NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Thursday (3/2)
Haliburton is facing the Spurs, who sit dead last in both points allowed and defensive efficiency, also surrendering the most fantasy points in the NBA.
The last two days have been nuts. We had 19 games in that two-day span, but it’s leaving us with a smaller slate here. We only have four games, but there are some interesting matchups to talk about. None of the spreads indicate that we’ll have any blowouts, and it should lead to a fun slate. With that in mind, let’s start by looking at one of our shortest injury reports of the year!
Injury Report
- Monte Morris (back) OUT
- Devin Vassell (knee) Probable
- Tre Jones (foot) Questionable
- Malaki Branham (hip) Questionable
- Stephen Curry (leg) OUT
- Andrew Wiggins (personal) Questionable
- Joel Embiid (B2B) Questionable
- Tyrese Haliburton (calf) Questionable
Core Plays
Tyrese Haliburton (PG/SG – IND): $9,200 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel
Using players against the Spurs has been the best option in DFS. San Antonio sits dead last in both points allowed and defensive efficiency while surrendering the most fantasy points in the NBA. That’s terrifying against Indiana’s primary playmaker, with Haliburton averaging 45 DraftKings points per game this season. He’s also scored at least 30 DK points in all but two games, scoring 51 fantasy points in his prior matchup with San Antonio.
Pascal Siakam (PF/C – TOR): $9,000 DraftKings, $9,300 FanDuel
Siakam has become one of my favorite players, stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis. That’s allowed the star forward to score at least 36 DraftKings points in 11 straight games, generating a 46-point average in that span. He’s the primary playmaker for this Toronto team, and we certainly don’t mind that he has at least 37 DK points in five straight meetings with the Wizards.
Myles Turner (PF/C – IND): $7,400 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel
Let’s keep the Pacers rolling with Turner. The big man should benefit from the best matchup in fantasy, with San Antonio surrendering the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers. That’s terrifying with the way Turner is trouncing his opponents, scoring at least 41 fantasy points in seven of the last nine games he’s finished. He also showcased a 61-point upside just last week and has that sort of ability in this sensational matchup with the Spurs.
Cash Game Considerations
Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,900 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel
Luka is one of the safest options on every slate. His ceiling isn’t quite as high with Kyrie Irving in the picture, but Doncic has still scored at least 37 DK points in every game this year. He’s also scored at least 43 fantasy points in all but two games, generating a 61-point average for the year. That’s obviously the highest total on this slate, and it looks even better since Doncic dropped 122 total DK points in his two matchups with the Sixers last year.
Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $10,800 DraftKings, $11,800 FanDuel
Embiid and Doncic should go at it in this game. The Philly big man has made some MVP noise with his recent play, averaging 59 DraftKings points per game across his last 13 outings. That would be imposing for anyone, and this Dallas team has one of the worst defensive frontcourts in the NBA. That was on full display last year, with Embiid scoring at least 58 DK points in both of their matchups.
GPP Targets
Buddy Hield (SG – IND): $5,600 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
Hield can be one of the best shooters in the NBA at times, but his volatility can make him a frustrating DFS option. The good news is that he has the best matchup in fantasy here, with the Spurs surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing wings. The last two weeks might scare you away from Buddy, but he was averaging 32 DK points per game before his slump. That would be plenty from such an affordable player, and it doesn’t even consider his 50-point upside in such a favorable matchup.
Russell Westbrook (PG – LAC): $7,000 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
The Clippers are 0-3 since acquiring Westbrook, but it’s no fault of the former MVP. He’s actually playing some of his best basketball of the season, scoring at least 39 DK points in all three games since joining LA. That’s the stud we know and love, but people are still sleeping on Russ for whatever reason. Getting to face Golden State is the icing on the cake, with the Warriors ranked 26th in points allowed while surrendering the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing guards. When he matched up with the Warriors earlier in the year, Russ registered 39 DK points, despite having a reduced role on the Lakers.
Value Plays
Jakob Poeltl (C – TOR): $6,200 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel
This Poeltl trade to Toronto was massive for his DFS value. Jakob’s workload was apparently the only thing holding him back, and the Raptors are notorious for playing their starters 30-40 minutes a night. That’s what we’ve seen with Poeltl, scoring at least 30 DK points in all five games with the Raps while posting a 47-point average across 29 minutes a night. Good luck finding that from another player in this price range, especially since he’s playing a 19th-ranked Washington defense.
Delon Wright (PG – WAS): $4,600 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
When given the opportunity, Wright has always been a great fantasy player when given the opportunity, and we’re getting that chance with Monte Morris sidelined. He’s started the last two games without Morris, playing 28 and 31 minutes in those outings. That’s awesome when you look at his recent form, with Wright averaging 27 DK points per game across his last five outings. If he gets 25-30 minutes as the starting point guard, Wright should never be below $6,000.
Jeremy Sochan (SG/SF – SAS): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
The Spurs’ rebuild has been allowing Sochan to thrive in their offense. The rookie has scored at least 27 fantasy points in 10 of the 12 games he’s finished, totaling a 31-point average in that span. That’s all you can ask for from such an affordable player, and he should continue to go off, even with Tre Jones and Devin Vassell potentially returning. Indiana is an incredible matchup, too, ranked 23rd in points allowed and 26th in defensive efficiency.
Advantageous Pricing
- Myles Turner (PF/C – IND): $7,400 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel
- Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $10,800 DraftKings, $11,800 FanDuel
- Jakob Poeltl (C – TOR): $6,200 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel
- Bradley Beal (SG – WAS): $8,000 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel
- Daniel Gafford (C – WAS): $5,300 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel
- Tyrese Maxey (PG – PHI): $4,900 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
- Devin Vassell (SF – SAS): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
- Draymond Green (PF – GSW): $6,300 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
- Terance Mann (SG – LAC): $3,900 DraftKings, $5,100 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.
