NBA DFS action on Thursday, March 4, locks at 7:00 p.m. EST with a nine-game main slate on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. SuperDraft is locking at 7:30 p.m. EST with a seven-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 Paul George, Julius Randle, Giannis Antetokounmpo and more.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Thursday, March 4th
Yahoo Play of the Day – Paul George: Los Angeles Clippers at Washington Wizards
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 44.44 | DraftKings: 46.01
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 32.0% | FanDuel 34.0% | DraftKings 18.0%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $35 | FanDuel $7,900 | DraftKings $8,600
On Tuesday Kawhi Leonard was pulled from the starting lineup with back spasms. This caught most gamers off guard, and there was no recourse since the official start time had already passed as it typically does well before the actual tip-off for the game. Regardless of Leonard’s status, Paul George is an excellent play. If he is flying solo again, he becomes a phenomenal play.
Washington is, of course, playing at the fastest pace in the league this year, and their defense is shaky at best, even when they are trying for stops. Their offense, however, is very good and keeps them within striking distance well into the fourth quarter most nights. That is a bonus for opposing teams’ stars, as they tend to get their full minutes. Looking at NBA WOWY, George sees similar fantasy production right around 1.2 Yahoo fantasy points per minute with or without Leonard. Marcus Morris is also unlikely to play, which bodes well for George. Anything less than 40 fantasy points tonight will be a disappointment.
Julius Randle: New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 44.23 | DraftKings: 46.83
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 4.2% | FanDuel 12.6% | DraftKings 8.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $43 | FanDuel $9,300 | DraftKings $9,600
Julius Randle is likely to be once again overlooked for other flashier names. This makes him an excellent option in tournaments. Taj Gibson (ankle) and Elfrid Payton (hamstring) are expected to be out through the All-Star Break. Derrick Rose will need to clear the health-and-safety protocol tonight as well. This makes for a nice situation that we need to keep on our radar.
While the Knicks are a slower-paced team, Randle is seeing heavy minutes under Tom Thibodeau, with nearly 37 per game. This has enabled him to set career highs across most statistical categories. We also saw this matchup on Sunday when Randle posted over 50 fantasy points in a 109-90 New York victory. While that is no guarantee for tonight’s production, it is still nice to see that level of recent performance.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Memphis Grizzlies
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 57.83 | DraftKings: 59.35
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 13.2% | FanDuel 24.9% | DraftKings 23.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $56 | FanDuel $11,300 | DraftKings $11,000
The Bucks were crushed by 31 points on Tuesday in their tilt with the Nuggets. Despite the lopsided score, Giannis Antetokounmpo still played 33 minutes. Tonight’s matchup against the Grizzlies should be a little easier, with Milwaukee a 7-point road favorite. Over their last 11 games, Milwaukee has a 5-6 record. This has led to increased minutes for Giannis, who is averaging 36.0 minutes and 20.6 field-goal attempts. This works out to 32.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 3.5 combined blocks/steals for nearly 65 fantasy points per appearance.
Good Value
Isaiah Roby: Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 19.48 | DraftKings: 19.57
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 22.2% | FanDuel 16.2% | DraftKings 1.4%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $13 | FanDuel $4,600 | DraftKings $5,400
Oklahoma City is on a back-to-back, and they have yet to play Al Horford on consecutive days. While he is not officially ruled out tonight, there is a strong likelihood he will sit even with the All-Star Break commencing tomorrow. In his last three starts, all of which coincide with Horford resting, Isaiah Roby has been a solid fantasy producer. In these games he is averaging 27.6 minutes, 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 combined blocks/steals for 21.3 Yahoo fantasy points.
Admittedly that is not particularly sexy, but in the 10 games where Roby has played at least 25 minutes, he is averaging 27.6 Yahoo fantasy points. That is the upside we are after, and at just $13 on Yahoo and $4,600 on FanDuel, Roby is going to be a key value option we can use to unlock the coveted stars-and-scrubs roster construction tonight.
Risky Value
Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics
Last night we saw the short-handed Raptors get worked over by the short-handed Pistons 129-105. Detroit did convert 20 of 41 (48.8%) from beyond the arc, but Toronto as a whole was a disaster. Once again they will be without Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, O.G. Anunoby, Patrick McCaw and Malachi Flynn who are all in the health and safety protocol. Norman Powell was outstanding, Kyle Lowry was solid, and Chris Boucher and Aron Baynes were serviceable. Spot starter Terence Davis and reserve Matt Thomas were the only other Raptors to score. Yuta Watanabe and reserves DeAndre’ Bembry, Stanley Johnson and Paul Watson failed to make a bucket in 75 combined minutes. While that was an outlier performance, the Toronto understudies are by no means safe value options against the Celtics tonight.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Patrick Beverley: LAC at WAS – $11
- Nicolas Batum: LAC at WAS – $12
- Nemanja Bjelica: SAC at POR – $10
SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks
- Domantas Sabonis: IND vs. DEN – 1.25x multiplier
- Damian Lillard: POR vs. SAC – 1.15x multiplier
- De’Aaron Fox: SAC at POR – 1.30x multiplier
Final Thoughts on the Thursday, Mar. 4 NBA DFS Slate
In the final night before the All-Star Break, we usually see a couple of stars get the night off. Pay close attention to the news through the tip-off of all the games. 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.
