DFS NBA Lineups for March 29, 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’ve got two different million dollar NBA DFS tournaments on the slate for Wednesday, 3/29/17. DraftKings is pumping out a $1M guaranteed Power Dunk with a $444 buy-in. They’ve also got a $6 buy-in Jab Step with $300k in the prize pool as well as a $3 Sharpshooter with a 20-max entry limit. Over at FanDuel, they’ve got a million dollar guarantee too, theirs with a $222 buy-in.
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. Looking at the later tips, the Jazz and Clippers are jockeying for the 4th seed in the West, so it’s unlikely they’ll pull any shenanigans tonight. And of course, the Warriors at the Spurs is the premier game of the night and is quite important. It’s doubtful we have much to worry about there.
PLAYERS RULED OUT
Kevin Durant (knee)
Kyle Lowry (wrist)
Dion Waiters (ankle)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Paul Millsap (knee)
Kent Bazemore (knee)
Thabo Sefolosha (groin)
DeMarcus Cousins (ankle)
Gordon Hayward (quad)
Marc Gasol (foot)
Jahlil Okafor (knee)
Seth Curry (shoulder)
Michael Beasley (knee)
Sean Kilpatrick (hamstring)
Derrick Favors (knee)
J.J. Redick (ankle)
DFS NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES
Hawks -1 @ 76ers (7:00p): 207
Thunder -6 @ Magic (7:00p): 218
Hornets @ Raptors -7 (7:30p): 206
Heat -3 @ Knicks (7:30p): 209
Bucks @ Celtics -8 (7:30p): 209
Mavericks @ Pelicans (8:00p): TBD
Pacers @ Grizzlies (8:00p): TBD
Warriors @ Spurs -4.5 (9:30p): 208.5
Jazz @ Kings (10:30p): TBD
Wizards @ Clippers -5 (10:30p): 219.5
Best DFS NBA Picks for March 29, 2017
Kawhi Leonard ($9.9k DraftKings, $9.8k FanDuel)
If you targeted James Harden last night with good results you’ll certainly want to consider Kawhi as the lead source of offense for the Spurs against the elite Warriors. Golden State is on the second half of a B2B set after an exhausting track meet in Houston and has struggled to contain Leonard this season. Kawhi burned the Dubs for 35 points and 5 steals on opening night and tends to come alive anytime San Antonio plays a close game. The Dubs will be out for blood provided they don’t rest any of their big guns and should get into a high-scoring affair.
Hassan Whiteside ($8.4k DraftKings, $8.8k FanDuel)
Whiteside’s lopsided home/road splits have started to normalize this late in the season and he just posted a big double-double in a plus matchup at Boston. While he struggled against another giant in Andre Drummond last night, tonight he’ll face a Knicks team that’s become defenseless down low and coughs up the second-most FPPG (55.65) to opposing centers over the last month. Mr. Whiteside went for 23 points and 14 boards in a previous meeting with New York and is a great bet to double double with only Kristaps Porzingis and skinny Guillermo Hernangomez capable of playing big minutes while trying to box him out.
Dennis Schroder ($7.7k DraftKings, $7.2k FanDuel)
While Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha could both return to action for the Hawks tonight (Bazemore has said he’ll play), the most important factor for Schroder will be the status of Paul Millsap, who is dealing with a knee issue that could keep him out for the majority of the regular season if he decides to be cautious (Millsap expected to miss at least 3 more games). He’s been excellent with Millsap on the shelf and has now produced 79 points and 24 minutes while exceeding value in each of his last three appearances. Schroder draws another plus matchup tonight against a Sixers team that has been unable to protect the rim with Joel Embiid (knee) done for the season and is giving up the fifth-most overall FPPG (216.09) over the last month. As long as he remains the man who is sporting a 32.6% Usage Rate with Millsap off the floor this season, he’s going to be a great upper-tier option.
Mid Tier DFS NBA Plays
Zach Randolph ($6.3k DraftKings, $5.6k FanDuel)
It’s a pretty good bet to assume that Marc Gasol (foot) will miss another game after being listed ahead of Monday’s tilt with the Kings and if he does, ZBo will see a much bigger role again. He produced 17 points with 15 rebounds over 32 minutes against the weak Kings defense and will face a Pacers team tonight that has been extremely vulnerable down low throughout the season. Randolph leads the Grizz with a 33.2% Usage Rate while averaging 1.12 FPs per minute when Gasol is off the floor this season and ZBo’s price tag won’t represent that high-usage role if Big Spain is indeed inactive.
J.J. Barea ($4.3k DraftKings, $4k FanDuel)
Barea is almost a punt play at his current price tag and he will serve as a value with tremendous upside if Seth Curry (shoulder) misses another game tonight. The Mavericks need a playmaking PG and rookie Yogi Ferrell wasn’t cutting it, so they went with Curry at the point before he got injured. With Seth out on Monday, Barea went for 10 points and 8 assists over 29 minutes to orchestrate the Mavs offense in a narrow loss to the Thunder. He’ll draw a much better matchup tonight against a Pelicans team that gives up the fifth-most FPPG (45.12) and PPG (24.09) to opposing PGs this season and should be worth a look even if Curry returns to action.
Value DFS NBA Plays
Sacramento Kings
Their remaining scoring options are becoming more of mid-tier plays, but the Kings still have some great values right now. Don’t let their most recent results fool you, because HC Dave Joerger abandoned the team’s rebuilding plan to get an emotional win over his former team in Memphis two nights ago. Tonight the veterans should grab some pine while Willie Cauley-Stein ($5k DK, $6.1k FD) and Buddy Hield ($5.7k DK, $5.4k FD) do most of the heavy lifting on offense. Skal Labissiere ($4.2k DK, $4.2k FD) should re-enter the rotation at the expense of Kosta Koufos while even Georges Papagiannis ($3.3k DK, $3.7k FD) could get some run after getting benched on Monday. Ty Lawson ($4k DK, $4.8k FD) is probably the most intriguing value against a Jazz team that can struggle at times against quick PGs.
Philadelphia 76ers
His status as a value depends in large part on the health of Jahlil Okafor (knee), but Shawn Long ($4.2k DK, $4k FD) might be worth a look despite dropping a dud in last night’s matchup. He’s averaging 24.7 points and 14.1 rebounds per 36 minutes and could see more playing time in a matchup against Dwight Howard and the Hawks. Timothe Luwawu-Cabbarot ($3.4k DK, $3.5k FD) re-emerged as an excellent cheap option by providing 10x returns on his salary last night and he could operate well against a shorthanded Hawks team that’s been vulnerable on the wing. Nik Stauskas ($4.1k DK, $3.6k FD) is a bit of a safer punt play while Justin Anderson ($3.1k DK, $3.5k FD) can be used as a longshot who will play more depending on how HC Brett Brown decides to match up with Atlanta.
If, Then Player
If DeMarcus Cousins plays, he’ll represent an underpriced elite option against a Mavericks team that can’t defend the paint. If he sits, Anthony Davis should continue to see monstrous usage and produce another huge and efficient line.
Draymond Green tweaked his ankle last night. He says he’s fine and that he’ll play tonight. However, it the ankle starts acting up at some point today and he’s forced to sit, fire Warriors at will…even in a tough matchup.
