NBA DFS action on Monday, March 15, locks at 7:00 p.m. EDT with an eight-game main slate on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. SuperDraft is locking one hour later at 8:oo p.m. EDT with a six-game slate. Before you lock in your lineups on Yahoo, DraftKings, FanDuel and SuperDraft, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy basketball picks, rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some daily fantasy basketball picks, including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Julius Randle and more.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Monday, March 15th
Yahoo Play of the Day – LeBron James: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 51.92 | DraftKings: 55.18
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 30.8% | FanDuel 28.4% | DraftKings 24.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $48 | FanDuel $10,500 | DraftKings $10,300
This is an intriguing matchup for LeBron James and the Lakers. Yesterday afternoon the Warriors put a hurting on the Jazz in a 131-119 victory. Los Angeles is favored by a bucket, so there is a good chance there will be a close game here. Anthony Davis will be out for a couple more weeks, and Alex Caruso (concussion) and Marc Gasol (health and safety) are out tonight as well. We last saw LeBron and Company on Friday, so everyone should be fresh with the weekend off.
Over the last month, LeBron has played nine games without Davis. In these games he is averaging 34.6 minutes with 19.6 field-goal attempts. This has culminated in 26.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.2 combined blocks/steals for just over 50 fantasy points. This makes James a solid core option tonight, and he should be a focus for our rosters. Dennis Schroder ($19) is also intriguing on Yahoo, and he has topped 29 Yahoo fantasy points in five of his last six appearances.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 56.58 | DraftKings: 58.7
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 20.4% | FanDuel 39.2% | DraftKings 22.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $56 | FanDuel $11,100 | DraftKings $11,100
Monday’s salary is not for the faint of heart. Giannis Antetokounmpo checks in with the highest or second-highest salary cap hit on the major DFS sites. Even though the Bucks are 8.5-point road favorites, we have seen Washington keep things close with their highly efficient offense. On Saturday, without Bradley Beal (knee), Russell Westbrook and Rui Hachimura almost led the Wizards to an upset over Milwaukee before succumbing 125-119 in the final moments. Beal is expected to return today, which makes Washington a dangerous foe to tangle with.
Antetokounmpo continues to be a source of fantasy goodness. For a third straight season, he is averaging just over 56 Yahoo fantasy points per game. Once again we have plenty of discount dandies available, which will allow us the luxury of allocating a major portion of our salary cap to Antetokounmpo.
Julius Randle: New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 43.66 | DraftKings: 46.44
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 14.6% | FanDuel 17.6% | DraftKings 4.0%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $42 | FanDuel $9,200 | DraftKings $9,800
Today Julius Randle is at a price point where other gamers will likely look to LeBron, Giannis, James Harden and Nikola Jokic. The Knicks are without Mitchell Robinson (hand) and Derrick Rose (health and safety), and Elfrid Payton (hamstring) is doubtful. That means once again Randle will be shouldering the offensive load, and tonight he has a phenomenal matchup against Brooklyn. Though their defense has improved over the last month, the Nets are still a team to target with opposing players.
Under Tom Thibodeau, Randle is averaging a career-high 36.6 minutes per game. This has him recording statistical bests with 22.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.5 3-point attempts with a 41.2% success rate, and his 11.0 rebounds per game is a top-10 mark. Do not overlook Randle in your stars-and-scrubs roster construction tonight.
Good Value
Kyle Kuzma: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 24.43 | DraftKings: 25.61
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 5.2% | FanDuel 4.7% | DraftKings 2.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $19 | FanDuel $5,600 | DraftKings $6,000
The Awesemo projections have Kyle Kuzma in for 25.6 minutes. This makes sense, as he is listed as questionable with a sore heel. If we get news that he is upgraded to probable, a 30- to 32-minute projection becomes realistic. Because this is the final game of the night, the longer he has that red Q next to his name, the better for us. Utilizing late-swap, which is available on all of the major DFS sites, is an underrated strategy. In the event Kuzma is a late scratch, we can always maneuver to Kelly Oubre in the same game if we have two roster spaces open. Worst-scenario, we can turn to Markieff Morris, who would see an increased role if Kuzma is out, and then use the salary savings there to upgrade another position.
In the last two games, one on either side of the All-Star break, Kuzma has a pair of 45-fantasy-point performances. In these games he is averaging 32.0 minutes and 19.0 field-goal attempts. This has worked out to 24.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 combined blocks/steals. Yes, we have all been burned by Kuzma many times before, but that, along with tonight’s matchup, makes him a phenomenal tournament option.
Risky Value
Immanuel Quickley: New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 31.33 | DraftKings: 32.72
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 64.2% | FanDuel 45% | DraftKings 31.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $13 | FanDuel $4,600 | DraftKings $5,600
DFS players and Knicks fans have been tantalized by the glimpses of talent flashed by rookie Immanuel Quickley. However, one person seems to not be overly impressed, and that is Tom Thibodeau, who seems to loath playing rookies more than 20 minutes per game. On the season Quickley is averaging just over a fantasy points per minute, which is outstanding for a first-year player. Tonight New York will be without Derrick Rose (health and safety) and most likely Elfrid Payton (hamstring). It makes sense that this should open things up for Quickley; however, that has not been the case so far.
The last couple games that Payton has missed, he has been replaced in the starting lineup by Frank Ntilikina. Austin Rivers is also going to be available, plus the Knicks still have Alec Burks, who can facilitate the offense in conjunction with Randle. That means there is definitely built-in risk with Quickley. The salary on Yahoo and FanDuel help mitigate some of the downside, but he is not getting the same discount treatment on DraftKings. Monitor this situation that will be in flux until starting lineups and player availability is announced.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Alec Burks: NYK at BKN – $10
- Markieff Morris: LAL at GSW – $10
- James Wiseman: GSW vs. LAL – $10
SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks
- Jerami Grant: DET vs. SAS – 1.45x multiplier
- Julius Randle: NYK at BKN – 1.25x multiplier
- Immanuel Quickley: NYK at BKN – 1.70x multiplier
Final Thoughts on the Monday, Mar. 15 NBA DFS Slate
Tonight there is a staggered schedule with tip-offs spanning from 7:00 p.m. through 10:30 p.m. EST. This could lead to unexpected news that opens up some intriguing late-swap options. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
