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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on March 16, 2019. Jake Finnen provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
With seven games on DraftKings main slate, all are fairly good games in terms of DFS. All should be decently high-scoring, but do not shy away from anyone in the Pelicans-Suns game. With the caliber of players in that contest, it's fairly safe to play Julius Randle, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr., amongst others, but I'll come back to that game later.
There are three games I think should steal the show tonight, and they are the last three games of the night. Despite how good the Nuggets have been, I think their frontcourt will cause problems for Denver, forcing Jamal Murray to carry a lot of the offensive weight, with Nikola Jokic having to really work for his production. Nothing he isn't used to, but could equal out to a very interesting looking statline. I'm going with 11 assists, 14 points and six or seven rebounds with a few steals tossed in. Not a bad game, but don't expect this to be the Nuggets just lighting up the Pacers with Jokic playing as freely as he's used to.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/16/19. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on DraftKings. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. As always, don't set your lineups too early. Be sure to check all the NBA starting lineups and player statuses and availability prior to opening tip.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Elfrid Payton - PG, vs. PHO ($6,900)
This still counts as a revenge game, right? After notching a triple-double last game versus the Blazers, there's no reason why he can't keep that momentum going. Since Jrue Holiday is basically done as point guard, Elfrid Payton is doing exactly what most of us thought he would do given starter's minutes. Until this changes, there are no teams I would fade him against and even on back-to-backs, Payton still has more than enough upside because of his focus on defense, rather than just being a point guard. We'd like to see more steals since his price warrants a good game, but as long as he is posting double-digit assist games, I'll refrain from complaining.
Tim Hardaway Jr. - SG/SF vs. CLE ($5,000)
This is too easy of a pick. Not only will this game be competitive because both teams will be tossing up shots like their lives depend on it, but neither team has a solid defense to hold some of their opponent's best players. Tim Hardaway Jr. may not be the most consistent threat, but unless someone is making it difficult for him on every possession, he is going to light the Cavaliers up for 30 minimum. He has that potential every time he steps on the court, he just hasn't shown the efficiency on a nightly basis. Hardaway won't be the only player going for 30 in this game, but if there's one player that will do everything he can to get his shots off, it's Hardaway, and for his case, I like the defense he's facing tonight.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Caris Levert- PG/SF @ UTA ($4,700)
His statlines haven't been anything close to what he was doing earlier this season, but it doesn't mean he lacks that same upside. He is still working back into the rotation and it's going to be harder for him seeing how the Nets were able to make it work during his injury. It doesn't mean Caris LeVert is out of a job or anything, but he will need to really prove he's back before he starts getting close to 30 minutes again. Especially this close to his return.
The Jazz seem like the perfect team for that because one, they don't have an ultra-athletic wing to guard some of the Nets faster players, and two, their slow pace should allow for LeVert to play at a speed that let's him mesh back in with his teammates. Since his athleticism was one of his strong suits earlier this season, look for LeVert to make the most of each possession, doing more distributing than anything, leading to more overall ball movement and eventually catching open passes on the wing for easy points from players like D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Markieff Morris - SF/PF vs. GSW ($3,300)
Seeing how we all know Markieff Morris is more than capable of having a big game, might as well use him against the best team in the league. This might be a personal narrative, but Markieff has always struck me as a player that plays up to the competition. Not that he will shut down the Warriors or anything, but for his price, I'd find it hard to believe if Morris was totally unsuccessful this game. As long as he can score and rebounds, things he is able to do every game regardless of the opponent, he will exceed his projected. Since the Warriors run small and the Thunder can match that, expect Morris to play a slightly larger role in the offense.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Domantas Sabonis - PF/C @ DEN ($5,400)
It seems every time I advise playing Domantas Sabonis, he flops. Not that he wasn't a good pick, it's just when you go 3-13 from the field, you probably aren't helping one in DFS, and you might even cause a few players to swear off you for good. Luckily, you can't do that with Sabonis. Swearing off him is like swearing off ice cream cause that one brainfreeze was SOOOOOO bad. It happens and players have bad games, tonight, it might seem like Sabonis has minimal upside, but in reality he should have his work cut out for him. If Paul Millsap is stuck guarding Myles Turner or Thaddeus Young, Sabonis will have the paint all to himself, with only Jokic as the rim-protector.
The Nuggets frontcourt defense has been solid against most teams this year, but the Pacers have assets all around the court that they can beat you with. If it's not the frontcourt, it's the wing-shooters, if it's not them, it's the drive-and-kick guard tandem they have. If that's not working, just give the ball to Bogdanovic or Sabonis and just let them work. Either way, I'm excited for this game, not just for DFS purposes.
