Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane dribbles during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday, March 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 50.77 DK - 55.94
The Hornets and Wizards played on Wednesday, putting up 248 points total with Washington beating Charlotte healthily 132-116. From a fantasy perspective, this matchup lines up well for us to stack again in cash games and we’ve seen LaMelo Ball’s minutes tick up in the short-term. He took 22 shots in that one in 36 minutes, tallying 34 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Dude turned it over six times, but that’s to be somewhat expected considering his time on ball and usage. The price has come way up on DraftKings but he’s still a great play on FanDuel.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 45.76 DK - 48.63
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 34.53 DK - 36.62
The Grizzlies get a good matchup against the Jazz in this one with Utah ranking dead last in defensive efficiency this season. Desmond Bane has struggled from the field at times, but continues to have crazy high usage for Memphis with Ja Morant out of the picture.
He’s averaging close to 21 shots per game and 9.4 from beyond the arc. The looks are more difficult, but we can assume he’ll come up some on the 33.3% 3-point shooting considering he’s 42% for his career. I like the prices on both sites as the Grizzlies try to keep their heads above water here.
Smart’s scoring numbers are up over his career averages and he’s been racking up a ton of steals so far, with 2.6 per game not the season. His three-point shooting could also probably stand for a bit of positive regression as well. I think the price on both sites is more than fair and the minutes are very safe.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 33.02 DK - 35.59
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 38.11 DK - 40.3
I might be wish casting a bit here, but I’m still expecting to see Brandon Miller expand his role in the offense some now that he’s getting the starts for the injured Terry Rozier. He’s gotten into double-digit shot opportunities in each of the last two games and was able to get on the boards some last time out.
The price and matchup are still good enough to take a swing on the second overall pick, but I get being hesitant.
Meanwhile, Gordon Hayward is a much safer play though it will, of course, cost you a bit more. Hayward’s role in the Charlotte offense has been excellent, taking more than 16 shots per game over the last four and averaging 19.5 points, six rebounds, and five assists in that stretch. In this middle tier, considering the matchup, you can make him a core part of lineups.
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 36.26 DK - 38.46
Keegan Murray has had an up-and-down beginning to his sophomore season, seeing considerably more playing time, but also struggling to keep his shooting consistent. He’s been only 25% from three on eight attempts per game so far. You have to love the volume and can almost definitely bet that there is regression coming here on the efficiency.
His rebounding is above six per game and there are also 2.2 blocks + steals as well. I think he’s a great buy low(ish) play on this slate.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 43.56 DK - 48.08
While it’s sometimes (often times) tough to trust the Wizards minutes on a game-to-game basis, Kyle Kuzma has been one of the few guys we can turn to in times of cash game need. Last game against the Hornets he took twice as many shots as anyone else on the team, going 13-24 from the field and scoring 33 points while adding nine rebounds.
Let’s go this way again with the teams on the second leg of the home-and-home. I suspect he sees higher ownership once again.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 32.91 DK - 33.99
For better or worse, Bismack Biyombo is the starting center for the Grizzlies now and that means we are getting some value on him in Memphis. He played 30 minutes last game, tallying nine points and 10 rebounds. And while getting only one steal, he is a candidate to put on more defensive stats with this kind of playing time. He had three blocks the game before. Against the Jazz, we are going to want to have some Memphis guys and the latter will be without Walker Kessler on the interior in this one.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 38.25 DK - 40.2
If you think Jusuf Nurkic’s 33 minutes in regulation against the Bulls was the new normal then his price on DraftKings is a bit too low. He dropped 20 points and 17 rebounds with Bradley Beal back in the lineup against the Bulls. Maybe it’s just a blip and they went big against Vuce in a way they won’t against LeBron and company tonight. But it’s at least worth monitoring here because that’s a massive line.
Strongly consider P.J. Washington (FD 6200 DK 6700) against the Wizards.
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