NBA DFS action on Wednesday, March 3, locks at 7:00 p.m. EST with a 10-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 James Harden, Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry and more.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Wednesday, March 3rd
Yahoo Play of the Day – James Harden: Brooklyn Nets at Houston Rockets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 57.01 | DraftKings: 59.34
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 17.6% | FanDuel 24.9% | DraftKings 21.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $54 | FanDuel $11,200 | DraftKings $11,000
James Harden is back in Houston; need I say more? Considering that Brooklyn will be without Kevin Durant (hamstring), and both Jeff Green (shoulder) and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (knee) are also likely out through the All-Star Break, this seems like a can’t-miss spot, even without the narrative of the former face of the franchise returning to the team he forced a trade from just six weeks ago. Tonight there are 20 teams in action, and the injuries and health-and-safety protocols are going to facilitate countless value options for the coveted stars-and-scrubs roster construction. The Awesemo projections currently have Harden as the highest scorer for all DFS sites.
Damian Lillard: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 53.4 | DraftKings: 57
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 23.6% | FanDuel 26.5% | DraftKings 18.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $49 | FanDuel $10,100 | DraftKings $10,600
Yes, I know that Damian Lillard seems to be in this article every time he has a game, but the recent matchups and a lack of offensive threats for the Trail Blazers once again. On tap is a matchup against a Golden State squad that is playing at the second-fastest pace in the league this season, and they are short on defensive stoppers.
Over his last seven regular-season meetings against the Warriors, Lillard has reached 40 fantasy points in every tilt. This includes five games with more than 50 fantasy points. Since C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic have both been out, Lillard is averaging 1.34 Yahoo fantasy points per minute. Portland has lost four of their last five, and they desperately need to bank a few wins to remain relevant until McCollum and Nurkic can return. Lillard checks in just a tick behind Harden for the highest projected fantasy scorer of the night.
Not to bury the lede, but do keep in mind that back at the beginning of January, Stephen Curry dropped a career-high 62 points against the Blazers. He is worthy of consideration as well and makes for a nice synergistic play when rostered with Lillard in the hopes of a close, high-scoring affair. Curry is an excellent pivot away from what should be a very popular James Harden.
Karl-Anthony Towns: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Charlotte Hornets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 50.21 | DraftKings: 52.22
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 13.2% | FanDuel 10.5% | DraftKings 9.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $45 | FanDuel $9,700 | DraftKings $10,000
The only concern with Karl-Anthony Towns is with his unofficial playing time cap that seems to be in the 32- to 33-minute range. In his 11 games since returning from a bout with COVID-19, Towns is averaging 32.8 minutes. However, in this span he has topped 34 minutes only twice. On the court he has been incredibly efficient, with a 27.5% usage rate. This has translated to 22.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.6 combined blocks/steals. Cody Zeller (hip) is questionable, but even if he returns, he will not be stopping Towns.
Potential Value
Things are going to be very fluid tonight as we head towards lock. We will have more definitive information that can help guide our decisions. In the meantime, let’s look at potential sources of value. Keep in mind that tonight there is absolutely no good reason why we should play anyone we are uncomfortable with, as there are 20 teams in the player pool.
Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors
The Pistons are of course without Delon Wright (groin), Frank Jackson (non-COVID illness) and Blake Griffin (trade candidate). Tonight Jerami Grant is questionable with a quad injury. If he is in, he is in a great matchup against a depleted Raptors squad. If he is out, then Mason Plumlee, Josh Jackson, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Saben Lee are excellent plays. They are above-average options otherwise.
Toronto is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, and they have had two games cancelled/rescheduled already. Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, O.G. Anunoby, Patrick McCaw and Malachi Flynn are all in the health-and-safety protocol, along with several team coaches. The remaining players become very interesting, but the team has also recalled Donta Hall and Jalen Harris from the G-League, so we need more information.
Brooklyn Nets at Houston Rockets
As mentioned in the James Harden recommendation, the Nets will be without Kevin Durant (hamstring), Jeff Green (shoulder) and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (knee). That means Kyrie Irving is an excellent spendy option, and Nicolas Claxton, Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet are the targeted discount dandies. Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan should also be considered above average, but with their higher salaries, they are not quite as appealing on the main slate.
Houston is running a little thin as well with David Nwaba (wrist) and Rodions Kurucs (oblique) out along with Christian Wood (ankle). Danuel House (knee) and Eric Gordon (knee) are both questionable. This should cement John Wall and Victor Oladipo as mid-tier options in the Rockets’ final game before the All-Star Break. Jae’Sean Tate, Justin Patton and Sterling Brown are viable options if one of House or Gordon are ruled out.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Luka Doncic (back) was downgraded with the mid-day injury report, and he is officially doubtful tonight. If he is out we can look to most of the other Mavericks who will be filling the void left by the do-everything guard.
Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings
LeBron James will be out for rest tonight missing his first game of the season. Alex Caruso (neck), Kyle Kuzma (heel) and Marc Gasol (health and safety) are all questionable. We need more information since they would be excellent options tonight against the Kings if they are available. Dennis Schroder has played 31.6, 25.1 and 38.1 minutes in his three games since returning from the health-and-safety protocol. However, he has not yet played in a back-to-back, and last night was the game in which he saw 38.1 minutes. There is some risk here, but if he is starting, then a projection of 34 to 35 minutes seems reasonable without LeBron and potentially Caruso. Talen Horton-Tucker, Markieff Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are all options to target as long as one of the questionable Lakers joins James on the sideline tonight.
Sacramento will be without Hassan Whiteside (health and safety) and Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) once again. Buddy Hield (ankle) and Jabari Parker (health and safety) are questionable. De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley and Harrison Barnes are core plays. We can look to Hield if he is starting and Nemanja Bjelica if Hield is out.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Talen Horton-Tucker and Markieff Morris: LAL at SAC – $10
- Nicolas Claxton: BKN at HOU – $11
- Sterling Brown: HOU vs. BKN – $10
SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks
- De’Aaron Fox: SAC vs. LAL – 1.30x multiplier
- Enes Kanter: POR vs. GSW – 1.55x multiplier
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: OKC at DAL – 1.25x multiplier
Final Thoughts on the Wednesday, Mar. 3 NBA DFS Slate
Buckle up, as we have fantasy goodness and injury news everywhere. This is going to be a wild tournament slate the likes of which we have not seen in some time. 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.
