NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Monday (3/18)

I have never filled out such a ridiculous injury report in my life. Having Boston playing a back-to-back is the start of the nightmare, but the laundry list of players never stops. It’s probably easier to tell you who’s healthy rather than who’s injured because it feels like half of these rotations are on the injury report. In any case, we need to capitalize on some of these absences, which will be a major theme in this article!

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• CLE at IND (IND -7.5) O/U: 224
• DET at BOS (BOS -15) O/U: 224
• MIA at PHI (PHI -3.5) O/U: 213.5
• POR at CHI (CHI -6.5) O/U: 215.5
• MIN at UTA (MIN -7) O/U: 222
• NYK at GSW (GSW -4) O/U: 213.5
• MEM at SAC (SAC -9.5) O/U: 223
• ATL at LAL (LAL -7) O/U: 235.5

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Jayson Tatum (B2B) Questionable
• Jrue Holiday (B2B) Questionable
• Jaylen Brown (B2B) Questionable
• Al Horford (B2B) Questionable
• Kristaps Porzingis (B2B) Questionable
• Derrick White (B2B) Questionable
• Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) OUT
• Rudy Gobert (ribs) Questionable
• Donovan Mitchell (knee) Doubtful
• Evan Mobley (knee) OUT
• Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) OUT
• Cade Cunningham (knee) Questionable
• Ausar Thompson (illness) Questionable
• Tyler Herro (knee) OUT
• Joel Embiid (knee) OUT
• Tobias Harris (ankle) Questionable
• Jerami Grant (hamstring) Questionable
• Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) OUT
• Coby White (hip) Questionable
• Zach LaVine (foot) OUT
• Lauri Markkanen (quad) Questionable
• Jordan Clarkson (groin) Questionable
• Julius Randle (shoulder) OUT
• Ja Morant (shoulder) OUT
• Marcus Smart (hand) OUT
• Vince Williams (knee) OUT
• Trae Young (hand) OUT
• Onyeka Okongwu (toe) OUT
• Saddiq Bey (knee) OUT
• Anthony Davis (eye) Questionable
• LeBron James (old) Questionable

Core Plays

Domantas Sabonis (PF/C – SAC): $10,500 DraftKings, $NA FanDuel
Not enough people are talking about how absurd Sabonis has been this season. The big man is approaching 50 straight double-doubles, nearly averaging a triple-double in that span. That has established a 40-point floor for the Sacramento center while averaging close to 60 DraftKings points per game. The sensational stretch should continue against Memphis, with Domas dropping 55 fantasy points in both matchups this year.

Anthony Edwards (SG/SF – MIN): $10,000 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel
ANT is always happy to take over, and that’s just what he’s doing with Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined. Edwards has a usage rate north of 30 percent with the big man off the floor, scoring at least 52 DraftKings points in four of his last five fixtures. He’s also averaging 27 shots across 38 minutes a night in that span, and that sort of role makes him a remarkable option against a 29th-ranked Utah defense. When they played over the weekend, ANT had 65 fantasy points!

Darius Garland (PG – CLE): $7,600 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
It sounds like Donovan Mitchell will have to sit again, which means Garland will run the show. He has a 31 percent usage rate with Mitchell and Evan Mobley off the floor, averaging 40 DraftKings points per game in the last seven outings that Mitchell missed. We also saw him showcase a 61-point upside with Mitchell a few days ago, and another one of those ceiling games could be in play against Indiana. The Pacers play at the fastest pace in the NBA while ranked 25th in defensive efficiency.

Cash Game Considerations

Dejounte Murray (PG/SG – ATL): $9,800 DraftKings, $NA FanDuel
We’ve had Murray in every article since Trae Young got injured and he’s been an excellent value in all but one of those games. The Hawks point guard has scored at least 43 DraftKings points in 10 of his last 11 outings, posting a 50-point average in that span. It’s easy to understand why when examining the injury report because Murray is returning to the high-usage stud we saw in his San Antonio days. We didn’t even mention that Murray has at least 45 fantasy points in six of his last seven matchups with LA, who allow the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing guards.

Jalen Brunson (PG – NYK): $9,000 DraftKings, $NA FanDuel
Brunson has been taking over since Julius Randle went down. He’s flirting with a 35 percent usage rate with Randle off of the floor, averaging over 50 DK points per game in this newfound role. That’s scary when looking at his recent form, scoring 55 and 60 DK points in his two most recent outings. You know JB will be motivated against a team like the Warriors, too, collecting 27 points, five rebounds, and five assists in their one matchup earlier in the year.

Nikola Vucevic (C – POR): $8,500 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel
Portland has quietly been one of the best matchups for opposing centers. They’re allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing big men and rank 21st in total defense. That’s terrifying against a consistency stud like Vooch, who has averaged 43 DraftKings points per game across his last 30 outings. He’s also being asked to do more with Coby White and Zach LaVine sidelined, dropping 51 DK points in his most recent game!

GPP Targets

Caris LeVert (SG/SF – CLE): $6,800 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel
Much like Garland, LeVert sees a massive bump in usage whenever Mitchell is sidelined. This guy runs the second unit when Mitchell is out, averaging 34 DK points per game when he’s been out this season. He’s also playing some of the best basketball of his career right now, posting a 39-point average across his last 10 fixtures. That’s bad news for Indiana, surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wings.

Isaiah Hartenstein (C – NYK): $5,200 DraftKings, $NA FanDuel
Hartenstein has had a hard time staying on the court this season but has been immaculate when he plays a full allotment of minutes. This big man averaged nearly 40 fantasy points per game in the first month when filling in for Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson and dropped 39 DK points across 28 minutes in his most recent outing. We’ve just been waiting for him to get back to 25-30 minutes because he can be a $7K player in that type of role.

Walker Kessler (C – UTA): $5,400 DraftKings, $NA FanDuel
This is another situation where we’re encouraged by the uptick in playing time. Kessler has been stuck in a 20-minute bench role all year, but we saw him start and play 30 minutes on Saturday. This guy averaged nearly 40 DraftKings points per game in a 30-minute role last year, and we have to assume Utah will let this youngster go since their season is slipping away. If he keeps playing 25-30 minutes, don’t be surprised to see Kessler get to $7K on both sites two weeks from now.

Value Plays

Naz Reid (PF/C – MIN): $7,300 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
Reid is the best bench big man in the NBA, but now’s the time for him to thrive. The KAT injury is what started it, but having Rudy Gobert nicked up leaves Reid as the only big man left. We only need one of these guys out for him to be an immense value, scoring at least 45 DraftKings points in three of his last four fixtures. He showcased that all last season, and we don’t expect Utah to slow him down. They rank 27th in points allowed and 29th in defensive efficiency.

Josh Hart (SF/PF – NYK): $7,200 DraftKings, $NA FanDuel
It’s amazing how good this guy has become since the Randle injury. That’s forced Hart into a 40-minute role, and he has scored at least 32 DK points in 11 of his last 12 outings. Hart is also averaging 45 DraftKings points per game in that span, stuffing the stat sheet in every game. That should be easy to duplicate against Golden State, ranked 18th in total defense.

Clint Capela (C – ATL): $6,500 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
The Hawks have suffered as many injuries as anyone, but the Okyeka Okongwu injury has made Capela an exceptional fantasy option. This guy was already one of the best per-minute producers in the NBA, but he needs to play 25-30 minutes with OO out. We’ve only seen that a few times since Capela returned from injury, but he’s still scored at least 36 fantasy points in four consecutive outings!

Advantageous Pricing

• TJ McConnell (PG – IND): $4,600 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
• Paul Reed (PF/C – PHI): $5,600 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel
• Scoot Henderson (PG – POR): $5,300 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker (PG/SG – MIN): $4,800 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel

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