NBA Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks for March 24
Welcome to the Thursday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy column focused on providing analysis for the upcoming NBA FanDuel slate. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big pay day!
We are back tonight to a smaller slate of five games and frankly at first pass tonight’s slate lacks that clear cut game with the high total and clear pace up advantage. The Pacers have the highest projected point total going up against the Pelicans at home but the blowout risk in this game is very real and would lead me to fade many of the high priced Pacers players.
One of the first places I will look tonight is Cleveland versus Brooklyn. The spread on this game ranges from 7 to 8 points which frankly shocked me, but what I believe Vegas is taking into account is the fact that Cleveland may rest players tonight. The Cavs are on the tail end of a back to back and have publicly stated they will rest players down the stretch so it is certainly possible one of the big three gets a night off tonight. If one of Lebron James, Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love sits tonight, the usage for the remaining player’s spikes and gives us the ability to target one of these stars against a brutal Brooklyn defense. If all three are active then I would fade them entirely however, keep an eye on the news throughout the day for exposure to this game
With the small slate tonight, I will adjust the format for today’s column a bit with some quick bullets on key targets at each position:
Point Guard
- Russell Westbrook – The masses may see the matchup against the slow paced Jazz and look to pivot away from Westbrook as he is the highest priced player on tonight’s slate. However, in the 3 games this year, Westbrook has averaged roughly 45 fantasy points per game giving us the ability to lock in a very safe floor and well known upside.
- Chris Paul – CP3 has averaged only 33.5 fantasy points against the Blazers this year however that is brought down by two 20 point performances early in the season while Blake Griffin was still on the court. The last game out CP3 put up 53 points against Portland, and the Blazers present one of the most favorable matchups to opposing PG’s on the season.
- Damian Lillard – In two of the three games against the Clippers this year, Lillard has put up 45 and 40 fantasy points. The Clippers present one of the most difficult matchups on the season to opposing PG’s however the $1,000 savings from CP3 to Lillard can be used tonight to allow you to spend up at Center which is a very weak position.
Shooting Guard
- Jrue Holiday – Even with the price sitting at $8,200, with the massive usage and guaranteed minutes, lock in Holiday until further notice. The matchup may seem difficult but in a similarly difficult matchup against Miami last game out, Jrue still managed to put up 47.5 fantasy points.
Small Forward
- Luke Babbitt – Frankly, I couldn’t pick Luke Babbitt out of a lineup, but what I can tell you is that he has averaged 25.5 FPPG(6.7x value) the last two games and with Ryan Anderson already ruled out for tonight we can expect more of the same. At $3,800, Babbitt is an absolute no brainer tonight, even with the blowout risk the Pelicans have no choice but to run out the healthy bodies they do have.
- Gordon Hayward – After looking through the SF options tonight, Hayward sits at an awkward price point at $6,700 well below the 4 big dogs in action but well above the bargain options. I am hopeful this will keep him under owned and with the Jazz clinging to the 8th seed right now, we can safely expect Hayward to play a full complement of minutes. He has averaged 31 FPPG in the 3 meetings with Thunder this year and I will gladly lock in that production tonight at a mid-tier price so I can spend up elsewhere.
Power Forward
- Kristaps Porzingis – There was a point earlier in the year that the rookie was a part of everyone’s lineups but he hit the rookie wall and his priced has dropped down to $5,900. He has averaged 33.1 FPPG over his last 3 (5x value) and has one of the best matchups a PF can have going up against Chicago, who by the way he dropped 39.5 fantasy points on last night. With the other top tier PF’s in tough matchups, I will drop down and save money at PF tonight starting with Kristaps.
Center
- DeAndre Jordan – Last but not least, the one player I will start every lineup with tonight is Jordan. At $8,100, Jordan has averaged 42.5 FPPG against the Blazers this yeaith one of those games hitting 54 points. Considering the safe floor and upside, the favorable matchup and the fact that Portland just gave up a double double and 30 fantasy points last night to Salah Mejri – I will lock in the Clippers big man tonight across all formats.
Best of luck tonight gamers. As always keep an eye on the late breaking news for potential rest scenarios!