FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (3/26/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

March 23, 2021

Mike Marteny highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 3/23/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is over, so if you want some DFS action for basketball, you've got to go back to the pros. There are six games in the Association tonight. There are a lot of stars that are actually hurt and a lot of players that are affected by that. We know LeBron, Kyrie, Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant are all still out.

Despite the injuries for the Nets, the Nets-Blazers game still has the highest total on the slate at 236.5. The Wizards and Knicks are a mash up of contrasting styles. Vegas doesn't really know what to do with that game, but I have an idea. Running anyone against the Knicks is kind of difficult right now. Both Beal and Westbrook are really expensive. Are there better options elsewhere? Let's dive on into this!

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 3/23/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward, and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.

FanDuel DFS Guards

James Harden, SG – at Portland ($11,300)

Whenever Harden is the only healthy superstar on his team, play him. The ceiling is literally triple digits. He has done that a few times in his career. Both Durant and Irving are out, so Harden is going to soak up at least 60% of their usage to go with his already high number. I don't care what the price is. Harden is worth paying up for. If you're going with the fade in a GPP, you better make sure Harden's replacement and the guy you upgrade to both go off. I wont shy away from the high ownership. There are plenty of other places to get different.

Devin Booker, SG – at Miami ($7,700)

Sometimes it's hard to get a read on the Suns, but it does like like Booker and Chris Paul are getting comfortable with each other. Booker has at least 5x value at this price in four of the six games since the break. He went for 6.5x value in two of those games. Miami has had trouble with shooters this year, so Booker feels like the place to attack this team. It's worth watching the plethora of injured guards that Miami has as well. If Goran Dragic can't go, I may elevate Paul over Booker.

Talen Horton-Tucker, SG – at New Orleans ($6,000)

Tucker put up 31.7 FanDuel points in 28 minutes against a solid Phoenix defense with the King out over the weekend. It now looks like LeBron is going to miss an extended period of time. That usage will be divided up between a few players, but Horton-Tucker is one of the guys that's going to do the most with it. Both Alex Caruso and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope have low ceilings. We know exactly what to expect from them. Horton-Tucker has a high ceiling and a reasonable price. That's a combination that I can find a lot of room for when constructing lineups.

Also consider: Damian Lillard ($9,400), Jamal Murray ($7,800), Dennis Schroder ($7,000), Immanuel Quickley ($4,700)

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FanDuel DFS Forwards

Julius Randle, PF – vs. Washington ($10,000)

Randle's usage has been up even more with Derrick Rose off the court because of COVID. Randle has topped 50 DraftKings points seven times since Rose's diagnosis and even topped 60 twice. His ceiling is as high as anyone's and he playing one of the worst defensive teams on the planet. The good news is that the Wizards have enough firepower to keep this a close game. This is the one piece of the Knicks lineup that we can rely on every game. The guard roulette is getting old for DFS.

Kyle Kuzma, SF – at New Orleans ($6,500)

Kuzma will be leaned upon a lot with both James and Davis on the sidelines. The Lakers still have some good pieces. Pieces that have proven that they can score and carry a team if needed. Dennis Schroder did it at times in Atlanta. Kuzma has done it with LeBron out last year. Montrezl Harrell did a few times with the Clippers. It will be interesting to see how this group meshes together collectively, but there are some good individual spots at low prices available tonight. Kuzma is just one of those pieces.

Nicolas Claxton, PF – at Portland ($4,600)

Yes, I trust Claxton more than Blake Griffin. The Nets are committed to easing Blake along. They have no reason to go against that even if all three stars end up sitting. Blake Griffin isn't the miracle part of the big four. He hasn't had a big game in over a year now. Claxton has been a consistent producer for the Nets no matter how they have used him. The backup guards are the way to go if Harden is out. At any rate, Claxton is at the very least a safe value play. He could be more depending on what the Nets do with him. This is one of the best matchups he can have.

Also consider: Zion Williamson ($8,600), Draymond Green ($7,000), RJ Barrett ($6,200), Jae Crowder ($3,900)

FanDuel DFS Centers 

Montrezl Harrell – at New Orleans ($7,500)

Harrell has played very well with Anthony Davis out. He has at least 35 FanDuel points in all but one game with Davis out. The absence of LeBron doesn't mean much for Harrell besides the fact that his minutes are even more guaranteed than they were before. This isn't a great spot on paper, but the Lakers are missing roughly 60% of their scoring offense. Harrell is going to have a good game by default.

Enes Kanter – vs. Brooklyn ($5,900)

Kanter and his minutes still fluctuate quite a bit, but Kanter can hit 6x value here in about 20 minutes. Brooklyn's bad post defense is the stuff of DFS legend by now. This is still a guard-dominated team, but Kanter will get plenty of chances in this game. He's at his best when hauling down tons of rebounds. He'll be able to do that here too. There will be lots of missed shots whether Harden plays or not.

Nerlens Noel – vs. Washington ($5,100)

I haven't played Noel much with Mitchell Robinson out, but this is a place where I will. Noel has battled a lot of inconsistency throughout his career. The last week is really no exception. He played very well against an Embiid-less Philly twice and was locked down by Nikola Vucevic and the Magic. For the most part, Noel has played well against bad post teams. Assuming he lives up to that again, he's going to smash value again tonight.

Also consider: Nikola Jokic ($11,000), Dwight Howard ($5,400), Steven Adams ($5,300)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis