NBA DFS: Top Daily Fantasy Expert Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (3/6/24)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have an eight-game main slate on tap on both sites Wednesday night, affording us a solid player pool. There are a few big-name injuries to be concerned with, however, including key confirmed absences on the part of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Donovan Mitchell. Nevertheless, there are still a solid range of healthy options across the salary scale.

The key to being successful in NBA DFS comes down to making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always really important to have a game plan and the best players and spots circled first before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 3/6/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7 p.m. EST on FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck RotoBallers!

Today's NBA DFS Core Picks

Let's first take a look at our premium projections to see who we want to target for our top spend-ups tonight.

There's a legitimate question as to whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will be able to take the floor tonight for the Bucks due to his Achilles tendinitis, so I'm not considering him as a viable option in terms of determining my core plays. Naturally, if he's ruled available, he must be considered in what could turn out to be a wire-to-wire matchup against the Warriors.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander therefore becomes my default top option overall, even with some concerns about a blowout shortening his minutes. The ultra-talented guard has essentially been a virtual lock for 40-45 fantasy points on either site at minimum and is facing a short-handed Blazers squad he's shot 59.6 percent against in three previous games this season.

Domantas Sabonis is another high-end option that is about as safe as it gets, with the stat-sheet-stuffing machine facing a Lakers team he's already averaged well over 50 fantasy points against in two prior games. Sabonis has also been a better shooter on the road (63.0 percent shooting, including 44.1 percent from three-point range).

Banchero is facing one of the most defensively vulnerable and fastest-paced teams in the league in the Wizards, which have allowed the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (31.0), along with the most DK (59.9) and FD (59.3) points per game to the position in the last 15 games. Banchero has also been on an extended run of strong production, putting up 23.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per contest over the last 16 games.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC at POR – PG ($10,700 DK; $11,000 FD)
2. Domantas Sabonis, SAC at LAL – PF/C ($10,600 DK; $10,500 FD)
3. Paolo Banchero, ORL at WAS – PG ($8,600 DK; $8,700 FD)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slips through the defenders with ease for the finish 🔥pic.twitter.com/inMNomQcA4

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 4, 2024

Today's NBA DFS Value Picks

Kuminga's salary hasn't really changed much despite some very strong recent outputs. Going back to the beginning of February but factoring out the blowout loss to the Celtics on Sunday where he only played 20 minutes, Kuminga has averaged over 31 fantasy points per game on both sites over the last 15 contests on the strength of 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Carter was just okay in Tuesday's win over the Hornets with 27.3 DK/26.3 FD points, but he'd flashed much more upside in prior games with a tally of over 34 and another over 42 within the previous four contests. His salary remains extremely reasonable on either site, and the Wizards are allowing an NBA-high 39.3 offensive efficiency rating to centers on the season, along with an NBA-high 63.6 DK/62.9 FD points per contest to the position in the last 30 games.

Hachimura is best left for tournaments due to the volatility in his production, but he's flashed a ceiling north of 40 fantasy points on both sites this season and is at bargain salaries on both sites.

Top Value Plays:

1. Jonathan Kuminga, GSW vs. MIL – SF/PF ($6,500 DK; $6,700 FD)
2. Wendell Carter Jr., ORL at WAS – C ($5,400 DK; $6,000 FD)
3. Rui Hachimura, LAL vs. SAC – SF/PF ($5,100 DK; $5,100 FD)

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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard

In addition to SGA, White and Paul are excellent point guard options at their salaries. White scored over 35 fantasy points in his one prior game against the Jazz, which are allowing 37.9 percent three-point shooting to point guards and the most fantasy points to the position in the last 30 games.

Paul has eclipsed 30 fantasy points on either site in three of his first four games back from his extended injury absence and is facing a team that's proven highly vulnerable to point guards, making him an appealing option at his salaries.

Top PG Options:

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC at POR – PG ($10,700 DK; $11,000 FD)
2. Coby White, CHI at UTA – PG ($7,700 DK; $8,000 FD)
3. Chris Paul, GSW vs. MIL – PG/SG ($5,400 DK; $6,400 FD)

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard

George, Russell and Oubre all have the ability to blow past their current salaries, with Oubre particularly displaying that the last two games by eclipsing 35 fantasy points on either site in each of those contests. The competitive environment expected in both George's and Russell's games also offers some extra security when rostering them.

Top SG Options:

1. Paul George, LAC at HOU – SG/SF ($8,000 DK; $8,200 FD)
2. D'Angelo Russell, LAL vs. SAC – SG/PG ($7,000 DK; $7,500 FD)
3. Kelly Oubre Jr., PHI vs. MEM – SG/SF ($5,500 DK; $5,900 FD)

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward

Leonard and Green are reasonably priced for upside and that aforementioned expected game environment at their salaries, with Green especially standing out due to the pair of 50+ DK-point tallies he's produced within the last three games. Hunter is a value option that makes sense at his salaries despite the occasional fluctuations in production, as he has a well-established ceiling north of 30 fantasy points.

Top SF Options:

1. Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. HOU – SF/PF ($8,700 DK; $9,500 FD)
2. Jalen Green, HOU at LAC ($6,900 DK; $7,600 FD)
3. De'Andre Hunter, ATL vs. CLE ($5,000 DK; $5,400 FD)

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward

LeBron may have hit the 40,000-point milestone, but he's got no less incentive to perform Wednesday with the Lakers needing to stack all the wins they can. He's also averaged well over 60 fantasy points on either site in two games against the Kings, shooting 58.8 percent, including 40.0 percent from distance.

Johnson bounced back from a dud two games ago to get back to an elite level of production against the Knicks on Tuesday (50.3 DK/49.3 FD points), and he'll continue in a sizable role Wednesday with Trae Young (finger) still out and the Cavs expected to be down Evan Mobley (ankle) down low.

Portis is on a five-game run of torrid production where he's averaged 37.4 FD points, and he'll naturally be even more appealing if Antetokounmpo sits out another game.

Top PF Options:

1. LeBron James, LAL vs. SAC – PF/SF ($9,800 DK; $10,300 FD)
2. Jalen Johnson, ATL vs. CLE ($7,900 DK; $8,000 FD)
3. Bobby Portis, MIL at GSW ($6,200 DK; $6,800 FD)

Congratulations to LeBron James for being the first and only player in NBA history to score 40,000 points! I’m so glad I was here to witness such an incredible feat! @KingJames pic.twitter.com/IdfjsrSLKJ

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 3, 2024

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center

Sabonis' appeal was already discussed earlier, while Holmgren and Allen make for excellent mid-salary options. Both draw highly favorable positional matchups, and in Allen's case, the confirmed absence of Donovan Mitchell (knee) and the very likely one of Mobley make the talented center an even more appealing option than usual.

Top C Options:

1. Domantas Sabonis, SAC at LAL – PF/C ($10,600 DK; $10,500 FD)
2. Chet Holmgren, OKC at POR ($7,600 DK; $8,300 FD)
3. Jarrett Allen, CLE at ATL ($7,300 DK; $7,800 FD)

Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks

1. Kings at Lakers (239.5 total)
2. Bucks at Warriors (227.5 total)
3. Bulls at Jazz (223.5 total)

Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids

1. The Trail Blazers have plenty of value-salary players logging extended minutes at the moment, but their production remains very volatile and it's difficult to gauge which will step up from night to night.

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite overall play on the slate: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Coby White
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Paolo Banchero
• My favorite value play: Jonathan Kuminga

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis