Coming off a smallish five-game Thursday night slate, we are back to the madness on Friday with eight games on the docket. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections, let’s take a deeper dive into the player pool to discuss the top NBA DFS building blocks for both DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check out the Stokastic NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page, where you can find fantasy basketball picks and analysis for each slate of games.
NBA DFS Building Blocks Today: Friday, March 17
Core Play of the Day — Desmond Bane: Memphis Grizzlies-San Antonio Spurs
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 42.44 | FanDuel: 40.56
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 42.70% | FanDuel: 24.00%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $7,400 | FanDuel: $8,400
With Memphis star Ja Morant remaining out until next week, it should come as no surprise that Desmond Bane is the first core building block today. He gets a huge boost in nearly every statistical category when Morant is out, and at a discounted $7,400 price tag on DraftKings, he looks like the top overall play on the slate.
After getting ejected and only playing 22 minutes last time out against Miami, Bane is now the cheapest he has been on DraftKings in over a month. While he’s more expensive on FanDuel at $8,400, he still projects as an upper-echelon value play in all formats.
Latest NBA DFS Content
- NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks: Injury Uncertainty! (April 26)
- Sleeper Predictions Today: Can’t Miss This Lillard Pick on Sale (April 26)
- FanDuel Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet: Best Picks From NBA DFS Contest Sims | Karl-Anthony Towns (April 26)
- DraftKings Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet: Best Picks From NBA DFS Contest Sims | Kevin Durant (April 26)
- NBA DFS Late Swap Advice: How to Use Our New Tool to Improve Your Process and Profit
- Stokastic DFS on Youtube
Xavier Tillman: Memphis Grizzlies-San Antonio Spurs
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 26.71 | FanDuel: 27.32
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 14.30% | FanDuel: 53.20%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $5,200 | FanDuel: $5,400
Staying in the Memphis-San Antonio game, almost every player on the Grizzlies is appealing tonight, with decreasing salaries across the board. Both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Tyus Jones could have easily been core building blocks, but Xavier Tillman is almost impossible to get away from on FanDuel at only $5,400 with both power forward and center eligibility.
He is even cheaper on DraftKings at $5,200, but his lack of power forward eligibility makes it harder to lock him in. That said, he’s in a great spot against a Spurs frontcourt that ranks 29th in the NBA against opposing centers, and he’s a great mid-tier option on a slate without a ton of value.
Golden State Warriors-Atlanta Hawks
As the Warriors and Hawks battle for playoff positioning in their respective conferences, expect the best both teams have to offer tonight.
Stephen Curry is questionable, and if he sits, everyone else on the Warriors will be viable. Both Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson will emerge as two of the strongest plays on the slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Both are in play even if Curry suits up, but they become building blocks if he’s out. If Curry plays, he looks great on DraftKings at $10,500 and even better on FanDuel at $10,000. Coming off a monster game against the Clippers, his upside is always massive.
The Hawks come into this game relatively healthy, with only Jalen Johnson on the injury report as of this writing. Even with no one else out, however, Atlanta is in a great spot against a Warriors team that really struggles on the road. At only $9,500 on DraftKings, Trae Young is a top option in all formats. Dejounte Murray and John Collins are also worth looking at, but Young stands out at reasonable price tags on both sites.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Today
There are only 16 teams on the main slate tonight, so make sure to be up on news leading up to lock. Be sure to check out Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows to see who is in and who is out on tonight’s slate.
