DFS NBA Lineups for March 8, 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 11 games on the main slate in DFS NBA for Wednesday, 3/8/17 with some giant contests as you’ll see below. We’ve got seven players topping $10k at DraftKings with the Center position particularly interesting tonight with viable options at nearly every price tier. Multiple position eligibility has really expanded at DK giving you a ridiculous amount of options and lineup construction possibilities. At first glance, there’s not a lot of obvious value plays entering the day, so be sure and keep an eye out for some much needed openings. We could possibly find that opening with the Spurs. They’re massive favorites at home against the Kings, while heading out to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Thursday. This could be a prime spot for Pop to rest a couple of starters on the first leg of a back to back before a much tougher road game tomorrow. (1:15p UPDATE: Pop has decided to rest Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge tonight)

We’ve got two different million dollar guaranteed DFS NBA GPP tournaments for March 8. DraftKings is rolling out a $33 buy-in, $1M guarantee contest with $200k to first place. FanDuel is dropping a million dollar guarantee with just an $8 buy-in, with $200k going to first there too. There’s massive money up for grabs at both sites, so be sure and click one of the links above if you need to make an account at either as you need to be playing at both today.

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

Kevin Durant (knee)
Kyle Lowry (wrist)
Frank Kaminsky (shoulder)
Kenneth Faried (back)
Michael Beasley (knee)
Kawhi Leonard (rest)
LaMarcus Aldridge (rest)

INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR

Dwyane Wade (thigh)
Rajon Rondo (ankle)
Nikola Jokic (illness)
Nikola Vucevic (Achilles) – OUT (11:15a update) 
James Johnson (elbow)
Tyler Johnson (shoulder)
George Hill (toe)
Derrick Favors (knee)
Al Horford (elbow)
Ryan Anderson (back)
DeMarre Carroll (ankle)
Jimmy Butler – Missed Shootaround (1:30p update)

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

Bulls -1.5 @ Magic (7:00p): 203
Nets @ Hawks -9.5 (7:30p): 219
Hornets @ Heat -4 (7:30p): 204.5
Knicks @ Bucks -5 (8:00p): 211
Raptors @ Pelicans -2 (8:00p): 203.5
Jazz @ Rockets -6 (8:00p): 214
Clippers -3 @ Timberwolves (8:00p): 211
Pistons @ Pacers -3.5 (8:00p): 206.5
Kings @ Spurs -15 (8:30p): 200
Wizards @ Nuggets -1 (9:00p): 228.5
Celtics @ Warriors -8.5 (10:30p): 222.5

Best NBA Picks for March 8, 2017

James Harden ($10.9k DraftKings, $11.6k FanDuel)
The Beard just came through with huge performances against Memphis and at San Antonio, so what’s left? Well, a date with the top-ranked Jazz defense, which presents some formidable issues, yet he’s averaging 28.5 PPG and 8.5 APG over two meetings with the Jazz and has turned it up a notch with Eric Gordon fading and Ryan Anderson (back) injured down the stretch. Utah is far from healthy on the wing where Rodney Hood (knee) has been in and out of the lineup and George Hill (toe) is questionable tonight, plus the Rockets should have a little extra motivation after suffering a close loss to their rivals in San Antonio on Monday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($9.8k DraftKings, $10.8k FanDuel)
He’s far more attractive at that price tag on DK, where he could also potentially flirt with a triple double bonus in a juicy matchup, yet Giannis is worth a look in any format on FanDuel as well. The Greek Freak came alive for 24 points with a very full line in an easy win over the Sixers on Monday and he should be challenged to do more down the stretch against a Knicks team that’s a little better offensively, but even worse defensively. New York gives up the sixth-most FPPG (38.79) and eighth-most PPG (22.37) to opposing SGs this season and Giannis has burned the Knicks with averages of 26 PPG, 9 RPG and 6 STL/BLK per game over two meetings this season.

DeMar DeRozan ($8.7k DraftKings, $10k FanDuel)
He’s coming off his worst game since Kyle Lowry went down for the season and one of the worst of his career. Still, it’s easy to pounce on DeRozan at that price tag on DK in this particular matchup, The Pelicans have had little trouble scoring since acquiring DeMarcus Cousins, but their defense is still very much suspect and they happen to give up the fourth-most FPPG (45.73) and third-most PPG (24.45) to opposing PGs on the season. What’s that? DeRozan isn’t a PG? Yes, that’s technically true, but with Lowry out and Cory Joseph playing a placeholder role with limited usage, DDR is essentially the floor general for Toronto right now and his struggles against Milwaukee the other night can partially be explained by looking at the Bucks elite defense against point guards.

Mid Tier DFS NBA Plays

Dennis Schroder ($6.7k DraftKings, $6.9k FanDuel)
It’s the Hawks turn to beat up on the NBA’s doormat with the Nets coming to town and Schroder should see his fair share of production as the conductor of Atlanta’s offense. He’s sporting the second-highest Usage Rate (27.2%) on the team and has certainly regained his role as a 30-plus minute player with averages of 17.8 PPG and 6 APG while shooting 46.7% from the field over his last six appearances. Tonight he’ll face a Nets team that is giving up the most FPPG (48.42) to opposing PGs and the most PPG (114.3) overall this season. Schroder produced a rare double-double for him with 19 points and 10 dimes over just 29 minutes in an easy win over Brooklyn a few weeks ago and he should be in line for another good game tonight. Of note, he was benched for the last 21 minutes of last game after bickering with Dwight Howard and is coach Mike Budenholzer despite having a line of 23/4/3 at the time. The punishment shouldn’t carry over to the game tonight, but keep an eye out for any word Budenholzer is still upset with his point guard.

Bismack Biyombo ($5.5k DraftKings, $4.6k FanDuel)
While Nikola Vucevic (Achilles) hasn’t been officially ruled out yet, it seems unlikely that the Magic will push him to play in the final month of a lost season. Biyombo is the last man standing down low with Serge Ibaka traded and Vooch injured, and he logged 42 minutes on Monday as a result. The bigtime rebounder went for 10 points and 14 boards to post a double double on both ends of a B2B set for Orlando and he’ll draw a good matchup tonight against a Bulls team that’s mediocre defensively and could struggle offensively if D-Wade remains out, opening up more opportunities for BIyombo to board up.

Ty Lawson ($4.9k DraftKings, $5.7k FanDuel)
Another player who is temptingly cheap on DK tonight, Lawson’s price tag remains so reasonable because he draws a tough matchup at the Spurs. Yet he’s been extremely reliable since the departure of DeMarcus Cousins and has frankly outplayed Darren Collison all season, so the Kings will have to continue to run things through their speedy PG. Lawson is averaging 12.4 PPG, 6.2 APG and most importantly, playing 32.1 MPG over his last five appearances, and he’s set to draw the best individual matchup of any Kings player with Tony Parker slated to open the game guarding him.

Value DFS NBA Plays

Cameron Payne ($3k DraftKings, $3.6k FanDuel)
It took a few days for him to get into the swing of a new offense, but Payne found his stride at the right time with Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo out on Monday. The crafty young lefty went for 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists over 23 minutes at Detroit and he could see a similar boost in playing time if Rondo is hampered at all by an ankle injury, or inactive again. The Bulls continue to experiment with new PGs alongside D-Wade and Jimmy Butler and they traded a promising young scorer in Doug McDermott for Payne for good reason.

Miami Heat
The Heat could be without two very integral players in James Johnson (elbow) and Tyler Johnson (shoulder) tonight. Each player’s absence would open up different types of opportunities, while Johnson could create a more lucrative situation by boosting the value of Wayne Ellington ($3.6k, $4k) in particular. Josh Richardson ($4.2k, $4.3k) is worth a look regardless of either player’s status, but he’s more of a GPP play given his rampant inconsistency of late. Speaking of GPP plays, Dion Waiters ($6.3k, $6.7k) is a mid-tier option who could come through in a big way in a plus matchup against the Hornets while Dragic and Whiteside would have to do a lot more on both ends of the floor if either Johnson sits.