NBA DFS Picks & Lineup Optimizer Building Blocks Today | Wednesday, March 23

Wednesday, March 23, pushes things over the hump with an 11-game main slate beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. As always, you can head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for all the fantasy basketball content you need for any given slate.

NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Wednesday, March 23

Yahoo Play of the Day — Kyrie Irving: Brooklyn Nets at Memphis Grizzlies

  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 50.59 | DraftKings: 50.36
  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 35.3% | FanDuel 31.8% | DraftKings 22.2%
  • DFS Salary: Yahoo $43| FanDuel $10,400 | DraftKings $10,200

Kyrie Irving last saw action on March 15, so he should be well rested for the matchup tonight against the Grizzlies in Memphis. Playing only when the Nets are travelling out of state, the mercurial guard has posted some gaudy numbers with significant downtime between appearances. In his last five outings, he is averaging 35.8 minutes with an eye-popping 58.6% success rate on 22.2 field goal attempts per game. Even more impressive is his 55.3% conversion rate on 9.4 3-point attempts per tilt during this stretch. All told, this works out to an average stat line of 37.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.8 blocks. Tonight’s $43 Yahoo salary is one of the most favorable among the top projected fantasy producers. Anything less than 50 fantasy points tonight should be considered a disappointment on Kyrie’s 30th birthday.

Indiana Pacers vs. Sacramento Kings

The Pacers are likely to be limiting their key players down the stretch, as they have been eliminated from the postseason. If Tyrese Haliburton (back) is in the starting lineup tonight, this is a terrific matchup against the team that drafted him. Buddy Hield went from playing major minutes to not cracking 30 in each of the last three games, but he would be the direct beneficiary if either Haliburton or Malcolm Brogdon are out. Brogdon has been steady since returning from his most recent injury, and he even got a day of rest on Sunday. Look to him as a source of tournament differentiation if Haliburton is on the sidelines. Depending on who is available, the Indiana frontcourt may be crowded or it could provide a couple discount dandies. Isaiah Jackson (concussion) and Chris Duarte (toe) are questionable. If they are out, Goga Bitadze is intriguing if he starts, while Oshae Brissett and Jalen Smith should also get enough minutes to be productive tournament options.

Sadly, tonight will not be a reunion game for Domantas Sabonis (knee), who has been ruled out for the next 10 to 14 days. There is a strong chance that Sacramento will be shutting him down for the season, along with De’Aaron Fox (hand), as they look to increase their lottery odds. This just underscores how bad the Kings’ front office leadership has been, as it was barely one month ago that they made the “win-now” trade of Haliburton and Hield for Sabonis. Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, Donte DiVincenzo and Trey Lyles are the primary targets, though their viability varies depending on your NBA DFS site of choice. It is a fun narrative with Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday coming back to the Pacers after being dealt, but with a 22-team player pool there is no reason to roster them tonight.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets

Luka Doncic (ankle) and Davis Bertans (knee) will be joining Tim Hardaway Jr. on the sideline tonight. This is more of a maintenance day than anything else for Doncic, so his go-forward prospects should be just fine. Even without their superstar, Dallas is nearly a double-digit favorite at home against the Rockets. Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson are core options tonight in all daily fantasy basketball formats, as they will be the Mavericks key to victory. Dwight Powell, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith and Maximilian Kleber move into prominence on the evening slate.

When motivated, Christian Wood can be a tremendous source of fantasy goodness. In two of his last three games, he has rolled up 59 or more fantasy points. However, in three of his last five he has not cracked the 30-fantasy-point barrier. Rookie Jalen Green is a fine tournament option on the main slate. The rest of the Houston rotation is difficult to trust, as it is at full health. If anyone ends up being ruled out, other options may emerge from this stumbling squad.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs

This game is quite the late-night hammer with a 233.5-point implied point total. The Trail Blazers seem to be content to play Josh Hart every other game in a bid to keep him healthy, and it seems unlikely that we will see Anfernee Simons again this season. For the main slate, Brandon Williams, Trendon Watford, Drew Eubanks and Justise Winslow are all fine selections. On the late slate they morph into core plays, with Kris Dunn and C.J. Elleby also entering the fray.

San Antonio will be without Lonnie Walker IV (back), Doug McDermott (ankle) and Keita Bates-Diop (back) tonight. Portland has the worst defense in the league, allowing 123.7 points per 100 possessions over their last dozen games. Dejounte Murray and Jakob Poeltl are core options in all formats on all slates. Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell appear to be flying under the radar at the moment with such a large player pool. Do not let them get lost in the shuffle, as very little can transpire between now and tipoff that would make them poor plays.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Wednesday, March 23 Fantasy Basketball Slate

Expect all kinds of chicanery with 22 teams in action tonight and games tipping off at five different start times. Four of the eight teams that took the court Tuesday — Atlanta, Detroit, Golden State and New York — are playing again tonight. In turn Indiana, Memphis and Phoenix will be playing again tomorrow. Be mindful of news updates throughout the day as well as after lock.

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].

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