DFS NBA Lineups for March 27, 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.
Looking at the NBA DFS tournament slate for 3/27/17, DraftKings is running the Four Point Play Championship with a $4 buy-in and $425k in the prize pool. At FanDuel, they’ve got three different $250k guaranteed tournaments at $7, $33, and $2650 buy-in levels.
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. As we enter the final weeks of the season, this is more important than ever. The Kings have a late tip and they’ve been resting guys and doing strange things with their rotation for the last couple of weeks. Roster Kings understanding the risk. Also, the Pelicans have a late tip and Boogie Cousins is questionable with an ankle injury. It’s going to be very risky to play Boogie unless we get news before lock that he’s going to give it a go.
PLAYERS RULED OUT
Derrick Favors (knee)
Jeff Green (back)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Boogie Cousins (ankle)
Shelvin Mack (ankle)
Gordon Hayward (quad)
DeMarre Carroll (back)
Marc Gasol (foot)
Carmelo Anthony (knee)
Lance Thomas (hip)
Ty Lawson (knee)
NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES
Magic @ Raptors -8.5 (7:30p): 206.5
Pistons -2 @ Knicks (7:30p): 207.5
Cavs @ Spurs -5 (8:00p): 209
Thunder -1 @ Mavericks (8:30p): 205
Grizzlies -6 @ Kings (10:30p): 197
Pelicans @ Jazz -7 (10:30p): 200
Best DFS NBA Picks for March 27, 2017
LeBron James ($10.3k DraftKings, $10.9k FanDuel)
While he draws a tough matchup against his personal kryptonite in Kawhi Leonard, James is still definitely worth paying up for in a bounce back spot for the Cavs after their home loss to Washington on Saturday. Cleveland is now in a dogfight for the top spot in the East and needs to compete in every game, plus a matchup with the Spurs is always reason for The King to get up. He scored 29 points on 11-of-16 FG shooting in a previous meeting with San Antonio this year and burned the Spurs for 51 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists over two meetings last season. LeBron is somewhat quietly having one of his best campaigns with career-best averages of 8.7 APG and 8.3 RPG and he should be motivated while facing a championship contender on the road.
DeMar DeRozan ($8.6k DraftKings, $9.2k FanDuel)
If the Raptors can get into more of a shootout than their recent 94-86 win over Dallas, DeRozan could have a much more productive game. He still put up solid numbers with 18 points and 6 assists in Saturday’s win and now he faces a far inferior Magic defense that ranks 21st in defensive rating and 24th in opponents FG shooting (.463%) on the year. Orlando is giving up the seventh-most FPPG (39.02) to opposing SGs over the last month and DeRozan is averaging 26.5 PPG on 19-of-39 FG shooting (.487%) over two appearances against the Magic this season. Of course he’s sporting a 39.9% Usage Rate and averaging 0.88 points per minute with Kyle Lowry off the floor this season and will carry Toronto’s offense whenever the Raptors get into a close game.
Rudy Gobert ($8k DraftKings, $8.7k FanDuel)
If DeMarcus Cousins (ankle) is out tonight, the Pelicans will become significantly more vulnerable down low and The Stifle Tower is more than capable of staying hot in that type of plus matchup. Gobert has been on fire with averages of 22 PPG, 14.6 RPG and 4.2 BPG to average 52.7 DK PPG over his last five appearances and has rightfully seen his price jump. Despite the addition of Cousins, the Pels are giving up the eighth-most RPG (16.08) to opposing centers over the last month and still give up the most RPG (16.69) to the position on the season. Gobert is averaging 12.5 PPG and 16 RPG over two meetings with New Orleans and should hold down the paint at home for Utah. He is particularly interesting at DK where he’s cheaper and also is a near lock for the double-double bonus, a feat he’s accomplished in 9 of his last 10 games.
Mid Tier and Value DFS NBA Plays
Guillermo Hernangomez ($5.2k DraftKings, $5.1k FanDuel)
The Knicks are moving in the direction of a true rebuild with Carmelo Anthony resting/playing limited minutes and that’s opened it up for younger guys such as Wily Hernangomez. The talented rookie is averaging 15.6 points and 13.9 rebounds per 36 minutes this year and was unleashed to a degree by getting 36 minutes in a tough matchup at San Antonio on Saturday, rewarding the coaching staff with 24 points and 13 rebounds while exceeding value. Tonight the Knicks draw a much easier matchup at home against the Pistons and it’s worth deploying Hernangomez in GPP formats in the hopes that he stays hot. We’re assuming risk here, as with every Knick, but the upside for the current price is worth it.
Patrick Patterson ($3.4k DraftKings, $3.6k FanDuel)
The Raptors need some alternative scoring options around DeRozan and Patterson has always been a reliable spot up shooter. He’s been a low-cost, low-upside option and met value in four straight appearances with 33 points and 23 rebounds during that span and could see a boost in playing time if DeMarre Carroll (back) is hobbled or inactive. Orlando is ranked 26th in total rebounding and 22nd in opponents 3PT shooting (.364%) as well, so a “3 and D” guy like Patterson should find a rhythm in this matchup.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings are getting blown out on a routine basis but they’ve been a gold mine for value plays if you can pick the right guy on the right night. Two games ago it was Skal Labissiere ($5k DK, $4.7k FD), who struggled mightily in yesterday’s tilt at the Clippers, while Georgios Papgiannis ($3.7k DK, $3.5k FD) stepped up off the bench. Papagiannis is a little more appealing as a true punt play in a similar matchup against a Grizzlies team that packs the paint and forces bigs to use their ball skills. Garrett Temple ($4.1k DK, $4.1k FD) remains a solid value play for cash games and Ty Lawson ($4.5k DK, $5.1k FD) would be worth a look if active, if not, you can trust Darren Collison ($4.7k DK, $5.4k FD) a bit more.
If, Then Player
If DeMarcus Cousins is out, then Anthony Davis would see a significant boost in usage and likely follow up on last night’s dominant performance in Denver, while Jrue Holiday’s price has finally fallen to a level where he could actually meet value if Boogie is out.
If Gordon Hayward can’t go, then a number of Utah players will become intriguing values including Rodney Hood, Joe Ingles and Alec Burks, while George Hill and Gobert should see a rise in usage.
