DFS NBA Lineups for March 10, 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 eight games on the main slate in DFS NBA for Thursday, 3/10/17. There’s lots of moving parts in the Celtics/Nuggets game, so no spread or total as of this writing. Our largest total comes in the Rockets/Bulls game where James Harden and Jimmy Butler will square off with both teams coming off multiple consecutive losses. Game log watchers will see Harden had a ‘bad game’ and went for ‘only’ 52 DK points last game. But digging a little deeper, you’ll see he went 0-8 from deep, the first time he hasn’t made a three pointer since January 31. He’ll bounce back against the Bulls, who rank in the middle of pack against PG/SG. Keep Nerlins Noel on your radar as well. He plays the Nets and has double-doubled with 17 and 12 rebound games in two of his last three. Ruled OUT with sore knee (12:30p update)

Taking a look at the DFS NBA tournaments for March 10, DraftKings is rolling out a $50 buy-in, 3-max with a $60k guarantee. At FanDuel, the big bankroll players will be out in full force. They’ve got a $444 buy-in with $500k guaranteed, as well as a $4200 buy-in, 100 man tourney with $125k to first place.

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 Durant (knee)
Frank Kaminsky (shoulder)
Brook Lopez (ankle)
Michael Beasley (knee)
Kenneth Faried (back)

INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR

Nikola Jokic (illness)
Danilo Gallinari (illness)
Nikola Vucevic (Achilles)
Dwyane Wade (thigh) – Will play (12:15p update)
Ryan Anderson (back)
DeMarre Carroll (ankle)

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

Magic @ Hornets -8 (7:00p): 206
Rockets -4.5 @ Bulls (8:00p): 223.5
Pacers @ Bucks -2.5 (8:00p): 209.5
Warriors -5 @ Timberwolves (8:00p): 216
Raptors @ Hawks -2 (8:00p): 201
Celtics @ Nuggets (9:00p): TBD
Nets @ Mavericks -9 (9:00p): 213
Wizards -8 @ Kings (10:30p): 213.5

Best NBA Picks for March 10, 2017

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10.6k DraftKings, $10.6k FanDuel)
The Warriors are really struggling right now after looking completely flat down the stretch in a loss to the Celtics and they’re heading to Minnesota tonight, where KAT is King. The Wolves big man averages 25.8 PPG and 13 RPG at home this season and he’s been prolific over the last couple of months with averages of 26.7 PPG and 13.2 RPG since the calendar turned to 2017. Golden State is playing at the second-fastest pace in the NBA and giving up an above average 15.38 RPG to opposing centers as a result, while Towns is averaging 21.5 PPG and 13.5 RPG over his 2 meetings with the Dubs. One of those games was a blowout, but there’s little expectation for the Warriors (-5) to win handily on the road without Kevin Durant.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10.1k DraftKings, $11.1k FanDuel)
Giannis came through and then some as a top-tier play on Wednesday with 32 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks to produce 71.5 DK points (69.1 FD points) in a win over the Knicks. That’s the type of stat-stuffing upside he can provide and he’s capable of carrying his offense for as long as Michael Beasley (knee) remains shelved. Tonight the Bucks wings draw a plus matchup against a Pacers team that’s disinterested defensively at times due to the lackluster effort of their leader in Paul George. The Greek Freak is averaging 23.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 9.5 APG over 2 meetings with Indiana this season and remains home, where he’s averaging 24.3 PPG and 50.5 DK PPG over 33 appearances this year.

Isaiah Thomas ($8.7k DraftKings, $9.2k FanDuel)
Boston employed a much more team-oriented approach down the stretch as they stunningly blew the Warriors out of the water and silenced Oracle Arena. While that might mean Thomas is due for a continued drop in usage, he’s still a great bet to meet or exceed value at this price tag on DK in such a great matchup. Denver coughs up the second-most FPPG (47.01) to opposing PGs this season and ranks 30th in overall defensive rating. Yet the Celtics (-5.5) are hardly expected to run away with this game, as the Nuggets offense has become elite and they’ve hardly missed a beat with Mason Plumlee stepping in for the sick Nikola Jokic over their last couple games.

Mid Tier DFS NBA Plays

Seth Curry ($6.7k DraftKings, $6.2k FanDuel)
Steph’s younger brother is making name for himself while carrying the Mavericks offense in recent weeks and he’s squarely in play as a mid-tier option with plenty of upside and a solid floor tonight. Because of course, the Mavericks are due to continue their productive offensive ways against a Nets team that coughs up the most PPG (114.2) and plays at the fastest pace in the NBA this season. Brooklyn allows the most FPPG (42.03) and PPG (24.2) to opposing SGs as well and that undisciplined unit is full of holes that Curry should exploit on his way to yet another 20-plus point game.

Tyreke Evans ($5.2k DraftKings, $5.9k FanDuel)
Basically the only reason Sacramento gave San Antonio a game in a 114-104 loss on Wednesday, Evans appears to be healthy enough to carry a young team that has no real playmakers with DeMarcus Cousins traded and Rudy Gay (Achilles) done for the season. He’s been very reliable with 20-plus DK points in 8 consecutive appearances and his production spiked with 26 points over 29 minutes in a brutal matchup against the Spurs. Now he’ll face a Wizards team that has markedly improved its defenses, but still remains vulnerable on the wing and Reke will get to operate against Washington’s second unit plenty.

Jeremy Lin ($5k DraftKings, $5.4k FanDuel)
He’s finally working his way back into playing shape and Lin is worth a look in tournament formats at this modest price tag. After cracking 20 minutes just once over 4 appearances back from a hamstring injury, Lin has logged 22, 24 and 25 minutes and scored 52 points over his last 3 appearances. He took over the offense with 16 points and 8 assists in a narrow loss at Atlanta and could have similar success tonight against an inexperienced backcourt of Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell. Brook Lopez has already been ruled out tonight and Lin sports a 26.8% Usage Rate while averaging 1.11 FPs per minute when BroLo is off the court, so he may continue to carry the offense tonight.

Value DFS NBA Plays

Ersan Ilyasova ($4.4k DraftKings, $4.8k FanDuel)
If you’re just looking for a source of salary relief for cash game lineups, Ilyasova seems like a good bet to produce regardless of his individual matchup. Toronto added a tough defender in Serge Ibaka, but Ilyasova should come off the bench and do most of his damage against Patrick Patterson tonight. Toronto has generally struggled since emotional leader and floor general Kyle Lowry went down, while the Raptors still give up an above average 12.2 RPG to opposing PFs over the last month. Ilyasova has always provided instant offense and he’s never been afraid to shoot. Combine that with a solid rebounding rate and he makes for a reliable play in the lower-tier range.

Kelly Olynyk ($4k DraftKings, $4k FanDuel)
It’s still pretty tough to trust Kelly-O, especially as the sole center in your FanDuel lineups, but he seemed to regain his rhythm while sparking the Celtics surprising beatdown of the Warriors in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. Olynyk finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in the win and continues to serve as a superior playmaker to Al Horford when Boston plays its small ball style and looks to turn defensive stops into transition buckets. That will certainly be possible tonight against a Nuggets team that plays at the fifth-fastest pace in the NBA and doesn’t do a great job of stopping the break by any means.

Denver Nuggets
While Nikola Jokic could return tonight, he was unable to practice on Thursday and is definitely in danger of missing a third consecutive game. In his absence, Mason Plumlee ($5.9k, $5.6k) has taken over as the Nuggets playmaker from the post while Juancho Hernangomez ($3.9k, $3.6k) is seeing extended run and makes for a solid value. Every Nuggets player sees a boost in usage with Jokic out, including an enticing punt play in Jamal Murray ($4k, $3.7k), who should see more playing time in a matchup with the small ball Celtics. If Danilo Gallinari (illness) is also unable to go tonight, Wilson Chandler ($7.1k, $7k) might be asked to step up as the top offensive option for Denver in a high-scoring affair.

If, Then Player

If Nikola Vucevic remains out, Bismack Biyombo will serve as a solid value on FanDuel (he’s too expensive on DraftKings), while Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier would all see a significant boost in usage in a plus matchup at Charlotte.