DFS NBA Lineups for March 13, 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 nine games on the main slate in DFS NBA for Monday, 3/13/17 with a very fantasy friendly game in Denver between the Nuggets and Lakers. There’s going to be all the value you need between the Jazz and Spurs (though it looks like Kawhi is leaning towards returning tonight). It looks like a night we’re going to try and get as many Centers into our lineups as we can fit over at DraftKings. Lots of guys are in great spots and many are still spectacularly underpriced. And finally, Nemanja Bjelica has played at least 32 minutes in four of the Wolves last six games. In those games, Bjelica has gone for at least 5x his DK salary. He’s in a 214 total game that’s projected to be close. He’s definitely a high risk GPP play, but he’s averaging just under a fantasy point per minute during this stretch and costs a mere $4k at DraftKings.
Looking at the DFS NBA tournament landscape for March 13, DraftKings has a $4 buy-in, $450k guaranteed that pays out $50,000 to first place. Also, tonight is your last shot qualifying for DK’s live basketball final. At FanDuel, you’ve got a $3 buy-in, $300k guaranteed, a $7 buy-in, $150k guaranteed, and a $555 buy-in with a half a million in the prize pool.
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)
Michael Beasley (knee)
LaMarcus Aldridge (heart)
Tony Parker (back)
Dejounte Murray (groin)
Shelvin Mack (ankle)
Derrick Favors (knee)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Kawhi Leonard (concussion)
Rudy Gobert (knee)
Nerlens Noel (knee)
Wilson Chandler (groin)
Kenneth Faried (back)
Jameer Nelson (hip)
Frank Kaminsky (shoulder)
Malcolm Brogdon (back)
DeMarre Carroll (ankle)
NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES
Bulls @ Hornets -7 (7:00p): 200
Mavericks @ Raptors -4 (7:30p): 197.5
Bucks @ Grizzlies -4 (8:00p): 201.5
Hawks @ Spurs (8:00p): TBD
Wizards @ Timberwolves -1 (8:00p): 214
Clippers @ Jazz (9:00p): TBD
Magic -1 @ Kings (10:30p): 207
Lakers @ Nuggets -11.5 (10:30p): 231
Best NBA Picks for March 13, 2017
Karl-Anthony Towns ($10.6k DraftKings, $10.5k FanDuel)
It’s a close call between KAT and Jokic tonight, but the tiebreaker could be that Towns’ Wolves are much more likely to get into a close game than the heavily favored Nuggets. Jokic put up a solid line in an easy win over Sacramento on Saturday and he could coast in similar fashion with the lowly Lakers coming to town. Towns, meanwhile, will host a red-hot Wizards team that’s making a push for the top of the ECF at home, where’s been a monster this season with averages of 25.7 PPG and 12.9 RPG over 35 appearances. Washington has a stout center in Marcin Gortat, but Towns creates so many matchup issues with his ball skills and he should be able to stay hot while carrying Minnesota tonight.
Kemba Walker ($8.1k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)
He came through with a huge game in a win over the Pelicans on Saturday and Kemba’s price tag remains fixed on both main DFS sites ahead of another plus matchup. Chicago has seemingly packed it in for the season with a putrid performance against the Celtics on Sunday and two veteran guards in Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade who are breaking down while playing even worse defense than usual. The Bulls allow the sixth-most FPPG (46.35) to opposing PGs over the last month and Kemba is averaging 27 PPG on 19-of-28 FG shooting (.528%) over 2 meetings with Chicago this year. He’s been on fire lately with averages of 26.8 PPG and 5.5 APG over his last five appearances and is always more dangerous at home.
Nikola Vucevic ($6.9k DraftKings, $7.5k FanDuel)
The “other” Nikola can be considered as a good option on DK tonight after he returned from an Achilles injury with a great performance on Saturday. Vooch went for 20 points and 16 boards over just 28 minutes in a loss to Cleveland and he should be productive in an even better matchup this evening. Sacramento is ranked 24th in defensive rating and is coughing up the fifth-most overall FPPG (212.88) along with the third-most RPG (17.2) to opposing centers over the last month. DeMarcus Cousins is obviously gone and the Kings are playing at a faster pace while struggling even more defensively with their maligned superstar no longer in the picture.
Mid-Tier and Value DFS NBA Plays
Jordan Clarkson ($5.5k DraftKings, $5.2k FanDuel)
Both Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell, who is a great bargain on FD at $6.7k, are seeing huge increases in usage with the Lakers in full-blown development mode and Lou Williams out of the picture. Clarkson is the cheaper option as they’ll both share the floor in a plus matchup against a Nuggets team that coughs up the second-most FPPG (46.82) to opposing PGs and third-most FPPG (40.12) while playing at the fifth-fastest pace in the league. He’s a great player in the open court and is sporting a 25.2% Usage Rate since the ASB along with averages of 15.3 PPG and 2.5 APG during that span.
Tyreke Evans ($5.4k DraftKings, $5.9k FanDuel)
While he doesn’t appear healthy enough to play on B2B sets, Evans returned to action on Saturday and produced 16 points in a losing effort at Denver. He’s met or exceeded value in nine consecutive appearances and remains a solid cash game play even if his minutes restriction keeps him from serving as a great tournament option. Tonight the Kings host a Magic team that’s set up a red carpet to the rim while ranking 24th in opponents FG shooting (.468%) this season and Evans is the type of penetrating guard that can give Orlando plenty of issues.
San Antonio Spurs
Even in the midst of a close battle for the top seed in the WCF, Spurs HC Gregg Popovich is going to tread lightly with his starters and give them ample rest over the final month of the season. Kawhi Leonard is questionable to return from a concussion and his absence could open up a lot of value plays including Kyle Anderson ($3.6k, $4k) and Jonathon Simmons ($4.1k, $3.5k), but the player we should expect to sit is LaMarcus Aldridge. That opens up more minutes for David Lee ($5k, $4.4k) and Dwayne Dedmon ($3.8k, $3.8k), who could see more playing time in a matchup with Dwight Howard and the Hawks. The best overall value for the Spurs could be the streaky Patty Mills ($4.4k, $4k), especially if Tony Park (back) and Dejounte Murray (groin) are both ruled out tonight.
If, Then Player
If Jameer Nelson and/or Wilson Chandler are out for the Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari will likely see a huge boost while Nikola Jokic could be worth his lofty price tag. As values, Jamal Murray and even Emmanuel Mudiay would be worth a look in a dream matchup against the Lakers.
