RADIO
I was expecting a monstrous slate since the NCAA will be dormant for a few days, but the NBA didn't take advantage and left us with a four-gamer. Normally, this is where I'd say - but, it's a really nice looking four gamer! That is not the case today, as this is one of the uglier slates I can recall.
Okay, now we have some Vegas stuff to break down. They made us wait all day - but it's easy to see why, as injury news has been dropping all throughout the day. It's peak tank season! As hypothesized, the lines are quite ugly and just one eclipses 210 - Kings at Thunder. The problem with that game is that the Thunder are 13 to 14 point favorites (depending on the book) and the blowout could make things ugly. The Thunder are motivated in the sense they need to win, but are they really going to have to have their foot on the gas pedal tonight? I'm tentative to use any key pieces there and certainly won't be game-stacking that action in Oklahoma City. Outside of that game, we have over/under lines of 209 (twice - Spurs at Rockets and Heat at Blazers) and a 205 line in Memphis as they host Milwaukee.
Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 3/12/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options, to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Damian Lillard - PG, vs MIA ($9,500)
Damian has been hot these past few weeks, carrying Portland to the upper echelon of the Western Conference with his unbelievable scoring outbursts. Honestly, he has to be in the MVP conversation, because where would this Trail Blazers team be without him? As for tonight, he checks a few boxes for me that most other expensive guards can't. He's got the "something to play for" narrative and happens to be in one of only two games tonight where both teams are likely headed to the playoffs. We should see a tight contest here, and in tight contests we see Dame eclipse 35 minutes often - which is a big time positive as the price is high. That said, we've seen him pay off and provide plus value with this same price tag. Over the past month, he's improved his FanDuel point-per-minute average, bringing it up to 1.27. As for the defensive matchup, Miami is a solid overall defensive team, but are middle of the pack against point guards. And, of course, Dame is no normal point guard with his 32% Usage rate.
Kobi Simmons - SG, vs MIL ($4,000)
I'm not in love with the matchup against the Bucks, but I do love the price, his increasing minutes, and the fact that he seems to have the green light in this Memphis offense. Simmons isn't an exciting point per minute player at .67, but his Usage rate projection of 22% does bring upside and he has beaten value at this price tag before. Seeing that his minutes have been trending upward, I think we can conservatively say he sees at least 20-22 minutes, and can certainly cash in that price range. Anything on top of that is golden, and I can see him grabbing garbage time offense in the fourth if Milwaukee has this thing locked up. It might be early to speculate about Milwaukee having this thing locked up before the fourth quarter, but this is a Grizzlies team that has lost 17 straight games.
Also Consider: Khris Middleton - SG, at MEM ($7,000); Eric Bledsoe - PG, at MEM ($7,500)
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Kyle Anderson - SF, at HOU ($5,600)
We have a few decisions to make at small forward as there is some star power there, even in this small slate with Paul George and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the board. Since they're fairly expensive and expensive, respectively, I'm going to let a few more shoes fall (Vegas data, start/sit news, etc) before deciding where to spend that money. On a small slate, your margin for error in spend ups is essentially non-existent. As for Mr. Slo-Mo, Kyle Anderson, we get him at a bit of a price drop tonight despite having a few recent performances that were GPP altering. As his name implies, he operates quite slowly on offense - still, the pace up game should benefit him not in style, but in the extra possessions that fast pace delivers. Over the past month, he's producing over 1 point per minute on FanDuel, and the pricing is quite favorable tonight.
Rudy Gay - SF, at HOU ($4,400)
With the official news that LaMarcus Aldridge will sit tonight, Gay is absolutely worth a look in tournaments (and perhaps as a cash play if you surround him with players who have safe point floors). He is certainly a bargain at this price point now that the minutes projection is around 25 rather than 15, but he can be a bit inconsistent - hence the preference in tournaments. Over the past six games Gay appeared in, he's posted no lower than a 19% Usage rate and in two of those game he was at 25% or higher. Seeing that the Rockets operate fairly quickly and very efficiently, Gay should get enough looks to provide plus value if the shot is falling.
Bam Adebayo - PF, at POR ($3,500)
As we saw last week when Bam was a high ownership play, he can falter due to foul trouble but does still produce when he's able to stay on the court. For the season, his point per minute mark of .92 is pretty impressive - especially when you consider he's raw, young and prone to whistles. Tonight, with his price back down and the news that Dwyane Wade and, more importantly for Bam, Hassan Whiteside will not play tonight - he becomes quite a value + upside play for me. Adebayo should see minutes in the mid 20's range and with his ability to be very active on the boards and in blocking shots, an 8-10x return of value is not out of the question in Portland Monday night.
Also Consider: Kelly Olynyk - PF, at POR ($5,100); Davis Bertans - PF, at HOU ($4,400)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Kosta Koufos - C, at OKC ($4,500)
Mr. Koufos is certainly not the sexiest of plays, but I think he can provide cash value here with his minutes increase and he does have some upside in tournaments thanks to the situational matchup. Let's start with the cash side: Koufos has been seeing more minutes per game (playing 21+ in each of the last five games, which is notable for him) and he's crushed value in all five said games. He has a strong point per minute mark this season, too, posting .94 mark and .99 if you're just looking at the last month of production. As for tournament upside - Steven Adams was injured over the weekend and is listed as Questionable. If he is unable to go, I really like Koufos for tournaments as that Oklahoma City interior takes a huge hit in Adams' absence.
Also Consider: Pau Gasol - C, at HOU ($6,000)
