DFS NBA Lineups for March 31, 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 GPP tournaments for Friday, 3/31/17, and we’ve got some biggies. DraftKings is running their NBA Main Event, $1500 buy-in with $1.25M in the prize pool. The winner will take home $250k. For the more modest bankroll, they’ve also $20 buy-in with $350k guaranteed, and a $4 buy-in with $250k guaranteed. FanDuel is running a Jumbo Monster that sports a $444 buy-in and $444k in the prize pool. Per usual, the $3 Shot has a $250k guarantee.

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.

While we can’t pinpoint last minute (or even worse, post-lock) rest for players, we can at least look at the back to backs and be cautious. The Cavs, Rockets and Pistons are all on the back half of a back to back, with the Pistons actually playing their fourth game in five days. James Harden hasn’t sat out all year, so we can safely expect him to suit up. The same can’t be said for the Cavs, but they’re playing like garbage right now, so it’s hard for us to see any scenario where LeBron or Kyrie sits. Kevin Love has played in five straight with the Cavs losing three of those games. I think we can assume they’ll all be in action in an effort to right the ship.

PLAYERS RULED OUT

Kevin Durant (knee)
Kyle Lowry (wrist)
Robert Covington (knee)
Jahlil Okafor (knee)
Ryan Anderson (ankle)
Dion Waiters (ankle)
Kyle Korver (foot)
Richard Jefferson (knee)
Nene (rest)

INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR

Reggie Jackson (knee)
Marc Gasol (foot) – OUT
Jamychal Green (shoulder) – OUT
Derrick Rose (knee) – GTD
George Hill (groin) – OUT
Derrick Favors (knee) – OUT
Will Barton (foot) – DOWNGRADED TO DOUBTFUL – 1:45p
Mason Plumlee (abdomen) – WILL PLAY
Andrew Harrison (ankle)
Darrell Arthur (knee) – OUT

UPDATES:

Knicks say Carmelo and Derrick Rose are game time decisions vs Heat tonight

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) March 31, 2017

Marc Gasol (foot) and JaMychal Green (shoulder) are out tonight against the Mavericks. Gasol will miss 4th straight, Green second in a row.

— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) March 31, 2017

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

Nuggets @ Hornets -2.5 (7:00p): 220.5
Pacers @ Raptors -6 (7:00p): 207
Magic @ Celtics -10.5 (7:30p): 217.5
76ers @ Cavaliers -10.5 (7:30p): 219
Mavericks @ Grizzlies -4.5 (8:00p): 192
Pistons @ Bucks -9.5 (8:00p): 198.5
Knicks @ Heat -10 (8:00p): 208
Spurs -1 @ Thunder (8:00p): 209
Kings @ Pelicans -10.5 (8:00p): 207.5
Wizards @ Jazz -2.5 (9:00p): 206.5
Rockets @ Warriors -7.5 (10:30p): 231

Best DFS NBA Picks for March 31, 2017

Stephen Curry ($9.5k DraftKings, $10.2k FanDuel)
He might not have the limitless upside of Russell Westbrook, but he draws a much better matchup tonight and is playing like an MVP once again with Kevin Durant (knee) unavailable for the Warriors. Curry’s averaging 24.8 PPG, 9.3 APG and 5 RPG over his last six appearances and has carried the Dubs to B2B wins at the Rockets and Spurs. Now his team hosts a Houston squad that’s on the second half of a B2B and could struggle to keep up if James Harden (wrist) remains hobbled, but either way, Curry is going to produce against a Rockets team that’s giving up the most FPPG (49.07) to opposing PGs over the last month. He’s shooting nearly 50% from the floor and 45.9% from 3 at Oracle Arena this season ad his usage has spiked with KD out.

DeMarcus Cousins ($9.6k DraftKings, $9.6k FanDuel)
It’s time for Boogie’s revenge. A few days after being told that the Kings would never trade him, they surprised and borderline humiliated Cousins by moving him during All-Star Weekend. Now he’ll get a chance to dominate against his former team, which has been particularly vulnerable on the interior since he left town. Cousins returned from an ankle injury to produce 29 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists in an okay matchup against Dallas and tonight’s matchup is even better against a Kings team that gives up the third-most overall FPPG (218.56) over the last month and fourth-most FPPG (53.74) to opposing centers during that span.

Kawhi Leonard ($9.4k DraftKings, $9.4k FanDuel)
Kawhi “struggled” a bit in a home game against the Warriors on Wednesday, but really he missed a bunch of makeable shots while going 7–for-20 from the floor and his team fell victim to a determined and coordinated defensive effort from the defending WCF champs. Tonight should be much different even though the Spurs are on the road, because they’ll face a Thunder squad that lacks continuity on the defensive wing and has struggled against the Spurs sophisticated offense this year. Kawhi is averaging 27.5 PPG on 46.3% FG shooting (19-of-41) over two meetings with OKC despite playing just 30.6 MPG in a couple of lopsided wins, but the Spurs (-1) are not expected to run away from Westbrook and his backup singers at Loud City this evening.

Mid Tier DFS NBA Plays

Ish Smith ($6.1k DraftKings, $5.3k FanDuel)
Apparently Reggie Jackson is more hurt than we initially thought or Stan Van Gundy hates him more than we thought, because it doesn’t look like R-Jax is going to be returning to action anytime soon. If that remains the case, Ish will serve as a great mid-tier play and a certifiable value at this price tag on FanDuel. He draws a tougher matchup after rolling past the Nets last night, but the Bucks are actually giving up the ninth-most FPPG (45.81) and seventh-most PPG (24.09) to opposing PGs over the last month. Smith is averaging 13.2 points and 7.7 assists per 36 minutes and is finally getting close to that amount of run.

Greg Monroe ($5.3k DraftKings, $6k FanDuel)
Lost in the shuffle on Boogie’s revenge night could be another player looking to burn his former team as Monroe faces off with the Pistons once again. He’s averaging 16.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG despite playing just 25 MPG over two meetings with Detroit this season and continues to work over undisciplined and inexperienced former teammate Andre Drummond. Moose is coming off a great game against the undersized Celtics and has been solid for awhile with averages of 13.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG over the last two months and his rise in production is partially tied to Jabari Parker’s unfortunate season-ending injury.

Andre Iguodala ($4.6k DraftKings, $5.3k FanDuel)
The most likely beneficiary with Kevin Durant out, Iguodala has been a bit inconsistent from a DFS perspective but his versatile game has forced HC Steve Kerr to give him extra run in an effort to fill the void. Lately, he’s been a beast with 46 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists while playing 93 minutes over his last three appearances including an all-around great game at Houston. He’ll likely play big minutes again while trying to contain James Harden and the splits hold true, as Iggy is averaging 9 PPG, 6 RPG and 4.3 APG while logging 33 MPG over three meetings with the fast-paced Rockets this year.

Value DFS NBA Plays

Sacramento Kings
While Boogie is likely to make mince meat out of the Kings defense, these young bucks have put up a fight against stronger competition lately and could keep this game surprisingly close on the road. Buddy Hield ($5.5k DK, $5.1k FD) is a longshot to bounce back after a couple of rough shooting games while Tyreke Evans ($4.3k DK, $5.2k FD) also has some motivation to face his former team. My personal favorite value will be Skal Labissiere ($4.6k DK, $4.3k FD), who bounced back with a solid game while playing 33 minutes as predicted, because Kings HC Dave Joerger is now fully committed towards giving his young guys run after getting one against his former team.

Philadelphia 76ers
All the Sixer injuries open the door for guys like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot ($4.5k DK, $3.9k FD) to operate on both ends of the floor. He’s been a great source of value lately and remains dirt cheap on FanDuel, while Nik Stauskas ($4.6k DK, $3.8k FD) would also see more minutes and will be relied on more heavily for scoring. Cleveland is giving up the eighth-most overall FPPG (212.25) over the last month and is ranked 29th in defensive rating since the ASB, so all Sixers are in play, especially wings such as Justin Anderson ($4k DK, $3.6k FD) with Robert Covington (knee) expected to miss a couple of weeks.

If, Then Player

If Marc Gasol remains out, then Zach Randolph and Mike Conley will see obvious boosts to their value, while Brandan Wright could step up as a true value if JaMychal Green also sits out.

Derrick Rose could also sit tonight, opening up more opportunities for Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, while Courtney Lee and Ron Baker could serve as low-upside values. With so many games on the slate, we’re likely to have better value options open up.