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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on March 18, 2021. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! The second half of the season is kicking into high gear, and the playoffs will be here before we know it. With so many teams still in with a chance at the play-in games or a top-six seed, we should see a decrease in the tankathon that usually plagues NBA seasons' back halves.
Two games immediately jump off the page on tonight's six-game slate. They are the Utah-Washington contest and the New Orleans-Portland matchup. Both games have an over/under on the right side of 235 points. The Jazz and Wizards are two of the fastest-paced teams on the slate, while the Pelicans and Trail Blazers have two of the three best offensive ratings over their last 10 games. It all sets up for a ton of fantasy points and plenty of DFS options.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/18/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
DraftKings DFS Guards
Lonzo Ball - PG, NO at POR ($6,900)
Against the Blazers, Lonzo had 11 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, two steals, and three triples. Ball's shooting has tremendously improved this season. He is shooting 35.2 percent from three-point land for his career, but that has shot up to 38.9 percent in 2021. He's hitting the deep ball at a better clip than Trae Young (37.5 percent) and taking more three-point shots per game (7.7 to 6.7). I don't think anyone would've put money on that before the season started.
It will be tough to build lineups without several pieces from this Pelicans-Trail Blazers matchup. They played on Tuesday night in a 125-124 Blazers win, and Lonzo Ball was spectacular. Damian Lillard's 50 points overshadowed his performance, and we can hope that lowers his roster percentage on Thursday in the rematch.
Terry Rozier - PG/SG, CHA at LAL ($6,600)
The Hornets will be playing the second night of a back-to-back, but they rested most of their starters in the fourth quarter against the Nuggets in a blowout loss. Scary Terry was still able to produce 37.75 DraftKings fantasy points in 27 minutes, and it makes me want to buy-in again on Thursday. Over their last ten games, the Hornets average the fourth-most possessions per game (103.1) and will face-off against a depleted Lakers unit.
When Rozier plays at least 30 minutes, he averages 20.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per night. The 27-year old also increases his fantasy ceiling with 1.4 steals and 3.4 threes each night. He will reach the 30-minute mark tonight, and it will be in a great matchup. Over their last 15 games, the Lakers have given up the fifth-most points to point guards. With so many injuries and last-minute scratches going around the league these days, Rozier is a perfect late-night pivot if you find yourself in a lousy lineup situation.
Dennis Schroder - PG/SG, LAL vs. CHA ($6,200)
Well, it looks like I'll be filling my lineups with lower-priced players this evening. Schroder joins the club of recommendations in the $6,000 range on Thursday. The German has shown some good (46.25 fantasy points on Mar. 3), some bad (19 FP on Monday), and downright ugly (8.25 FP on Feb. 2) in his last 10 games. Regardless, he has a chance at a great game against the Charlotte Hornets. They come in as the fourth-worst defense versus shooting guards over their last 15 games, but they are also the third-fastest team on the slate behind the Wizards and Timberwolves.
Those factors, plus the injury bug biting the Lakers, will all add up to an excellent night for Schroder. The 27-year old finally saw some shots fall in his last game, and he should build on that against a Hornets defense allowing 47.4 percent (eighth-worst in the league) of their opponents shot attempts to find the bottom of the net.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
John Collins - PF/C, ATL vs. OKC ($7,200)
Please give me the guy playing to prove that he is worth a max contract deal this summer and being put on display as the trade deadline approaches. Whether it's the Hawks looking to showcase Collins or the 23-year old trying to prove he belongs, the results have come together over the last two games. He produced back-to-back double-doubles for the first time since early January and averaged 44.63 fantasy points in those couple of contests.
The Hawks welcome the Thunder to Atlanta tonight and provide Collins with an advantageous situation. The Thunder are the worst defense versus power forwards over the last 15 games and rank bottom-10 versus centers. Whether Collins is the stretch-four or the small-ball five, he should be in a great spot to produce fantasy points for your lineup in this midweek tilt.
Bojan Bogdanovic - SF/PF, UTA vs. WAS ($5,900)
Bogdanovic and the Jazz continue their East Coast road trip against the Wizards' porous defense tonight. The 31-year old produced some up-and-down performances lately, but he's had success against other fast-paced teams in recent games. On Mar. 1, the man from Bosnia and Herzegovina tallied 50.25 DraftKings fantasy points against the high-flying Pelicans. He scored 31 points with seven triples in that matchup and showed what kind of ceiling he can hit when things are going right.
The Wizards should be an avenue for Bogdanovic to return to that ceiling. They have the worst defense in the league versus small forwards over their last 15 games and give up a league-worst 120.1 points per game. The Wizards aren't terrible against guards this year, and it should force the Jazz to utilize other options in the frontcourt, like Bogdanovic, during the game.
Jae Crowder - PF, PHO vs. MIN ($4,600)
I am in on the Jae Crowder experience tonight. The veteran forward is a dull floor play, but that's not always a bad thing. The 30-year old has returned five-times his value in four of his previous five games and goes against a terrible Timberwolves defense on Thursday. Minnesota is allowing 46.78 FPPG to power forwards on the season, but that has climbed to 51.63 points over their last 15 games, the third-worst mark in basketball.
In his last five games, Crowder has played at least 24 minutes in four of them. In those four contests, the 30-year old is averaging 14 points, 5.25 rebounds, and 3.75 threes. Call it boring if you want, but Crowder is proving some mean DFS value on a talented team in a plus matchup. Also, Minnesota is the second-fastest opponent (104.1 possessions per game) on the slate tonight, and it could open up more chances for the Suns (and Crowder) to build on their league-leading 120.1 offensive rating over their last 10 contests.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Rudy Gobert - C, UTA at WAS ($8,200)
It won't take a genius to figure out why Gobert should be in lineups tonight. He's averaging a double-double every night and is taking on the worst defense in the league. Two games ago, Gobert scored a massive 74 points versus the Golden State Warriors, and he has a chance to get hit that ceiling against the Wizards. Over his last 10 games, the Frenchman is averaging 15.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks each night.
Surprisingly, the Wizards are the sixth-best defense versus point guards over the last 15 games and could stifle the Jazz's backcourt talents of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. Gobert should see increased usage in the gameplan versus a weak frontcourt defense. At $8,200, he's a lock to reach the five-times value benchmark we want to hit every night, and his upside was evident only a couple of games ago.
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