Friday, March 11, has a healthy 10-game main slate tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. Yahoo is skipping the first game and giving everyone an extra half hour to prepare, with their biggest contests locking at 7:30 p.m. ET. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.
NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Friday, March 11
Yahoo Play of the Day — Dejounte Murray: San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 48.93 | DraftKings: 49.98
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 15.1% | FanDuel 9.1% | DraftKings 4.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $50 | FanDuel $10,800 | DraftKings $11,000
Tonight no teams are on a back-to-back, and we have a robust player pool with nearly two-thirds of the league in action. That in turn means that value plays will be plentiful, with several teams dealing with multiple injured players and a couple of key fantasy contributors in the health and safety protocols.
Dejounte Murray is no stranger to this article series, and he has made over a dozen appearances as our featured option on Yahoo. Finally healthy, he has had a breakout season, and with backcourt mate Derrick White traded to Boston one month ago, Murray has taken things up a notch.
Although the matchup tonight is one that most gamers would consider formidable, we need to understand that Utah is not the ferocious defense that it has been in prior seasons. While they are still playing at a deliberate pace that is consistently a bottom-five rate, even the return of Rudy Gobert — who missed nine games from late January to early February — has not turned things around. In the nine most recent games, all with The Stifle Tower manning the paint, Utah is allowing 113.6 points per 100 possessions, which is right around league average during this timeframe.
In his last six games, Murray, the former University of Washington stalwart, has recorded 54 or more fantasy points five times. In this stretch he has averaged 36.5 minutes and 20 field goal attempts with an eye-popping 51.7% success rate. This has resulted in 26.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 2.5 combined blocks and steals. Murray will definitely be underrepresented in tournaments tonight, and he could potentially be the best fantasy producer on the slate.
Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 58.33 | DraftKings: 62.56
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 40.0% | FanDuel 45.9% | DraftKings 28.8%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $56 | FanDuel $10,700 | DraftKings $12,000
Dallas is 11-3 in their last 14 games, but as we have seen at this point in the season, nothing is a lock. While they are 10-point favorites heading into Houston, the Rockets have won two of their last three games, knocking off Memphis and the Lakers. Luka Doncic has been playing at a near-MVP level in his last 16 games, averaging 36.9 minutes and 24.5 field goal attempts with a 48.5% conversion rate, including nearly 40% on 9.5 3-point attempts per game during this stretch. This has culminated in 33.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 2.1 combined blocks and steals.
Look to Dwight Powell in this matchup against the Rockets tonight in the NBA player prop market. Currently he has a 0.5 over/under on his assists prop, and Awesemo is projecting him for 1.3, which gives him a 68% probability of surpassing the over. He has recorded at least one assist in 12 of his last 16 games, and while this may go down to the wire, it is a wager that has been providing consistent returns
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Charlotte Hornets
Tonight the Pelicans are without their two best offensive options in Brandon Ingram (hamstring) and C.J. McCollum (health and safety). That means we should see a healthy portion of the offense running through Jonas Valanciunas, who also does not have to compete with Ingram for potential rebounds.
Devonte’ Graham is also going to be a major beneficiary of playing time as well as offensive opportunities as the most talented guard on the roster. Since the acquisition of McCollum, Graham has faded into the background and seemingly has been unable to see more than 20 to 24 minutes with any regularity. That will change tonight, and when he is on the court he is close to a fantasy-point-per-minute producer. Herbert Jones and Jaxson Hayes should also see some extra minutes trickle their way, though they are still fringe options on the main slate.
LaMelo Ball stands out as an amazing option on Yahoo ($35) and FanDuel ($7,500) against a mediocre and now shorthanded New Orleans defense. Miles Bridges has been logging heavy minutes over the last two weeks, and at some point he will have a double-digit-rebound outing with a couple blocks and steals that will propel him towards 50 fantasy points. Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell are decent tournament options and can be used with other players in this matchup for some in-game synergy.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Washington Wizards
Things are not looking good in Los Angeles, as the Lakers have now lost nine of their last 11 games. Tonight they have a matchup against some familiar faces, as they will be going against Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who were part of the trade that brought Russell Westbrook back to his hometown. LeBron James is listed as questionable, and he is likely going to continue carrying that tag for the remainder of the season. He has been phenomenal in his last two outings, and if he remains motivated and semi-healthy, the 37-year-old superstar can still pile up the fantasy points.
Russell Westbrook has been mostly miserable, but he does project for nearly 40 fantasy points tonight, which is solid production for his sliding salary. Malik Monk (shoulder) and Talen Horton-Tucker (ankle) are questionable, and this is the final game of the night, but there are still available pivots for unexpected news with prudent planning. If they are starting, then they should be considered ready for a full complement of minutes. If they are out, then Stanley Johnson, Carmelo Anthony or a Washington player with a similar salary would be reasonable pivots.
Kristaps Porzingis has played the last two games for the Wizards, and he has been a decent contributor. He is still risky from a fantasy perspective, as he has a slowly rising minutes limit and to this juncture most of his Washington production has been via scoring with limited ancillary statistical contributions. Caldwell-Pope has been on a heater, and he has become a go-to long-range marksman during the last fortnight. Kuzma has been playing with a chip on his shoulder since Bradley Beal was lost for the season, and he is now the best player on the team. He should have no trouble finding motivation against his old squad, and a double-double is in the cards tonight. On the late slate, Daniel Gafford, Thomas Bryant, Ishmael Smith and Raulhzino Neto all have utility as lineup fillers.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Friday, March 11 Fantasy Basketball Slate
Games are tipping off at six different times, with the final two beginning at 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET. Definitely keep tabs on any breaking news throughout the night, as that could be the difference between winning and winning big in tournaments.
