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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on March 16, 2022. John Brubaker provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers! I hope last night's slate of NBA DFS treated you well. I'm continuing to work on my NBA model, trying to gather more information to make sure all of you are as armed as possible going into each slate. Even with the small adjustments I've made so far, it seems to be working. I'm trying to implement different factors to separate cash options against GPP options. I'll continue to keep you all updated with the adjustments I make, and with all of that said, let's get to tonight!
Tonight we have a nice slate, with twelve games on tap. With now both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates a bit differently to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 3/16/22. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Trae Young - at CHA (FD: $9,900, DK: $10,300)
I'll start tonight's slate off with Trae Young who is coming off back to back 40+ "real life" point games. He's been on an absolute tear of late and now draws a matchup with one of the highest-paced and worst defensive teams in the league. Young is a 1.33 FanDuel and 1.4 DraftKings points per minute player in this situation, and it would be foolish not to ride the hot hand. Despite the Hornets being better than expected against point guards (ranking top 10 in both efficiency and DvP), it's hard not to favor Trae as a pay-up option on both sites.
Brandon Williams, at NY (FD: $5,200, DK: $6,500)
While FanDuel still hasn't figured out Williams's price yet, I certainly like him on both sites tonight. The Blazers will be without a slew of players, per usual, and in this situation, Williams is a 0.98 FanDuel and 1.01 DraftKings points per minute player. The Knicks come into this one ranked 28th in point guard efficiency, so it makes it extremely difficult to fade Williams considering his recent history without Anfernee Simons in the lineup. If he ends up drawing similar ownership to what he has done in past slates, I may look to pivot some of my exposure in GPPs, though.
Jalen Brunson, at BKN (FD: $5,500, DK: $5,700)
I've been rethinking how I go into these slates in recent days with the end of the season drawing near. I think tired legs may be affected teams now, so looking to target teams on back-to-backs is something I've been trying. I'll be doing so against the Nets tonight with Jalen Brunson. The Mavs will be without Reggie Bullock and Tim Hardaway once again tonight, and in this situation, Brunson is a 0.9 FanDuel and 0.81 DraftKings points per minute player. The Nets rank bottom third in both defensive efficiency and DvP against shooting guards and will be without Kyrie Irving tonight. I like all three of Dallas's top guards tonight, and I'll have some decent exposure to Brunson in GPPs.
Also consider: Jordan Clarkson (FD: $5,000, DK: $5,700), Patty Mills (FD: $3,700, DK: $3,400)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Domantas Sabonis, vs MIL (FD: $8,400, DK: $9,200)
Sabonis was a bit of a disappointment on Monday but should have no problems making up for it tonight. Since joining the Kings, Sabonis has been a 1.2 FanDuel and 1.26 DraftKings point per minute player. The matchup against the Bucks is never an easy one, as they rank ninth in center efficiency and 4th in DvP, but with Sabonis's cheaper price and positional flexibility on FanDuel, I'll consider Sabonis in all formats tonight.
Trendon Watford, at NY (FD: $6,700, DK: $6,800)
It should be no surprise we're going back to the Blazers tonight. Simply put, from what I've watched they've been so banged up that they're using minimal rotations and their starters are playing heavy minutes. I will proceed with more caution tonight, though, as Justise Winslow is a game-time decision in this one. Even with Winslow on the floor, however, Watford remains a 1 FanDuel and 1.01 DraftKings point per minute player and has been doing enough with the ball and on the glass to be considered despite the price hike.
Darius Bazley, at SAS (FD: $5,600, DK: $5,600)
As long as Bazley sees a lot of minutes, he's been proving himself to be a man on fire of late. Coming off back-to-back 25+ "real life" point performances, I'll look to go back to Bazley here in what should be a high-paced, high-scoring matchup against the Spurs. Bazley is a 0.91 fantasy point per minute player on both sites in this situation and draws a decent matchup against San Antonio who ranks middle of the pack in both power forward efficiency and DvP.
Also consider: De'Andre Hunter (FD: $4,700, DK: $4,800), Rudy Gay (FD: $3,500, DK: $3,100)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Clint Capela, at CHA (FD: $6,000, DK: $6,100)
Who better to pair with Trae Young than his pick 'n' roll partner, Clint Capela. Capela has been playing extremely well over his last few games, despite not scoring a ton. He's a 1.01 FanDuel and 1.07 DraftKings point per minute player in this situation and now gets a strong matchup against the Hornets who rank in the bottom third of both center efficiency and DvP. I think the Hornets should be able to keep this relatively close, making this game "blowout-proof" and it's hard for me to not have Capela as my favorite center on the slate.
Drew Eubanks, at NY (FD: $5,100, DK: $5,700)
As I mentioned earlier, there is a chance that Justise Winslow suits up for the Blazers tonight. However, Eubanks remains a 0.88 fantasy point per minute player on both sites with Winslow on the floor. My concern here is the potential minute reduction he'll see should Winslow suit up. While the Knicks are top 5 in DvP against centers, they do rank 22nd in center efficiency, so if Winslow ends up sitting this one out, Eubanks can be considered a solid GPP pivot from other Blazers like Williams, Watford, and Josh Hart.
Also consider: Nikola Jokic (FD: $11,300, DK: $11,900), Rudy Gobert (FD: $7,300, DK: $7,500)
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