NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: March 8
Dejounte Murray continues to be a great deal in fantasy.
The first two days of the week have been fun, but this could be a frustrating slate. We have Dallas, Washington, and Oklahoma City all playing the second half of a back-to-back set. The Wizards and Thunder could be particularly annoying in this spot because those teams tend to rest players in these circumstances. That makes things tough on us a day in advance, but we’ll try our best to project some of these rotations!
Injury Report
- Monte Morris (back) OUT
- Kyle Kuzma (knee) Questionable
- Jusuf Nurkic (calf) OUT
- Anfernee Simons (ankle) OUT
- Robert Williams (hamstring) OUT
- Zion Williamson (hamstring) OUT
- Larry Nance (ankle) Questionable
- Josh Richardson (personal) Questionable
- Kyle Lowry (knee) OUT
- Lonzo Ball (knee) OUT
- Jalen Williams (wrist) Questionable
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (B2B) Questionable
- Norman Powell (shoulder) Questionable
Core Plays
Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $10,300 DraftKings, $11,100 FanDuel
Tatum was rested on Monday, but he should be ready to return here. The MVP candidate has scored at least 61 DraftKings points in four of his last seven games. That has his season average up to 52 DK points per game, and that should be his floor in this matchup. JT plays a Portland team that ranks 27th in defensive efficiency while surrendering the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.
Nikola Vucevic (C – CHI): $7,900 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel
The big man has quietly been one of the most reliable players in DFS. Vooch has scored at least 36 DraftKings points in 34 of his last 37 games, generating a 42-point average in that span. That’s the All-Star we know and love, and we absolutely adore this matchup with Denver. Vucevic should match up with Nikola Jokic, who’s one of the worst defensive centers in the NBA.
Jakob Poeltl (C – TOR): $6,600 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
Poeltl has been one of the biggest acquisitions at the trade deadline. He filled an empty center slot for Toronto and is finally playing 30-35 minutes a night. That’s led to Poeltl scoring at least 30 fantasy points in seven of his first eight games with the Raptors, registering a 44-point average in this newfound role. That’s absurd from a player in this price range, and the center spot is one position you can exploit when facing this Clippers team that’s allowing 130 points per game across their last six outings.
Cash Game Considerations
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,600 DraftKings, $11,900 FanDuel
The Joker is cemented in this spot. The big man is on his way to a third-straight MVP, averaging a triple-double for the season. His elite floor is the main reason for his success, scoring at least 42 DK points in all but four games this year. The matchup doesn’t really matter at all, but facing an 18th-ranked Chicago defense makes him even more enticing.
Kristaps Porzingis (PF/C – WAS): $8,900 DraftKings, $9,800 FanDuel
Not enough people are talking about how good this big man has been. KP has scored at least 46 DraftKings points in 10 of the last 15 games he’s finished, which isn’t far off of his career-best average. Getting to face Atlanta is amazing, too, with the Hawks ranked 21st in both points allowed and defensive efficiency. In their most recent matchup, Porzingis provided 26 points and 18 rebounds en route to 63 DK points!
Dejounte Murray (PG – ATL): $7,700 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel
I’ve been using Murray for weeks on DraftKings, and it’s hard to understand why he’s still sitting around $8,000. He got off to a slow start with the Hawks, but he’s averaging 41 DK points per game across his last 24 outings. He’s also scored at least 34 fantasy points in all but four of those and has established an elite floor with his stat-stuffing ability. Facing Washington is wonderful, too, posting a 21st OPRK against opposing guards.
GPP Targets
Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $5,500 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
We’re excited to see Big Al in this expanded role. Robert Williams is out for the next two weeks due to a hamstring issue, and that should lock Horford into 30-35 minutes as the starting center. This former All-Star was a $7K player in that role last season and averaged 35 fantasy points per game. That’s what we saw in his most recent outing, with Al amassing a season-high 57 DraftKings points. We don’t expect Portland to slow him down, with the Trail Blazers allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.
Deni Avdija (SF/PF – WAS): $4,400 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
We have a feeling that some Wizards will be rested here. Porzingis, Bradley Beal, and Kyle Kuzma are all prime candidates, and if any of those guys sit, Avdija should be in for a big night. The former Top 10 pick scored 34 DK points across 31 minutes in his most recent outing and has a 33-point average in the 22 games he’s played at least 30 minutes this year. If anyone is out, Avdija should annihilate this atrocious Atlanta defense.
Isaiah Joe (SG – OKC): $4,400 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel
This is another risky one as we expect some players to be rested here in this back-to-back. That’s awesome with the way Joe has been playing recently, averaging 31 DK points per game in his last four starts. Those have all come over the last two weeks, and he could be in line for 30-35 minutes and 15 shots if some starters are rested for OKC.
Value Plays
Jonas Valanciunas (C – NOP): $6,900 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
With Zion Williamson and Larry Nance Jr. both out for New Orleans, Jonas should be locked into a 30-minute role. Whenever the Lituanian is playing that much, he’s one of the best big men in fantasy. He’s played at least 25 minutes in 36 games this year, generating a 36-point average in those outings. Dallas can be a daunting matchup for most, but their center spot is one of their weaknesses. That’s on full display when you see that JV has 36 and 43 DK points in their two most recent meetings.
Delon Wright (PG/SG – WAS): $5,200 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
We had Wright in here yesterday, and we’re going right back to the well. The stat-stuffing guard has stepped into a prominent role with Monte Morris sidelined, starting at point guard in his absence. That’s allowed Wright to average 32 DK points per game across his last seven outings. That’s quite the total from such a cheap player, and he could be even better if some Wizards are rested in this B2B.
Jaylin Williams (C – OKC): $3,700 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
Williams has been starting at center for OKC, and he’s flashed moments of brilliance in this role. The big man is averaging 15 DK points per game across 17 minutes a night this year but has a 20-point average across 23 minutes a night over his last eight fixtures. That means the ticker is pointing upwards, and he could be even better if some Thunder studs are rested in this spot. This is risky, but we’ve seen Williams drop 30-plus fantasy points on numerous occasions this year and could be in line for one of those if this team is shorthanded.
Advantageous Pricing
- Jakob Poeltl (C – TOR): $6,600 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
- Deni Avdija (SF/PF – WAS): $4,400 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
- Jaylin Williams (C – OKC): $3,700 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
- Daniel Gafford (C – WAS): $5,000 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
- Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG – ATL): $4,400 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
- Naji Marshall (SF – NOP): $3,600 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
- Caris LeVert (SG – CLE): $4,000 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG – DEN): $3,900 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel
- Bruce Brown (SF – DEN): $3,800 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC): $9,200 DraftKings, $10,900 FanDuel
- Deandre Ayton (C – PHX): $7,400 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel
- Aaron Wiggins (SG – OKC): $3,500 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
- Terance Mann (SG – LAC): $3,400 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
