NBA DFS action on Tuesday, March 16, locks at 7:30 p.m. EDT with a seven-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 Rudy Gobert, Kevin Porter Jr., Damian Lillard and more.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Tuesday, March 16th
Yahoo Play of the Day – Kevin Porter Jr.: Houston Rockets vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 32.15 | DraftKings: 33.79
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 27.0% | FanDuel 29.2% | DraftKings 13.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $23 | FanDuel $6,000 | DraftKings $7,000
The salary continues to increase, but not fast enough for the new role bestowed upon Kevin Porter Jr. Once again Houston will be without John Wall (knee), Eric Gordon (groin), David Nwaba (wrist), Rodions Kurucs (oblique) and P.J. Tucker (trade/buyout). Christian Wood (ankle) is closer to a return but unlikely to go tonight. Ben McLemore (ankle) and Danuel House (knee) are questionable. Victor Oladipo is expected to play tonight but sit tomorrow. He has not been playing on consecutive days, so be ready to do this all over again.
Atlanta has been mediocre on defense this year, allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions while playing at the league average pace. Clint Capela (heel) is at risk to miss a second game and if he is out, the Hawks will be worse on defense. The Rockets are nearly double-digit home dogs, and while they are likely to lose their 17th straight game, Porter does not have to worry about losing time in the impending blowout.
In his first three games with Houston, Porter is averaging 32.3 minutes and 16.0 field-goal attempts. This has culminated in 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.3 combined blocks/steals. Having Oladipo available should help Porter, as that is someone else the defense will have to account for tonight. Porter is a steal on Yahoo and very much in play on the other DFS sites. Rookie Kenyon Martin Jr. is a discount dandy we can turn to as well for our NBA DFS picks.
Damian Lillard: Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 48.2 | DraftKings: 51.36
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 18.2% | FanDuel 33.7% | DraftKings 15.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $49 | FanDuel $10,100 | DraftKings $10,800
There is a good chance that C.J. McCollum returns tonight after missing two months with a fractured left foot. Regardless of his status, this is an excellent matchup for Damian Lillard. Even if McCollum returns, it is hard to envision more than 20 to 24 minutes in his first game back.
Looking at NBA WOWY, we can see that Lillard has averaged 1.22 Yahoo fantasy points per minute over the last two seasons when playing alongside McCollum. In the absence of his backcourt partner, Lillard averages 1.37 Yahoo fantasy points per minute.
New Orleans has been dreadful this season, allowing 115.8 points per 100 possessions, which is the third-worst defensive efficiency in the league. This game has a 238.0 projected total, and it seems reasonable to pencil in 1.3 fantasy points per minute for Lillard, which accounts for him likely seeing 40% of his court time staggered opposite McCollum.
Rudy Gobert: Utah Jazz at Boston Celtics
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 39.78 | DraftKings: 39.45
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 4.4% | FanDuel 4.1% | DraftKings 6.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $36 | FanDuel $8,800 | DraftKings $8,200
Tonight Rudy Gobert is landing right in the sweet spot where he will be passed over by most gamers. There are other center options, particularly on the lower portion of the salary list. Among the luxury options there are several other flashier names. This all contributes to Gobert likely to be just shy of double-digit popularity.
Gobert has been the model of efficiency this season, and he is putting up a nearly identical stat line to last season in nearly 10% less court time. This year he is averaging 1.3 fantasy points per minute and is fifth in the league with 26 double-doubles in his 38 games. This along with his 2.8 blocks per game, which is behind only Myles Turner, makes him an excellent, safe option. While we simply cannot expect a repeat of his 24 points and 28 rebounds that he posted against the Warriors during Sunday’s loss, that does demonstrate his tremendous upside.
Good Value
Oklahoma City Thunder at Chicago Bulls
Yet again the Thunder are going to be short-handed in a fantasy-friendly matchup. Al Horford (rest/potential trade candidate), Darius Bazley (shoulder), George Hill (thumb) and Josh Hall (knee) are all out. Luguentz Dort (toe) is questionable and missed Sunday’s game. It remains to be seen if Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk will be making his debut after being acquired in the Hamidou Diallo trade.
This all lines up for hefty minutes once again for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, there are other value options that are quite intriguing as well. Moses Brown moved into the starting lineup to replace Horford on Sunday and contributed his third straight mid-20s fantasy performance. Since being recalled from the G-League, Aleksej Pokusevski has started three straight games. In these he is averaging just shy of 33 minutes, 23.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 combined blocks/steals. If Theo Maledon (ankle) is able to play, we can use him as a discount dandy; if he is out, then Ty Jerome becomes an extreme punt NBA DFS pick option. Isaiah Roby and Kenrich Williams are solid choices if Dort is out, but if he returns, they lose their appeal on most sites.
Risky Value
LeBron James: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 51.6 | DraftKings: 54.93
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 39% | FanDuel 41.7% | DraftKings 34.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $48 | FanDuel $10.400 | DraftKings $10.500
How does LeBron James go from being my Yahoo Play of the Day yesterday to a risky value today? Quite simply, I think there is a good chance that the Lakers will handle the Timberwolves without too much trouble, and he will see little, if any, action in the final frame. Anthony Davis is still a couple weeks away, and the Lakers need to win games while also limiting the wear and tear on LeBron. Last night coach Frank Vogel emptied the bench midway through the fourth quarter, and they were deep into the reserve unit. The Lakers are nearly double-digit home favorites tonight, and starting Thursday they have three games in four days and five over the next eight days. While I expect LeBron to see enough action to get 40 fantasy points, he may not receive the run to approach a higher figure.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Tomas Satoransky: CHI vs. OKC – $11
- Talen Horton-Tucker: LAL vs. MIN – $10
- Juancho Hernangomez/Naz Reid: MIN at LAL – $10
SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: OKC at CHI – 1.25x multiplier
- Enes Kanter: POR vs. NOP – 1.55x multiplier
- Zion Williamson: NOP at POR – 1.25x multiplier
Final Thoughts on the Tuesday, Mar. 16 NBA DFS Slate
Tonight the first five games tip off within 30 minutes of each other, then there is a two-hour gap until the penultimate game. 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.
