RADIO
With a seven game slate it's not hard to flex with some of your picks. Compared to days with smaller slates, you have many more options to free up space with hopes to roster tonight's big hitters like, Damian Lillard, LeBron James, and Andre Drummond. If you are looking to stack games, check the Pistons-Cavaliers, and Lakers-Trail Blazers. Both teams are high-scoring and sacrifice defense for offense, do don't hesitate to put a few teammates together.
Normally, the Suns-Heat game would be an ideal trap game, simply due to the inconsistencies between each team, but the Suns are on the second night of a back-to-back and the Heat are in too valuable of a spot to drop a game to a sub-.500 team at home. Josh Richardson continues to fill the stat sheet nightly and will be a good pick, but I am banking on Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson getting the most value for their price.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/5/18. Find me in the Hoops Chat Room or on Twitter, @HalfCourtJester
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Elfrid Payton - PG, at MIA ($7,200)
Elfrid Payton was ejected last game for a reason that made little sense to me, but he will be returning the starting lineup hopefully with a little more energy in his game. Not that yesterday's 29-minute-triple-double wasn't impressive, but it was just that, 29 minutes. The rest of the Suns had to assume a bigger workload after the Payton ejection, especially being a close game late in the contest. The Heat are a significantly better defense, but it won't change Payton from dissecting them like he used to do on the Magic. Payton is a bigger guard, giving him upside in most matchups, especially ones where he will be forced to have a higher usage rate.
Rodney McGruder - SG/SF, at PHO ($3,000)
You should have seen this coming. Young team on the second night of a back-to-back is exactly the type of team you want to target. While I would suggest Tyler Johnson, his injury makes him an unsure pick, and that means there is no reason to bank on him playing. With this pick you will have to make sure Johnson and Wayne Ellington are not playing, giving McGruder the ultimate upside. After playing around 23 minutes last game, it's easy to assume he receive a similar workload against the Suns, just with a better looking statline. For his price, it's hard to pass on him and he should rebound on his 1-for-4-from-three outing in what will be just his ninth game this season.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jae Crowder- SF/PF, vs. ORL ($4,600)
Jae Crowder is slowly regaining last season's form and while his price is moderate, you need to capitalize. Crowder's game is fairly consistent when it comes to everything BUT shooting. When he isn't hitting his shots, theres a good chance he won't have much fantasy relevance. Luckily, with his lower price and hot streak, he needs to minimally produce. In his last 10 games, his lowest score has been around 15 FPTS and his increased role with the Jazz has made him look like he 2016-2017 Jae Crowder. Yes, the fantasy impact is still minimal on a general scale, but being on the Jazz has clearly revamped his DFS relevance.
Blake Griffin - PF/C, at CLE ($7,900)
Blake Griffin continues to do what he's always done and tonight his price is extremely favorable. The Cavaliers defense will struggle to limit Griffin, and it's going to be a production-duel between the two top superstars in tonight's contest. Until the Cavaliers defense starts to turn things around, which they probably won't, confidently stack teams against them. Tonight is going to be an offensive barrage and both James and Griffin will be leading the charges for their respective teams. Griffin's floor remains fairly high and his upside Monday night puts this pick over the top.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Rudy Gobert - C, vs. ORL ($8,300)
Hassan Whiteside seems like the safest pick, being the lowest priced with the highest upside, but if you aren't feeling Whiteside, Rudy Gobert is your next best pick. If you are looking to spend up for a center, which you should, you have three options. While my opinion has Whiteside as the frontrunner, Drummond will be on 20-20 watch, while Gobert faces arguably his best matchup. The Magic rank in the bottom ten when facing opposing centers and that trend will ring true here on out. The Magic have been struggling recently and the Jazz can't afford to lose many more games this season. Look for the Jazz to put this game away early and that means letting the big man feast.
