DFS NBA Lineups for March 4, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com

On days that there’s a nice slate of DFS NBA games, we’ll give you the game totals, point spreads, and pertinent injury news to follow for NBA daily fantasy, as well as some players that we’re considering for our lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

We have seven games on the main slate in DFS NBA for Saturday, 3/4/17 with James Harden and LeBron James the only two players topping $10k at DraftKings. Karl-Anthony Towns has seen his price drop $600 despite the monster run he’s on due to his matchup with the Spurs. And finally, Marc Gasol comes in at sub $8k on DK and gets the Rockets, who shoot a million three pointers per game, so rebound opportunities will be at a premium.

We’ve got a some big DFS NBA tournaments for March 4. DraftKings has a $4 buy-in, $350k Guaranteed Four Point Play as well as a $40 buy-in Spin Move paying out $50k to first place. At FanDuel, they have a $300k guaranteed Shot, and a $25 qualifier to their live final.

As always, be sure and monitor any of the injury news that breaks throughout the day, as value plays and player upgrades can arise in a moments notice.

PLAYERS RULED OUT

Kyle Lowry (wrist)
Kevin Love (knee)
Frank Kaminsky (shoulder)
Kenneth Faried (back)
Michael Beasley (knee)
Evan Turner (hand)
Ed Davis (shoulder)

INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR

Michael Carter-Williams (knee)
Khris Middleton (potential rest)
Spurs veterans (B2B set)

NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES

Cavs -2 @ Heat (8:00p): 216
Raptors -2 @ Bucks (8:00p): 205.5
Clippers – 1.5 @ Bulls (8:30p): 211.5
Hornets @ Nuggets -5 (9:00p): 221
Grizzlies @ Rockets -8 (9:00p): 218.5
Timberwolves @ Spurs -8.5 (9:00p): 206
Nets @ Blazers -11 (10:00p): 226.5

Best NBA Picks for March 4, 2017

James Harden ($11.1k DraftKings, $11.5k FanDuel)
The matchup certainly isn’t ideal, but Harden’s significant drop in price is worth noting on DraftKings at the very least. He’s still the best bet for a triple double on a nightly basis aside from Westbrook and the Rockets (-8) should require more efforts from him on both ends of the floor in what should be a tough test at home against the Grizzlies. While Memphis is still a great defensive team, they’re weakest in the backcourt, where they cough up an above average 21.4 PPG to opposing SGs on the season. Harden went for 29 points and 7 assists in in a home loss to Memphis and was far more efficient with 29 points on 7-of-9 FG shooting during a blowout win at Memphis in mid-January. Clearly, he’s figured out ways to attack that aggressive defense and get to the FT line and he’s the best in the world at that approach.

Nikola Jokic ($9.5k DraftKings, $9.9k FanDuel)
The Joker is coming off consecutive triple doubles on the road against relatively tough defensive teams in Chicago and Milwaukee. So he’s certainly worth a look as a truly elite option against a Hornets team that can’t stop anyone down low. Charlotte coughs up the ninth-most FPPG (48.97) and fifth-most RPG (16.07) to opposing centers this season while the Hornets are expected to be without PF/C Frank Kaminsky tonight. Cody Zeller is still working his way back from a quad injury and doesn’t match up particularly well with a skilled big man like Jokic, who is fully capable of piling up double-digit assists and rebounds once again.

DeMar DeRozan ($8.7k DraftKings, $9.9k FanDuel)
After his only off game since Kyle Lowry (wrist) suffered a serious injury, DeRozan bounced back with 32 points to lead his team to a win against the very same Wizards team that held him in check on Wednesday. Now he’ll face a Bucks defense that concentrates on opposing PGs, but allows the 11th most PPG (22.1) to opposing SGs on the season. DDR is averaging 28 PPG on 55% FG shooting over two meetings with the Bucks this year and he’s very cheap on DraftKings given his floor-ceiling combination with Lowry inactive.

Mid Tier DFS NBA Plays

Jusuf Nurkic ($6.7k DraftKings, $6.4k FanDuel)
The Bosnian Beast lived up to his name with a huge line (18 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals) in a tough matchup against the Thunder and now his Blazers will host the worst defensive team in the NBA. Brooklyn is still giving up the most PPG (114.2) on the year and allowing the fourth-most FPPG (50) to opposing centers. Brook Lopez is not exactly physical enough to bang with a younger and more athletic big in Nurkic, who has found a home in Portland and is flashing the same type of ability as his former teammate Nikola Jokic now that he’s free to log heavy minutes for a new franchise.

Khris Middleton ($6k DraftKings, $5.3k FanDuel)
You’ll have to monitor his status because Middleton has yet to suit up on the second half of a B2B set while coming back from a knee injury over the past month, but he’s clearly close to full speed after logging 31 and 33 minutes over his last two appearances. He dropped 19 points with 9 assists and 4 steals to exceed value against the Clippers last night and will remain home to face a Raptors team that is coughing up the third-most PPG (24.6) to opposing SFs over the last month. He’s clearly under priced on FD and is playing a much needed role for the Bucks with Jabari Parker and Michael Beasley out indefinitely, so give him a look if he’s active.

Value DFS NBA Plays

Bobby Portis ($4.8k DraftKings, $4.4k FanDuel)
It’s taken a little time, but Portis is finally starting to prove why the Bulls moved Taj Gibson to open up more run for their young PF. He just dropped a double double while playing an integral role in a home win over the Warriors and exceeded value in his prior performance against the weak Nuggets defense. He’ll face a Clippers team tonight that is coughing up the most PPG (121.5) in the NBA over the last week and will be called upon to log more minutes at the 4 as one the Bulls better defensive options against Blake Griffin.

San Antonio Spurs
They went into overtime at New Orleans last night and HC Gregg Popovich is more likely than not to rest some of his veterans in a winnable home game against the Wolves. Minnesota has very little chance to come into San Antonio and win regardless of who suits up for the Silver and Black, so we might see Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and/or LaMarcus Aldridge get the night off. If Parker is out, Dejounte Murray ($3.7k, $3.5k) would serve as a low-upside punt and Patty Mills ($3.6k, $3.7k) will likely be worth a look regardless as an intriguing value. David Lee ($4k, $4.8k) would be the next man up if Gasol or Aldridge gets some rest and Danny Green ($3.8k, $3.8k) is another value to consider if other Spurs sit.

If, Then Player

If Middleton is unable to go on the second half of a B2B set, look for Malcolm Brogdon and Greg Monroe to step up as secondary scoring options alongside The Greek Freak.