NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks: Domantas Sabonis Is Monday’s Key Play (March 13)

Monday’s NBA action jump starts a new week with a seven-game main slate locking at 7 p.m. ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Domantas Sabonis, who has a fantasy-friendly all-around game.

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NBA DFS Picks Today: Monday, March 13

Core Play of the Day — Domantas Sabonis: Sacramento Kings-Milwaukee Bucks

The top end of the player pool is looking rather sparse tonight. Luka Doncic is out with a thigh injury, and Kyrie Irving is questionable with a foot issue that kept him out of Saturday’s action. Indiana appears to be tanking — too little, too late — and has ruled out Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell and Myles Turner. Rudy Gobert is a game-time decision with an ankle sprain, and last but far from least, Giannis Antetokounmpo is questionable with a hand injury that has sidelined him for the last three games.

If news about Antetokounmpo is still up in the air when the slate locks, his popularity will end up in the single digits for those gamers not savvy enough to plan ahead. The two late games offer several high-end options, with Domantas Sabonis, Stephen Curry and Devin Booker leading the way.

On FanDuel, making sure to use Giannis as a power forward and leaving out Sabonis makes for an easy direct swap. There is an $1,800 salary difference, so making sure to have one or two players from the late games in lineups with Antetokounmpo is the best way to maximize any salary cap space if he is ruled out. DraftKings is a little trickier, though it makes sense to have Giannis in the utility slot, or be sure to have multiple players from the twin West Coast hammers since Sabonis is only center eligible.

Sabonis is having an excellent season, and it is hard to believe that he is only 26 years old. He currently leads the league with 12.3 rebounds per game as well as 53 double-doubles, while ranking third with nine triple-doubles. Sacramento has been a fun story all season and, after winning eight of the last nine games, now has the second-best record in the Western Conference. There are no shenanigans with this team, and the key players are in the lineup every night. That makes Sabonis an excellent standalone option or as a fallback for the Giannis gambit tonight.

Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons

Nobody is going to be watching this game outside of the DFS world. Haliburton, Turner, McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin are all out, while veteran Buddy Hield is a game-time decision with a “sore” toe. That means the Pacers will be the punt du jour team across all lineup slots.

Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith are priority targets, particularly on sites where they have power forward eligibility. Andrew Nembhard is the best guard option, while Chris Duarte and Jordan Nwora are solid swingmen plays. If Hield plays, it is hard to envision him getting more than 26 to 28 minutes, which caps his fantasy upside.


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Even with the Indiana shenanigans, the Pistons are still 3.5-point underdogs in this matchup. Killian Hayes rivals Nembhard as the best point-per-dollar point guard tonight, and centers James Wiseman and Jalen Duren are strong options as well.

Hamidou Diallo is out for the remainder of the season, along with Cade Cunningham (remember him?!). Also watching in street clothes tonight will be Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley III, Alec Burks and Jaden Ivey. Detroit still has enough options that the rest of the players are not particularly interesting, aside from the aforementioned trio in the preceding paragraph.

Update: Eugene Omoruyi has signed a second 10-day contract and will be available tonight, there is a chance he starts and even off the bench, he should see 26-28 minutes. 

Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities

Hayes is a strong option in DFS and in the sports betting market, with a 25.5 points + rebounds + assists (PRA) prop. This season, the 21-year-old is averaging 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists for 24.3 PRA. Tonight’s game should be a freewheeling affair with both teams running out their understudies.

NBA Bet Pro has Hayes projected for 30.8 minutes, 14.59 points, 3.93 rebounds and 8.32 assists for 26.84 PRA. This gives the youngster a 58% probability of compiling enough stats to surpass this milestone. Currently, this wager has a price of -125 at BetMGM, which works out to an steady 4% expected ROI.

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Memphis Grizzlies-Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas defense has fallen apart over the last 10 games, allowing an average of 119 points per tilt in regulation. The Mavericks also play faster when Doncic is not dominating the ball, so this matchup is teeming with fantasy goodness.

Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones and Xavier Tillman all have seen their salaries increase with Ja Morant away from the team and Brandon Clarke out for the season. However, they are still strong fantasy options, with Jackson and Bane having a clear path to the 40-fantasy-point plateau and Jones and Tillman being strong point-per-dollar options with high floor projections.

If Irving plays tonight, he should see at least two dozen field goal attempts, with 30 not out of the question. If he is out, then there is a major trickledown effect to the rest of the roster. Tim Hardaway Jr. and rookie Jaden Hardy are strong selections who are in the mix regardless of Kyrie’s status. Josh Green becomes a key target if Irving is out, as it gives him additional field goal opportunities. Christian Wood remains in coach Jason Kidd’s doghouse, and he can be avoided for the rest of the season.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today

It will be interesting to see if Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status is released prior to the first wave of games tipping off.

Get ready for the slate with all of the latest analysis and information by tuning in to the Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, brought to you by No House Advantage.

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].

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