Tuesday, March 8, starts the week off right with a robust eight-game slate beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.
NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Tuesday, March 8
Yahoo Play of the Day — Darius Garland: Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 40.13 | DraftKings: 43.7
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 24.2% | FanDuel 28.5% | DraftKings 14.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $32 | FanDuel $8,000 | DraftKings $9,000
Caris LeVert (foot) will be missing a seventh consecutive game, and Rajon Rondo (toe) is a game-time decision after missing the last five. Darius Garland is having an excellent season and has really stepped up his game in the absence of his running mate Collin Sexton. Jarrett Allen is out with a fractured finger, which is a shame since Cleveland had been putting together a nice push towards relevance this season.
Garland missed eight of the last 16 games with a back issue, but he has played 33 or more minutes in each of his last three appearances. It seems that this string of inconsistent appearances has confused the Yahoo salary algorithm, and they are offering close to a 20% discount. The Pacers are allowing 116.8 points per 100 possessions over their last 10 games, which is the fourth-worst defensive efficiency in this stretch. The absence of Allen also frees up additional minutes and opportunities that should be available to Evan Mobley and Kevin Love.
Kevin Durant: Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte Hornets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 48.87 | DraftKings: 50.73
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 7.4% | FanDuel 23.9% | DraftKings 12.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $52 | FanDuel $10,300 | DraftKings $11,100
Tonight Brooklyn will be without LaMarcus Aldridge (hip), and Ben Simmons is on an undefined timeline for his debut. Cam Thomas (back) is questionable, but Seth Curry is not on the injury report. Plus, since this game is in Charlotte, Kyrie Irving will be available. In his two games since returning from injury, Kevin Durant has averaged 37 minutes and 21 field goal attempts. This has culminated in 34 points, five rebounds, six assists and two combined blocks and steals. With or without Irving on the court this season, Durant is averaging 1.34 fantasy points per minute. Irving is also an intriguing option given this terrific matchup against the Hornets, who are playing at a top-10 pace with a below-average defensive efficiency rating over the last three weeks.
Look to Buddy Hield in this game on the Pacers side. Today in the NBA player prop market he has a 2.5 over/under on his made 3-pointers. Awesemo is projecting him for 3.9 triples, which gives him a 74% probability of surpassing the over.
Milwaukee Bucks at Oklahoma City Thunder
Wesley Matthews is available tonight after missing the last game with a hamstring issue, but Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, George Hill and Brook Lopez are all out. Milwaukee is coming into Oklahoma City as a 14.5-point favorite, though it is 5-4 in its last 10 games. While the Thunder are in their annual spring tanking phase of the season, they can still play hard, particularly at home. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are the priority targets, and they are viable options in all formats tonight. Bobby Portis and Jordan Nwora also receive a boost, as there should be a few extra minutes for them and they have better point-per-dollar projections than their far more talented teammates.
Isaiah Roby (back) was a late scratch last game, but if he is in the starting lineup, he is a solid tournament option tonight. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to see 34 to 36 minutes in competitive games, and while the Thunder do not have any plans of running him into the ground, they are not treating him with kid gloves either. Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Kenrich Williams, Mike Muscala, Ty Jerome and Derrick Favors are all out tonight. In addition to Roby and Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann are reasonable options.
Phoenix Suns at Orlando Magic
Devin Booker, Cameron Johnson and Chris Paul are all out tonight, which means Cameron Payne and Deandre Ayton are in a prime spot against the marginal defense of the Magic. Jae Crowder has also seen an uptick in his offense as one of the better remaining shooters on the team. Landry Shamet stands out on Yahoo ($11), DraftKings ($3,700) and FanDuel ($3,700) as a tremendous value option who should be secure for 28 to 30 minutes with upside, as he played 34 in the last game. Though he relies heavily on scoring for his fantasy production, he is in the starting lineup and his near-minimum salary in a great matchup mitigates the lack of consistent upside. Mikal Bridges is a neutral option but fine as a last man in.
Wendell Carter Jr. and Cole Anthony continue to be the prime targets for Orlando. Jalen Suggs is a game-time decision with an ankle injury that kept him out of action on Sunday. If he remains out, fellow rookie Franz Wagner should see a few more field goal attempts, and there could be some trickle-down production for Chuma Okeke, though Mohamed Bamba is still the preference on sites where he is cheaper.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Tuesday, March 8 Fantasy Basketball Slate
Tonight five of the six games will be underway in the first hour, then there is a two-hour respite until the West Coast finale between the Clippers and Warriors tips off at 10 p.m. ET.
