DFS NBA Full Court Press: FanDuel & DraftKings Main Slate - Mar. 21st, 2022

Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 03/21:

Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides last season, so we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Mike aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!

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New Orleans Pelicans @ Charlotte Hornets

Vegas Total: 234.5

Vegas Spread: Cha -6.0

We’ll kick this slate off starting with the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram, and Devonte’ Graham come into this one as questionable, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates on their statuses. I’ll operate under the assumption that Ingram is out and Graham is in since Ingram has been out for quite a bit with a non-Covid illness. CJ McCollum has been in solid form as of late and gets a great matchup here against the Hornets. He has a 32.7% usage rate and 1.40 fantasy points per minute with Ingram out this season. Jonas Valanciunas should be able to do whatever he wants against this Hornets frontcourt and a guy I have no issue going to even at an elevated price tag. I would be okay going right back to Devonte’ Graham as well, assuming he’s back to being a full go. Then someone like Herbert Jones would be more of a secondary option but again, the matchup sets up well. From the Hornets, LaMelo Ball has been volatile for most of the season but has been better as of late and I love the matchup against the Pels. He’ll look like a fine option in GPPs, but I think we can probably do better in cash games. Terry Rozier continues to look great as well and comes at a discount to Ball if you’re looking for a guy with a safer floor with a similar upside. Miles Bridges dropped 53.25 DraftKings points against the Pelicans earlier this season and a guy I have no issue going right back to here. Then we get to the trio of Montrezl Harrell, PJ Washington, and Mason Plumlee who will share center minutes. I’m sure one of them will have a nice night in this matchup, but good luck predicting which one it will be, they’re all strictly GPP guys for me. The minutes haven’t really been there for Kelly Oubre as of late, but the price tag looks really nice if you want to take a chance on him in tournaments.

***Assuming Brandon Ingram is OUT again ***

5-star play: CJ McCollum

4-star play: Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte’ Graham, LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Herbert Jones, Montrezl Harrell, Mason Plumlee, PJ Washington, Kelly Oubre

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Los Angeles Lakers @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Vegas Total: 223.5

Vegas Spread: Cle -6.5

Starting with the Lakers, LeBron James has bounced back nicely over his last two games with at least 61 DraftKings points in each of them and has a 33.4% usage rate and 1.51 fantasy points per minute with Anthony Davis off of the court this season. Russell Westbrook has been extremely volatile and will be a tournament-only guy for me but has a 27.8% usage rate and 1.12 fantasy points per minute with Davis off of the court this season and back to back 50+ fantasy nights. Malik Monk has shown some nice consistency as of late and looks like a solid secondary option. Then we can round this team out with Carmelo Anthony and Talen Horton-Tucker who will be MME options again here. From the Cavs, Darius Garland has a 31.2% usage rate and 1.2 fantasy points per minute over the past two weeks but will come down with LeVert back in there and gets a nice matchup against a bad Lakers team. Speaking of LeVert, the minutes haven’t been enough on him for me to love getting to him with inconsistent production. Evan Mobley has been in solid form as well and I have no issue with the matchup against an undersized Lakers frontcourt as long as Davis continues to be out. We can round the team out with Laurie Markkanen and Kevin Love, Markkanen is the cash guy while Love is the volatile GPP play whose minutes fluctuate by the day.

5-star play: LeBron James

4-star play: Russell Westbrook, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker, Carmelo Anthony, Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love, Caris LeVert

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Portland Trailblazers @ Detroit Pistons

Vegas Total: 222.5

Vegas Spread: Det -7.0

Starting with the Blazers, they’ll continue to be without Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons, while Justise Winslow comes in as questionable, so watch the Breaking News Feed for updates on him. Josh Hart has shown some nice consistency as of late and I like him in games that aren’t expected to blowout like this one. It just secures his minutes a bit more. Trendon Watford should continue to play nice minutes and has produced well as of late. The matchup sets up well and will be a guy I am interested in with at least 32 minutes in each of his last five games. Brandon Williams will continue to start at the point for the Blazers as well, but has gained some competition in the backcourt with Kris Dunn in down and playing around 25 minutes per game. Dunn has shown some great per-minute production in his four games with the Blazers and a guy I don’t mind getting to if we don’t get a ton of value on this slate. Lastly, Drew Eubanks is the very definition of minutes are king for NBA DFS. I don’t think he’s a good basketball player, but if he’s going to continue to see around 30 minutes in a nice matchup with the Pistons. From Detroit, they’ll be without Jerami Grant in this one, below is how this team operates with him off of the court this season:

• Cade Cunningham – 28.1% usage rate; 1.08 fpm
• Saddiq Bey – 22.6% usage rate; 1.03 fpm
• Kelly Olynyk – 23.2% usage rate; 1.13 fpm
• Marvin Bagley – 26.5% usage rate; 1.2 fpm
• Isaiah Stewart – 15.1% usage rate; 0.88 fpm

Cade will be my favorite option here, they’re giving him a massive amount of minutes and in a great matchup should be able to produce nicely. We’ll see more minutes for the trio of Bagley, Olynyk, and Stewart as they soak up the Grant role and look like solid secondary options who would get a boost if Olynyk is forced to miss as he comes in as questionable. Lastly, Bey has been in elite form over his past couple of games and is a guy I like in the mid-range quite a bit.

5-star play: Cade Cunningham

4-star play: Trendon Watford, Josh Hart, Brandon Williams, Drew Eubanks, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart

Deeper Value: Kris Dunn

GPP Sleeper: Kelly Olynyk, Marvin Bagley, Isaiah Stewart, Cory Joseph

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Utah Jazz @ Brooklyn Nets

Vegas Total: 229.5

Vegas Spread: Bkn -2.0

Starting with the Jazz, keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed as they could be without both Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic again in this one, below is how they operate with these two off of the court since the Nickeil Alexander-Walker acquisition:

• Jordan Clarkson – 26.9% usage rate; 0.93 fpm
• Donovan Mitchell – 37.6% usage rate; 1.60 fpm
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker – 18.7% usage rate; 0.82 fpm
• Rudy Gobert – 15.6% usage rate; 1.18 fpm
• Trent Forrest – 17.1% usage rate; 0.59 fpm

We saw Alexander-Walker get the start last night but if Trent Forrest is active I would think he enters the starting lineup for Conley. I like Mitchell quite a bit at this price tag in a nice matchup, he gets a really nice boost with Conley and Bojan off of the court and had a nice night last night as well. From the Nets, Kyrie Irving went absolutely bonkers last time he was in going for 60 real points before getting pulled with eight minutes still left in the game… however, with this being a home game, he’ll be out. With Kyrie, James Harden, and LaMarcus Aldridge off of the court this season, Kevin Durant has a 35.6% usage rate and 1.47 fantasy points per minute and will look like a great option in this one. Andre Drummond has bounced back nicely as of late and should continue to start for the Nets. The minutes will likely be capped at 30 at the very max, but he’s extremely good on a per-minute basis and they’ll need his minutes against Gobert down low. Lastly, Seth Curry, Bruce Brown, and Goran Dragic all look like solid secondary options again with Kyrie out. They’re all in fairly good form and have decent enough price tags.

5-star play: Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant

4-star play: Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gobert, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, Bruce Brown, Goran Dragic

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Trent Forrest, Seth Curry, Bruce Brown, Goran Dragic

I wanted to give a quick shoutout to VIP member “GhostfaceKillaa” on his $30k win earlier in the season. A pivot to Curry off the chalky Doncic was the key for him, congrats man!

Miami Heat @ Philadelphia 76ers

Vegas Total: 217.5

Vegas Spread: Mia -1.5

Starting with the Heat, Jimmy Butler just can’t seem to get to 100% as of late. He comes into this one as questionable as well, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed, but even if he’s active I’ll probably be lower on him until he proves he’s healthy again. Bam Adebayo will look solid again here, but the matchup is tough with Embiid down low, probably more of a GPP option for me. Guys like Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry will look like solid secondary options that will get a nice boost if Butler is forced to sit. They’ve both been in pretty good form, particularly Herro. From the Sixers, it’s really a two-man team for me with Joel Embiid and James Harden right now and all the usage they’re demanding. Joel Embiid is in great form and averaging 50.3 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Heat this season. I’m generally not a guy that seeks out the Heat as a target for opposing big men due to how good their defensive frontcourt is, but Embiid has been good enough against everyone to overlook that. James Harden hasn’t really lived up to his price tag since that Sixers debut and would be more of a GPP guy for me at this price. With those two eating up most of the usage it doesn’t leave a whole lot out there for Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris and will probably be guys I fade in a tough matchup with the Heat. I’m never someone that looks to target this Heat team with DFS options due to how slow they play along with great defense.

5-star play: Joel Embiid

4-star play: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Kyle Lowry, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris

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Toronto Raptors @ Chicago Bulls

Vegas Total: 224.5

Vegas Spread: Chi -4.5

Starting with the Raptors, Fred VanVleet just can’t seem to get healthy and will be out again here. Pascal Siakam has been in great form as of late and has a 29.1% usage rate and 1.18 fantasy points per minute with VanVleet and OG Anunoby off of the court this season. The price tag on Scottie Barnes has come way up but for good reason, he’s been in great form. He’s probably more of a secondary option for me strictly due to the price tag. Gary Trent Jr. was a guy that I had a good amount of last night but can be very scoring dependent which will keep him as a tournament option for me. Lastly, Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa both played big minutes last time out and look like fine secondary options here. From the Bulls, Zach LaVine has returned to his full role, so no need to worry about a minutes restriction moving forward. He’s more of a tournament guy due to the volatility and the amount of usage that needs to go around in this offense.  LaVine being back will hurt the production and usage a bit for DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic but still guys that will look like fine options. Vucevic is averaging 49.3 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Raptors this season and a guy I like quite a bit at this price tag. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are going to lose minutes to Alex Caruso as well as he makes his way back from injury. He’s played at least 25 minutes in four straight games and will look like a fine filler option if you land in his price range.

5-star play: Pascal Siakam, Nikola Vucevic

4-star play: Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso

Deeper Value: Alex Caruso

GPP Sleeper: Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine

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Washington Wizards @ Houston Rockets

Vegas Total: 234.5

Vegas Spread: Was -5.0

Starting with the Wizards, I’ll be lower on Kyle Kuzma until his price tag comes down with Kristaps Porzingis active, he should lose production and usage with him out there and we’ve seen that occur already. I don’t mind the price tag on Kristaps if you want to go there in tournaments, I just wish he was getting more minutes, but the matchup sets up well against a terrible Rockets defense. I’m not a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope guy, but he’s been in good form and dropped 48.5 DraftKings points on the Rockets earlier this season. The rest of this team is just kind of meh for me, I guess you can make a case for Corey Kispert in tournaments, but for the most part, I think we’ll find better options on this slate. From the Rockets, Christian Wood has been pretty volatile as of late but we saw the ceiling he’s capable of against the Pacers a couple of games ago. He’s in play for tournaments at the very least in a great matchup with the Wizards. Kevin Porter Jr. has been volatile this season as well and will be more of a tournament guy if you want to get exposure as well. We can round them out with Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate as MME guys, but I don’t think you’ll need them on a slate this size.

5-star play: None

4-star play: Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis, Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr.

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Corey Kispert, Jalen Green, Jae’Sean Tate

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Boston Celtics @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Vegas Total: 216.5

Vegas Spread: Bos -13.5

Starting with the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comes into this one as questionable after missing last night’s game, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates. I’ll operate under the assumption that he plays here for the sake of this article. He has a 34.5% usage rate and 1.54 fantasy points per minute with Josh Giddey and Lu Dort off of the court this season. The Celtics have been playing good defense but I have no issue going right back to him here. Isaiah Roby re-entered the starting rotation last time out shifting Olivier Sarr back to the bench. I would assume the same in this one making Roby a solid option at this price tag. Aleksej Pokusevski has gotten back into the starting lineup as well and will be a guy I continue to target as long as he’s getting the minutes security that comes with being a starter. Then guys like Darius Bazley and Tre Mann will be fine tournament options as well to round out this team. From Boston, Jayson Tatum will look like a great option against the Thunder here, their defense is pretty terrible, and was able to drop 55 fantasy points on them earlier this season. Jaylen Brown would be more of a tournament guy due to the volatility he can show at times, but still a guy I’m okay with. Robert Williams should be able to do whatever he wants down low against Roby and the gang. Al Horford has seemed to hit a bit of a wall over the past three games, but still a guy I’m okay getting to in tournaments. Then guys like Derrick White and Marcus Smart will be more of secondary options than anything.

5-star play: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum

4-star play: Isaiah Roby, Aleksej Pokusevski, Darius Bazley, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Isaiah Roby, Tre Mann, Derrick White, Marcus Smart, Al Horford

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Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks

Vegas Total: 230.0

Vegas Spread: Dal -3.5

Starting with the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns comes into this one as questionable and news we’ll need on this slate, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates surrounding him and how he impacts the production for the rest of this team. Assuming he plays… he’ll look like a good option again here as he comes into this one in great form. D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards are both solid secondary options in this game and will be guys that see a nice boost if Towns is forced to miss. Jarred Vanderbilt got back up to 32 minutes last time out and will look like a solid GPP option at this price tag. Lastly, Patrick Beverley was ejected last time out but gets a nice price tag here and a guy I’ll like in all formats to round out the Wolves team. From the Mavs, Luka Doncic has been on a heater since right before the All-Star break. Over the past month, he has a 38.1% usage rate and 1.54 fantasy points per minute and gets a great matchup against the Wolves in this one. Spencer Dinwiddie has kicked it into gear since coming over to the Mavs as well, he has at least 33 DraftKings points in four straight games and will look like a fine GPP option tonight right there with Jalen Brunson who has lost some of his shine with Dinwiddie now on the team. Dorian Finney-Smith has even flashed some upside as of late, but not a guy that I think we’ll need on this slate along with the rest of this Mavs team.

5-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns, Luka Doncic

4-star play: Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, Patrick Beverley, Spencer Dinwiddie

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Jarred Vanderbilt, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith

NBA Lock of the Day: Cade Cunningham (DK – $8.4k; FD – $7.5k)

The Pistons will be without Jerami Grant in this one which will open up some usage and production in this offense. With Grant off of the court this season Cade is looking at a 27.6% usage rate and 1.07 fantasy points per minute. He’s also been in great form as of late and playing all of the minutes he can handle. He’s averaging 40.2 minutes per game in his last ten games. At this point in the day, I would think he makes my core, but check out our VIP Cheat Sheets as we get closer to lock for staff picks on Core plays, 8x locks of the day, and tiers notes as well!

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