Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 3/12:
Mar 10, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) and guard Tre Jones (33) react after a victory over the Denver Nuggets at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
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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Before I get started, I need to shoutout a few huge VIP Member wins – “Phamacist” took 1st place in the $300k Fadeway contest which netted him $100k while “da_banditz” grabbed 1st place on FanDuel as well winning $10k- congrats guys!
Washington Wizards @ Philadelphia 76ers
Vegas Total: 227.5
Vegas Spread: Phi -7.5
We’ll kick this slate off with the Wizards, Monte Morris returned to the starting lineup last time out but Delon Wright was still able to produce nicely. That said, it would make more sense to just take the salary savings on the starter if you’re deciding between the two. Kristaps Porzingis came down to Earth last time out and will have his hands full against Embiid down low in this one. That said, he’s averaging 52.3 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Sixers. Bradley Beal has been extremely consistent as of late with at least 45 DraftKings points in five straight games, I have no issue going right back to the well in this one. Kyle Kuzma is probably more of a tournament guy but we know he’s going to play all the minutes he can handle and we know the ceiling is there. Daniel Gafford isn’t a guy I like any time Kuzma and Kristaps are good to go but had a nice game last time out. From the Sixers, Joel Embiid has been in elite form with at least 56 DraftKings points in four straight games and gets an elite matchup in this one. Not to mention, he dropped 74.5 DraftKings points in this spot earlier this season. James Harden ended up returning from injury last time out and kept it rolling, he’s going to play a ton of minutes and has been extremely consistent as of late. The price tag on Tyrese Maxey is way up and probably not a guy I want to get to at that tag, he’s elevated after performing well with Harden out a few games ago, but we do know the minutes will be there. The same can be said for Tobias Harris, but to a lesser extent, I think he’s a fine GPP option.
5-star play: Joel Embiid
4-star play: Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, Monte Morris, Kyle Kuzma, James Harden
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Daniel Gafford, Kyle Kuzma, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey
Portland Trail Blazers @ New Orleans Pelicans
Vegas Total: 231.0
Vegas Spread: Por -1.0
Starting with the Blazers, Anfernee Simons returned last time out to play 29 minutes but still shot the ball 22 times and 12 attempts from three. He looked good and I wouldn’t expect he’s limited moving forward, I have no issue with him in this one. Damian Lillard is going to take a hit now with both Simons and Nurkic back in there, he losses 3.4% usage and 0.14 fantasy points per minute with these guys on the court. Speaking of Jusuf Nurkic, he got his minutes up to 26 last time out which is what I would expect out of him again in this one. He’s a solid tournament play at the very least at his current price tag. Jerami Grant bounced back nicely last time out and will continue to play massive minutes, he’s a nice secondary option at the very least. Guys like Matisse Thybulle and Cam Reddish will take a hit with Simons in there as well, Reddish ended up moving back to the bench last time but was still able to find his way to 36 minutes. From the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram ended up missing their game last night, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates on him as we get closer to lock. I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s good to go and would look like a nice option in all formats. CJ McCollum would see a nice boost if he’s forced to miss and would make plenty of sense in this matchup. The minutes on Jonas Valanciunas are all over the place after a terrible game against the Mavs… we know the ceiling is there, but its scary. Then guys like Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, and Josh Richardson would see a boost as well and look like nice secondary options.
5-star play: Anfernee Simons
4-star play: Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones, Josh Richardson
Quick shoutout to VIP member “Cenzamatic” on a massive $20k win last season! Sometimes paying up for double studs works, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant brought it home for him with the help of some Stanley Johnson and Pistons value. Good work and congrats man!
Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs
Vegas Total: 237.5
Vegas Spread: Okc -3.0
We’ll start with the Thunder, they got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams back yesterday and both were without any sort of restriction. Gilgeous-Alexander was a core play for me on DraftKings yesterday and will more than likely go right back to the well on him in this one. The price tag is just incorrect whereas FanDuel has him more appropriately priced at $10.5k. He scored 57.5 DraftKings points in this matchup earlier in the season, he’s going to look great. I don’t exactly want to pay this price tag for Josh Giddey but he’s a fine secondary option. Jalen Williams didn’t return to his pre-injury form, but we know it’s in there somewhere, I have no issue going right back to him in this one. We can jump off of the Isaiah Joe train with these guys back, while Lu Dort would be a volatile GPP option. Lastly, Jaylin Williams should continue to start at center and be a fine value option if you need one. From the Spurs, Keldon Johnson had a huge game last time out against the Nuggets and gets a great matchup in this one, he’s going to look good assuming he’s a go, as he comes in as questionable. Devin Vassell was a guy I liked quite a bit last time out but he had a bad shooting game, I have no issue going right back to him as it seems like they’ve taken the training wheels off. Zach Collins had a down game in a tough matchup last time out, but this is a great bounce-back spot for him against a bad frontcourt. Guys like Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones make sense in the mid-range as well in a game with an implied total of 237. Lastly, Devonte’ Graham is going to lose some shine as this team begins to get healthier, I would expect he plays minutes in the low 20s but is still a fine roster filler.
5-star play: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (DraftKings), Devin Vassell
4-star play: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (FanDuel), Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Tre Jones, Zach Collins
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Lu Dort, Zach Collins, Devonte’ Graham
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New York Knicks @ Los Angeles Lakers
Vegas Total: 225.0
Vegas Spread: Lal -2.5
Starting with the Knicks, Jalen Brunson ended up missing their last game, but I would expect that was more of an injury management deal, I’d expect him back in this one. He dropped a 50-burger on the Lakers earlier this season and is going to look like a strong option in all formats. Mitchell Robinson is going to be a guy I continue to go back to, he’s playing good minutes and the price tag is nice if we need to find a mid-range center option. Josh Hart is a hard guy for me to trust with the minutes he’s getting, he was a lot easier to like when he was playing minutes in the mid-30s and not mid-20s. Julius Randle had a down game in a great spot with Brunson out last time out, this is an equally great matchup, so I have no problem going right back to the well in a revenge game against his old squad. Then, RJ Barrett has been pretty volatile as of late making him a tournament option, but would see a boost if Brunson ends up missing again. From the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell returned to the starting lineup last time out and played his normal minutes, I wouldn’t have an issue going to him in this one. Anthony Davis is the main piece I want from this team, he had a down game against the Raptors last time out but had at least 50 FanDuel points in his previous five games. Then we can round this team out with Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley as secondary options to round out lineups.
5-star play: Jalen Brunson, Anthony Davis
4-star play: Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, D’Angelo Russell
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Josh Hart, RJ Barrett, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley
NBA Lock of the Day: Devin Vassell (DK – $5.8k; FD – $6.5k)
I had a bunch of Vassell last time out and was slightly disappointing, but I’m going right back to him in this one. The matchup is great against this Thunder defense and he’s off of any minutes restriction they had him under. He has a 25.0% usage rate and 1.06 fantasy points per minute on the season and is just too cheap. 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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