PREMIUM

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Saturday (3/9)

It was a solid win yesterday, as my expensive cash core of Miles Bridges, Dejounte Murray, and Jaren Jackson all hit. Tonight, we have a six-game Saturday main slate, and a good amount of the top players are already out or questionable. As the day progresses, the injury report will be the key to building, so make sure to keep up with us! You can follow me @jac3600 on Twitter as well.

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

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

TOP PLAY

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $12,200 DraftKings, $12,700 FanDuel

Doncic comes into this evening with the dreaded Q tag, but he’s been playing through an ankle and nose injury, doing so at an absolutely elite level. He has five-straight 30-point triple doubles and has surpassed 40 minutes in the last three. Detroit is 29th in overall team defensive efficiency, and there’s no one on the roster remotely capable of slowing Doncic down. The only risk here is that it’s against the Pistons, so there’s the chance Doncic is on the wrong side of the Q tag. If he’s active, it’s wheels up.

CASH PICKS

Kyrie Irving (PG,SG – DAL): $8,600 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel

Irving’s price is a bit rich for cash on FD, but, on DK, he seems like a perfect pick for these contests. Luka’s continuous rise to that “next level” this year has rendered Kyrie as the clear second fiddle, but that doesn’t mean the latter has been bad. Over the last ten games, Irving has averaged 27 PPG and 5.4 RPG while only playing under 35 minutes twice. He easily has enough floor for your cash games, and would immediately become the top priority if Luka were to be ruled out.

Jamal Murray (PG,SG – DAL): $7,800 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel

This pick largely mirrors the Irving strategy. Murray is the number two on his team, but he has been carrying standalone value all year (with some additional upside recently). Over the past three games, Murray has logged a 30.7% usage rate over 39.2 MPG while putting up DK points of 51, 51.75, and 40.5. Utah has given up the fourth most FPPG to opposing guards, and Nikola Jokic‘s Q tag could push Murray to the forefront of contests.

VALUE PLAYS

Vasilije Micic (PG,SG – CHA): $5,600 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel

Micic continues to make noise in the DFS world for the depleted Hornets. He’s easily surpassing 30 minutes per night and has also become the main handler on the team even with Tre Mann also playing well. Mann sat last night with a groin injury, so you have to figure he’s quite iffy for tonight as well. Micic still played 32 minutes despite a box score chalk dud. Go right back to the well tonight, as Brooklyn is soft on the perimeter and ranks 19th in overall team defensive efficiency.

Dalano Banton (PG,SG – POR): $4,600 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel

The Portland lineup continues to be decimated by injury, as they were without Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Jabari Walker, Scoot Henderson, and Malcolm Brogdon again Friday. Banton has played 33, 29, and 38 minutes over the last three games while logging a 29.9% usage rate. Toronto’s defense has cratered since they traded OG Anunoby, and they now rank 23rd in overall team defense. Banton is a solid value.