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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on March 21, 2022. Juan Carlos Blanco provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
There's a second consecutive robust slate on tap Monday night, as nine games are on the docket. Oddsmakers seem to be predicting a night of competitive games with their lines, as all but one team is favored by seven points or fewer. Factoring in four games are between teams with winning records, and conditions appear to be ripe for a fun night of DFS play.
With 18 teams in action, the player pool can withstand a few injuries with not much disruption. Accordingly, it's not particularly difficult to pinpoint appealing candidates at each position at each level of salary.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 3/21/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Darius Garland - PG/SG, CLE vs. LAL ($9,300 DK; $8,800 FD)
Garland scored 37.8 DK points against the Lakers in his one prior meeting with them this season, and he's coming into Monday having scored over 40 fantasy points in seven straight games on DK as well. The star point guard continues to enjoy an especially elevated role with Jarrett Allen (finger) out of action, posting a 27.0 percent usage rate without his teammate on the floor. Los Angeles should once again make for a good matchup Monday, as the Lakers are allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency to point guards (27.5 percent), as well as 51.3 DK/50.1 FD points per game to the position on the season.
Cade Cunningham - PG/SG, DET vs. POR ($8,400 DK; $7,500 FD)
Cunningham jumped back into action Saturday after dealing with an illness and didn't miss a beat, posting 43.5 DK/41.2 FD points in a narrow loss to the Cavaliers. The star rookie had scored over 50 fantasy points in three of the prior six games as well, affording him upside that outpaces his salaries on both sites by a substantial degree. Cunningham scored 43.8 DK/41.9 FD points against the Trail Blazers the first time he saw them this season as well on Nov. 30, and Portland is currently considerably more short-handed than it was then. The Blazers are also now yielding the seventh-highest offensive efficiency to two-guards (22.6 percent), along with 45.7 DK/45.8 FD points per game to the position in the last seven. What's more, the Blazers are giving up NBA-high 37.0 percent three-point shooting, brightening Cunningham's prospects further.
Marcus Smart - PG/SG, BOS at OKC ($6,300 DK; $6,800 FD)
Smart offers some cost-effective exposure to a red-hot Celtics squad against the struggling Thunder, which have been particularly vulnerable to point guards of late. OKC has surrendered the fifth-most DK (57.3) and FD (54.5) points per game to ones in the last seven games, putting the versatile Smart in a solid position to overdeliver on his very reasonable salaries. Smart is averaging a well-rounded 14.5 points, 7.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 11 post-All-Star-break games, shooting an impressive 43.6 percent from three-point range and eclipsing 30 fantasy points on eight occasions during that sample as well. Meanwhile, OKC has been particularly vulnerable defending the perimeter lately, conceding 44.9 percent three-point shooting in the last three games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Josh Hart, SG, POR at DET ($8,000 DK; $7,900 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jayson Tatum - SF/PF, BOS at OKC ($9,800 DK, $9,600 FD)
Tatum makes for another appealing Celtics option in the matchup against the Thunder, as he comes into Monday's interconference clash averaging an elite 32.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over 11 post-All-Star-break contests. Like his teammate Smart, Tatum has been impressive efficient from distance during that span, draining 40.7 percent of his 9.8 three-point attempts per game. Consequently, he'll also be in position to benefit from the Thunder's aforementioned weakness against three-point shooting, and he already hung 55 DK/52.1 FD points on OKC the first time he faced them this season.
Scottie Barnes - SF/PF, TOR at CHI ($8,100 DK; $8,500 FD)
The Bulls have had some trouble slowing down power forwards, including Barnes on a couple of occasions, this season, and the rookie comes in on a tear that's seen him average 20.3 points (on 55.2 percent shooting), 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game across his last 11. Barnes has scored over 30 fantasy points in two of three prior meetings against the Bulls as well, while Chicago is allowing the sixth-highest offensive efficiency to power forwards (27.6 percent), along with over 47 DK and 45 FD points per game on the season to the position. There's also a chance Fred VanVleet (knee) misses another game for Toronto on Monday night, which would potentially boost Barnes' value.
Jaxson Hayes - PF, NOP at CHA ($5,400 DK; $6,000 FD)
Hayes turned in another strong effort Sunday evening in the win over the Hawks, posting a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double on the way to 31 DK/27.9 FD points. The young big has scored over 30 DK points in three of his last four games overall, and he's posted over 22 in five consecutive on each site. Despite the second game of a back-to-back Monday, Hayes makes for a good value play against a Hornets team that's allowed Eastern Conference-high 28.5 percent offensive efficiency to power forwards, along with over 46 fantasy points per game to the position for the season.
ALSO CONSIDER: DeMar DeRozan, SF/PF, CHI vs. TOR ($8,700 DK, $8,200 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Karl-Anthony Towns - MIN at DAL ($10,400 DK; $9,900 FD)
Towns enters the day questionable with a forearm contusion, so his status will have to be carefully monitored. However, if he's announced as available, he once again makes for an excellent play against a Mavericks squad he's already scored 58.5 DK/54.3 FD points against in one of two meetings this season. KAT boasts as much ceiling as virtually any player as he's demonstrated recently with 70- and 80-fantasy-point efforts, and Dallas has allowed over 59 fantasy points per game on either site to centers in the last seven games.
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS at HOU ($7,700 DK; $7,800 FD)
Porzingis comes at very appealing salaries for a player of his upside, and he arrives at Monday's highly favorable matchup having scored over 30 fantasy points on either site in six of his first seven games in Washington. The big man had his best point total yet as a member of the Wizards in his most recent game Saturday, hanging 27 on the Lakers. The Rockets could very facilitate another spectacular outing Monday night, as Houston has allowed NBA-high 37.7 percent offensive efficiency to centers, as well as NBA-high 70.1 DK/70.5 FD points per game to the position in the last 15. Porzingis has delivered at least 40 DK points on 19 occasions and 40 FD points in 17 instances (out of 41 total games) this season, and Monday's game shapes up as another very likely opportunity for him to repeat the feat.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jonas Valanciunas - NOP at CHA ($8,300 DK; $7,400 FD)
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