FanDuel NBA Daily Picks and Pivots – March 22
Welcome to the Wednesday FanDuel NBA edition of Picks and Pivots, a fantasy basketball column focused on helping you find the best core lineup for tonight’s eight game slate which kicks off at 7:00PM EST!
As a reminder, the concept behind FanDuel NBA Picks and Pivots 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 payday!
Tuesday Night’s winning GPP FanDuel NBA lineup topped the 400 mark with a final score of 409.2 on the back of monster games from DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler and DeMarcus Cousins. Over the first 122 slates, the average winning GPP score has been 378.3 which would mean we need 6.3x value from our roster in order to win big!
Over the first 122 slates, the average winning GPP score has been 378.3 which would mean we need 6.3x value from our roster in order to win big!
Tuesday’s Night’s Picks and Pivots fell short of the cash line for the second straight night with a score of 260.2 as two of our high-priced investments, Blake Griffin (23.6 points) and Kawhi Leonard (36.6) failed to produce as we expected. We went back and forth during the day on whether to move from Kawhi to Jimmy Butler but stayed true to the Spurs star which ultimately was the difference between falling above or below the cash line on Tuesday night!
Wednesday Night’s slate is very interesting as we have only three of the eight games with game totals above 210 so finding the under the radar games to play will be critical to our DFS success on this slate!
FanDuel NBA – Top Point Guard Picks
Kyrie Irving ($9,000) Looking over this slate, the thing that stands out the most to me is how much higher the Cavs/Nuggets game sits from a projected scoring perspective than any other game on the slate. The Cavs/Nuggets game sits at a 228.5 combined team total which is 10 points higher than the next closest game and these teams are two of the top three projected scoring squads on the slate.
The issue with this game is how exactly should we attack it as the two highest priced players, LeBron James ($11,100) and Nikola Jokic ($10,300) both sit at levels that truly limit the rest of your roster build. In the earlier match-up between these two teams, neither player exceeded 50 FanDuel points so paying up for these studs may not be the best approach tonight.
This does not mean however that we can simply fade the game altogether so focusing on a player like Kyrie Irving at only $9k may be the best way to get high-end exposure to this game. The Nuggets are 27th in DvP to opposing PG’s on the season and Kyrie comes into this game with 40+ FD points in three of his last five games. By targeting Kyrie, we can look at the same elite upside as LeBron/Jokic but can do so for a fraction of the price that allows us a more balanced roster approach.
Rajon Rondo ($5,400) Rondo is on an absolute tear recently and at this price point he becomes a no-brainer for me on this slate. Rondo comes into tonight’s game with 35+ FanDuel points in three of his last four games, exceeding 6.3x value in each of those games and gets the benefit of facing the Pistons PG defense tonight.
Detroit is 22nd in DvP to opposing PG’s and just gave up 30 FanDuel points to Spencer Dinwiddie on Tuesday so I would expect a player of Rondo’s talent level to be able to exploit this match-up for another big time DFS outing!
FanDuel NBA – Top Shooting Guard Picks
Victor Oladipo ($6,100) The OKC-Philadelphia game has the highest projected pace on this slate and although it does have an 11 point spread, I think we should look to aggressively target players from this game.
Russell Westbrook is dealing with a blister issue and although he is expected to play he was only able to go through non-contact practice yesterday and Coach Billy Donovan said if the practice had been contact that Westbrook would have sat out.
The injury to Westbrook could lead to Oladipo carrying the offensive load for the Thunder tonight and considering that he comes into this game with 30+ FD points in five of his last six games, he makes for an elite cash game target with GPP upside at a weak SG spot!
Nik Stauskas ($3,800) On the Philly side of this game I would make a point to slot in a red-hot Stauskas who has exceeded 6x value in three straight games while playing 30 minutes a night of the Sixers bench. We saw on Monday night what opposing back courts were capable of against the Thunder from the three-point line so firing up Stauskas allows us to target the desired GPP upside at a price point that allows us flexibility across the rest of our roster.
If Wilson Chandler does not play(more on him on the next slide), Will Barton ($6,500) would be my ideal Nuggets exposure as he would be asked to carry the scoring load for Denver. Barton has put up 45+ FanDuel points in two of his last three games and has the massive GPP upside we are typically looking to roster!
FanDuel NBA – Top Small Forward Picks
Jimmy Butler ($8,900) I made the mistake of fading Butler on Tuesday night and will not make that same mistake tonight as Butler continues to put up fantastic all around DFS numbers each and every night. Butler comes into this game with 45+ FanDuel points in four of his last five games, including a monster 64 point outing in an overtime game last night.
The price point on Butler is simply too low and by rostering him we can get a guy who has clear 50+ point upside for a fraction of the price of a guy like LeBron. I love the idea of stacking Rondo and Butler against Detroit tonight as both players have dropped 40+ FD point outings against the Pistons this season.
Wilson Chandler ($6,700) As of this writing, Chandler has a big GTD next to his name but based off his comments on Monday, he sure did sound like a guy who would suit up tonight. With Danilo Gallinari looking closer to doubtful tonight, it could set up Chandler for significant run and we have seen the kind of upside Chandler has when the Nuggets are dealing with injuries. With the Nuggets clinging to the 8th spot in the Western Conference I expect Chandler to push through and play in this high scoring affair against Cleveland.
If Chandler does not play, I will take the salary savings and drop back down to Taurean Prince ($3,900), aka Mr. Chalk on Monday night! Prince put up a dud as the single highest owned player on the slate but we cannot hold a grudge tonight as the rationale still holds true for why we played him. With Paul Millsap and Kent Bazemore out for Atlanta, Prince will be asked to play major minutes, playing 30 minutes a night over his last three games. One of the best ways to be contrarian is to jump back on chalk guys who burned us the last time out and Prince is a prime example of that!
FanDuel NBA – Top Power Forward and Center Picks
Dario Saric ($7,600) As I mentioned earlier, I love this Philly/OKC game as an under the radar “stack” and I am looking to get some correlation to my Oladipo play with Dario Saric at the PF spot. All the buzz with Philly will likely trend toward Richaun Holmes who is now $6,100 on FanDuel, but I am looking instead towards Saric tonight. One of the main reasons is that Holmes will have Steven Adams blanketing him while Saric will have to deal with Taj Gibson who I believe he can dominate.
More from FanSided
- Bills: 3 2023 roster holes that could cost Josh Allen a Super Bowl
- Colts RB Jonathan Taylor shoots down rumors of troubling injury
- MLB Rumors: Favorite to trade for Justin Verlander emerges and it’s not the Astros
- NY Mets should disband franchise if nightmare Justin Verlander report becomes reality
- First-time PGA Tour victory couldn’t happen to a nicer guy such as Lee Hodges at 3M Open
Saric has three 40 FanDuel point outings in his last five games and at a weak PF spot, has the ability has the ability to end up as the top raw point performer at the position even with Nikola Jokic on the floor!
Ersan Illyasova ($4,500) Hey remember Monday Night chalk night where Ersan and Taurean Prince were everyone’s favorite plays, they went massively owned and them let everyone down? Well the entire reason we looked to play those guys was that they were guaranteed minutes at cheap price points and honestly, I think both are in play tonight as I expect the masses will jump back off. Ersan is the guy I am most interested in as he gets a match-up with a Wizards team that is 27th in DvP to opposing PF’s and I do not see Markieff Morris being able to stay with a stretch 4 like Ersan out at the top of the key!
Nikola Vucevic ($8,000) Center is a spot I think we should look to pay up at tonight and Vooch stands out as one of the best mid-range plays on the board. Vucevic comes into this game with 45+ FanDuel points in three of his last fives and tonight gets to take on a Charlotte team that has been beatable inside all season long. In tournament play, Center (with only one roster spot) is a great way to find low owned high upside plays as the ownership is largely spread out so nailing down the right center could be the difference between staying above the cash line or looking for answers.
The one pivot play at Center I am looking at is Andre Drummond ($7,800) who would be in line for a massive night against the Bulls if Robin Lopez is suspended due to his Tuesday Night fight. Keep an eye on this news and be prepared to react accordingly!
Best of luck in your FanDuel NBA contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter all day for the late breaking lineup news and roster updates.