Kevin Knox II FD - $5000 DK - $5000
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 31.88 DK - 34.98

As we said with Shaedon Sharpe, the Blazers are going full tank here and decided to just run out some of the younger guys for a million minutes without worrying a single second about the game result. We could be looking at that again. Nassir Little and Kevin Knox each got the start, playing 40 and 39 minutes respectively. They also took 17 and 16 shots each. Pretty impressive chucking from these two and we hope it continues.

Knox finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Little had a somewhat disturbing 10 points and two rebounds in those 40 minutes. It’s almost inconceivable that he could repeat such a depressing line in this much run, but stranger things and all. I am fine running both of them out there again in cash games even with how bad Portland is right now.

Jalen Williams FD - $7600 DK - $7500
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 38.07 DK - 39.37

Luguentz Dort FD - $5900 DK - $5900
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 32.09 DK - 34.55

Like as said for Giddey, it does appear as if the Oklahoma City Thunder are fully trying to win these games and get into the playoffs. With that in mind, both Jalen Williams and Lu Dort are plays here against the Pacers. Williams has averaged more than 16 shots per game over the last three, averaging 27 points, five rebounds, and five assists in that stretch. And Dort is coming off playing 38 minutes against the Pistons with his 20 points the second-highest on the team.

Power Forward/ Center

Kristaps Porzingis FD - $9600 DK - $9500
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 51.65 DK - 53.71

Deni Avdija FD - $7200 DK - $7100
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 35.61 DK - 38.29

It’s sometimes tough to tell whether the Washington Wizards are coming or going and, at times, their rotations and motivations have felt a bit all over the place. But with Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma both out of the mix in the short term, it’s at least mean steady production and minutes for both Kristaps Porzingis and Deni Avdija.

Kristaps is coming off a 32-point, 16-rebound, six-assist game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, a game Washington somehow won. He’s not totally priced for the opportunity he has as the centerpiece of the offense. And he would look like an even better play if Daniel Gafford were out of the lineup once again.

Similarly, Deni Avdija has been starting and running minutes in the mid-30s over the last couple of weeks. In that stretch, he’s averaging 18.4 points and 9.6 rebounds, and six assists. He’s seen the price climb here for sure but even in the $7K range I still think we are getting some value on his production.

Mark Williams FD - $5700 DK - $5800
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 35.62 DK - 36.3

The Hornets have said that they are rotating guys on a game-to-game basis at the center position to close out things out and tonight is Mark Williams’ turn. Last game, he played 32 minutes and put up a 15-point, 16-rebound line against the Dallas Mavericks. I like the price on both sites and it doesn’t seem like Charlotte is going to get in its own way when it comes to his run considering he didn’t play last game when it was Nick Richards’ turn.