Monday, March 14, brings some NBA madness with a nine-game main slate tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. As always, you can head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for all the fantasy basketball content you need for any given slate.
NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Monday, March 14
Yahoo Play of the Day — Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks at Utah Jazz
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 56.73 | DraftKings: 58.06
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 10.8% | FanDuel 20.7% | DraftKings 10.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $57 | FanDuel $11,600 | DraftKings $12,200
There are 18 teams in action tonight, so there will be no shortage of discount options to facilitate the preferred stars-and-scrubs roster construction. The Jazz have allowed 114.5 points per 100 possessions over their last 10 games, which is a middle-of-the-road defensive efficiency mark. Since the NBA All-Star break, Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 1.8 fantasy points per minute. During this eight-game stretch, he has failed to record 52 or more fantasy points only once. Do not let the reputation of the Utah defense dissuade you from rolling with Antetokounmpo on Monday night.
Dejounte Murray: San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 51.28 | DraftKings: 52.94
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 18.8% | FanDuel 15.6% | DraftKings 15.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $50 | FanDuel $10,900 | DraftKings $10,800
It seems like the Spurs are quietly managing the workload for their franchise player, as Dejounte Murray has not participated in both ends of San Antonio’s last three back-to-back game sets. That is just fine for the DFS world, as it keeps Murray fresh and also creates value plays when he sits. In his last 16 games, Murray has averaged 36 minutes while converting his 19.5 field goal attempts at a 49.7% clip. This works out to 24.4 points. 8.5 rebounds, 10.1 assists, and 2.6 combined blocks and steals. The former University of Washington stalwart is a triple-double threat every time he steps on the court, and his 12 triple-doubles rank second behind only the 18 notched by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Minnesota’s defensive efficiency has improved since the All-Star Break; however, they are playing at the second-fastest pace in the league during this timeframe, so their opponents are still an excellent source of fantasy production.
Los Angeles Clippers at Cleveland Cavaliers
Tonight the Clippers have ruled out Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson after they eked out a victory Sunday afternoon in Detroit. Robert Covington is still injured, so there is quite a void that needs to be filled by the rest of the Los Angeles rotation. Amir Coffey, Terance Mann, Luke Kennard and Isaiah Hartenstein are all viable discount dandies across the DFS sites. Keep an eye out, as it would not be a shock to see Nicolas Batum and/or Ivica Zubac get the night off as well. If they are not in the starting lineup, they could still be “active,” but get them out of your player pool ASAP.
Rajon Rondo (ankle) and Jarrett Allen (finger) are out, while Lauri Markkanen, Caris LeVert and Dean Wade are all questionable with various maladies. Darius Garland has been sublime in his last six games, averaging 37.7 minutes, 27.7 points, four rebounds, 10.5 assists, and 1.7 combined blocks and steals. Evan Mobley has been thriving without Allen in the mix, and in his last four games he has a 40-fantasy-point outing and a pair with 51 or more fantasy points. Depending on who else is available tonight, that could change the viability of the other Cavalier options.
Portland Trail Blazers at Atlanta Hawks
Saturday night, Portland roughed up Washington in a 127-118 romp behind a career-high 44 points from Josh Hart. Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic, Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little, Justise Winslow, Joe Ingles and Eric Bledsoe are all out with injuries. That leaves Drew Eubanks, Brandon Williams, Trendon Watford and C.J. Elleby to do the heavy lifting on offense, along with Hart.
Look to Eubanks in this matchup against the Hawks tonight in the NBA player prop market. Currently he has a 7.5 over/under on his rebound prop, and Awesemo is projecting him for 9.1, which gives him a 70% probability of surpassing the over. In his last six games, Eubanks has recorded at least seven or more rebounds. If he remains in the starting lineup, this is definitely a prop to target.
John Collins (finger) is out for a second consecutive game, and Danilo Gallinari (Achilles) is not playing after logging nearly 28 minutes Sunday night. Atlanta is projected to score 121 points tonight, which bodes well for the fantasy prospects of Trae Young, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Monday, March 14 Fantasy Basketball Slate
Tonight is a staggered slate with games tipping off at six different start times. There also are four West Coast games starting at 10 p.m. ET or later, which means we will need to keep a close eye on news breaking well after the initial contest lock time.
