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Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Juan Carlos Blanco's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on March 20, 2024.
We have our typically robust mid-week slate Wednesday night on tap, with eight games on the schedule. There is a trio of games with projected totals north of 230 points, always something we like to see as DFS players. Spreads aren't as appealing -- there's only one contest with less than a nine-point line as of Wednesday morning -- but as we've seen countless times this season, games can often play out differently than what sportsbooks envision!
The key to being successful in NBA DFS comes down to making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always really important to have a game plan, and the best players and spots circled first before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 3/20/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EDT on FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck RotoBallers!
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Today's NBA DFS Core Picks
Let's first take a look at our premium projections to see who we want to target for our top spend-ups tonight.
As alluded to earlier, there are some blowout risks at play with essentially all the high-salaried players Wednesday, and that's something we'll just have to live with when creating lineups.
Even with the possibility of some abbreviated minutes, I'm always all in on the upside of both Domantas Sabonis and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who have essentially made 50 fantasy points their floor for the most part. Each is in an excellent positional matchup, and Sabonis, who seems to stuff the stat sheet no matter the circumstance or opponent, is facing an especially depleted Raptors frontcourt.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. CLOSEOUT 💪pic.twitter.com/RcxrjvOsRd
— Thunder Nation (@ThunderNationCP) March 15, 2024
Meanwhile, Desmond Bane has been excellent over his first two games back from his extended layoff due to an ankle injury, averaging 40 FD points in that pair of contests. That number has come even with what is still clearly a bit of rust on his shot, so he's likely to only get even sharper the more he plays.
- Domantas Sabonis, SAC at TOR – C ($10,700 DK; $10,900 FD)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC vs. UTA – PG ($10,400 DK; $11,100 FD)
- Desmond Bane, MEM at GSW– PG/SG/SF ($8,100 DK; $8,000 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Value Picks
Malik Monk has flashed the upside of a much higher-salaried player on countless occasions this season -- mostly recently pouring in 28 points in a performance that netted 43.5 DK/41.2 FD points against the Grizzles -- and in a game where Sacramento could eventually take a large lead, he could be set for a robust role off the bench.
GG Jackson II is another interesting value option that has made a practice of overdelivering on salary over the last several weeks. The rookie checks in with three straight 30+ DK-point tallies and is averaging an impressive 23.2 points on 48.1 percent shooting in his last five contests.
Trayce Jackson-Davis has five straight double-digit scoring efforts and is averaging 12.6 PTs, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks during that span. He remains in a bench role but just fell short of a double-double with 19 PTs, nine REBs, two ASTs, and three BLKs in just 26 minutes against the Knicks on Monday.
Top Value Plays:
- Malik Monk, SAC at TOR – SG/SF ($6,300 DK; $7,300 FD)
- GG Jackson II, MEM at GSW - SF/PF ($6,000 DK; $6,300 FD)
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, GSW vs. MEM - C ($4,900 DK; $6,200 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard
Having already discussed the merits of SGA as a core play, it's also worth noting that De'Aaron Fox, like his teammate Sabonis, is an excellent matchup against the Raptors and also comes in running hot with an average of just under 48 fantasy points per contest on both sites in the last seven games.
Dalano Banton has been quite the late-season revelation for the Trail Blazers, and even though he moved back to the bench for Monday's game against the Bulls, he still provided 25.8 DK/28 FD points and logged 33 minutes.
Top PG Options:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC vs. UTA – PG ($10,400 DK; $11,100 FD)
- De'Aaron Fox, SAC at TOR – ($9,000 DK; $9,600 FD)
- Dalano Banton, POR vs. LAC – ($5,600 DK; $5,700 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard
Monk's appeal as a value play was discussed earlier, while Paul George offers a rock-solid floor at reasonable salaries for his upside in an appealing matchup. The veteran wing also enters with quite the hot hand, shooting 56.6 percent, including 46.4 percent from three-point range, in the last three games while hitting or eclipsing 45 fantasy points on both sites.
Derrick White will be part of the game that could well be the most competitive of the night, and he's coming off having recorded his first career triple-double against the Pistons on Monday night. He's also shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range against the Bucks in two games this season.
Top SG Options:
- Paul George, LAC at POR – SG/SF ($8,400 DK; $8,600 FD)
- Derrick White, BOS vs. MIL – ($7,500 DK; $7,800 FD)
- Malik Monk, SAC at TOR – SG/SF ($6,300 DK; $7,300 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward
Jayson Tatum should naturally be an integral part of that Bucks-Celtics clash that could be the most competitive of the night, and he checks in with some extra rest after having sat out Monday's game versus the Pistons to rest his ankle.
Jonathan Kuminga has cemented himself as a key contributor on the Warriors' first unit and is shooting 53.8 percent, including 50.0 percent from three-point range, over his last seven contests. He's also flashed a floor in the low 30s in terms of fantasy points on the majority of nights since mid-January.
Jackson II is another interesting value option that has made a practice of overdelivering on salary over the last several weeks. The rookie checks in with three straight 30+ DK-point tallies and is averaging an impressive 23.2 PTs on 48.1 percent shooting in his last five contests.
"I don't like to sit out... Especially on the road."
Jayson Tatum is all about basketball. He put on a show for Celtics fans in D.C., and finished with 30 points in three quarters against Wizards: pic.twitter.com/S5kS9VON0U
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) March 18, 2024
Top SF Options:
- Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. MIL – ($9,900 DK; $9,900 FD)
- Jonathan Kuminga, GSW vs. MEM – SF/PF ($6,600 DK; $7,000 FD)
- GG Jackson II, MEM at GSW - SF/PF ($6,000 DK; $6,300 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward
Pascal Siakam somehow manages to fly at least somewhat under the radar on a night with a plethora of big names, but he's been excellent for the Pacers and is averaging just under 40 fantasy points per contest over his last 11 games while shooting 52.3 percent in that span. Detroit also ranks just outside the bottom five of the league in offensive efficiency rating allowed to power forwards, enhancing the big man's appeal.
Jalen Williams has scored over 45 fantasy points on three occasions in his last four games with a normal minutes workload, and he's facing a Jazz team he's shot 61.9 percent against, including 69.2 percent from three-point range, over three prior meetings this season.
Jordan Nwora has been playing an expanded role in the Raps frontcourt with all the injuries plaguing the team, and he's averaging 14.7 PTs (on 60.7 percent shooting), 4.7 REBs, and 1.7 STLs over his last three games despite a relatively modestly workload of 20.7 minutes per contest in that span.
Top PF Options:
- Pascal Siakam, IND at DET – ($7,700 DK; $8,200 FD)
- Jalen Williams, OKC vs. UTA – ($6,900 DK; $8,200 FD)
- Jordan Nwora, TOR vs. SAC ($3,800 DK; $4,600 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center
The virtues of Sabonis and Jackson-Davis were extolled previously, while Jaren Jackson Jr. is an excellent mid-salary play who's shown no signs of slowing down even with the return of Bane over the last pair of contests. Jackson is still averaging 19 shot attempts per game and over 40 fantasy points per contest on both sites in that span while logging an average of 37.5 minutes.
Domantas Sabonis delivers the exclamation point for the Kings 💥pic.twitter.com/ujeRD7YK0I
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 19, 2024
Top C Options:
- Domantas Sabonis, SAC at TOR – C ($10,700 DK; $10,900 FD)
- Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM at GSW - C/PF ($8,200 DK; $8,700 FD)
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, GSW vs. MEM - C/PF ($4,900 DK; $6,200 FD)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
- Kings at Raptors (231.5 total)
- Jazz at Thunder (230.5 total)
- Bucks at Celtics (223.0 total)
Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
- The Heat-Cavaliers matchup sports a tiny 204-point total, making it difficult to see where there could be any had-to-have-it tournament scores.
- On that note, Terry Rozier is back to struggling with his efficiency (37.5 percent shooting in last three games) and appears likely to see Jimmy Butler (foot) return Wednesday, making the former somewhat unappealing in a game with such a low total.
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite overall play on the slate: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Pascal Siakam
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Domantas Sabonis
- My favorite value play: GG Jackson II
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