Daily Fantasy

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: March 28

FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS on Tuesday's slate.

Joel Bartilotta, FantasyPros

March 28, 2023 3:58 PM

Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell look to lead the Cavaliers in their matchup against the Hawks.

We have lots of players on the injury report and just as many players resting for a multitude of reasons, which may make things tough. But it’s also a great time to profit if your eyes and ears are glued to the news. With that in mind, let’s look at this Tuesday slate.

Injury Report

As of 10:30 a.m. ET:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) Questionable
Ja Morant (ankle) Doubtful
Gordon Hayward (thumb) Doubtful
Kelly Oubre (shoulder) Questionable
Bradley Beal (knee) OUT
Terry Rozier (foot) OUT
LaMelo Ball (ankle) OUT
Kyle Kuzma (ankle) OUT
Jarrett Allen (groin) Questionable
Andrew Wiggins (personal) OUT
Gary Trent Jr.(elbow) Questionable
Daniel Gafford (foot) Questionable
Monte Morris (foot) Questionable

Core Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG/SG – OKC): $10,000 DraftKings, $10,800 FanDuel
SGA is on the injury report, but he’s the best play on the board if he suits up. The All-Star is averaging over 50 DraftKings points per game this season and has established a 40-point floor. He’s also scored at least 44 DK points in 22 of his last 23 games, generating a 52-point average in that span. He’s doing everything for this OKC offense and should excel against Charlotte. The Hornets rank 22nd in points allowed and 20th in defensive efficiency.

Brandon Ingram (SF – NOP): $8,800 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel
The Pelicans are pushing to reach the postseason, and Ingram has been an incremental piece to their late-season surge. The former All-star has taken over this offense in the absence of Zion Williamson, scoring at least 41 DraftKings points in six straight outings. He’s also scored 59 and 66 DK points in his two most recent outings, which are two of the best games of his career. Facing Golden State is great, too, with the Warriors ranked 23rd in points allowed.

Donovan Mitchell (PG/SG – CLE): $8,600 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
Mitchell has looked like one of the best scorers for weeks at a time, and he’s looking like that right now. Mitchell is averaging 29 points across his last 36 games, averaging nearly 50 fantasy points per game in that span. That form should be easy to duplicate against Atlanta with the Hawks ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency and 25th in points allowed. That’s clear when you see that Mitchell has at least 46 DK points in two of his last three matchups with the Hawks.

Cash Game Considerations

Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $9,600DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
Chef Curry has been cooking. New Orleans ranks 25th in total defense since Zion got injured, and that’s bad news with the way Curry has been playing, averaging 51 DraftKings points per game. Not to mention, Curry has scored at least 55 DK points in six of the last seven games against the Pelicans.

Darius Garland (PG – CLE): $7,400 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel
We usually don’t recommend two guards from the same backcourt, but both of these guys are way too cheap in this matchup. We already discussed how Atlanta’s been struggling, and Garland has the best matchup against Trae Young. That’s awesome since Garland is averaging 40 DK points per game. That’s ironically his average in his two matchups with the Hawks this year, which means he shouldn’t be sitting around $7,000.

Dennis Smith Jr. (PG/SG – CHA): $7,000 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
Smith Jr. will be the primary playmaker for the Hornets’ offense. They’re expected to be without Ball, Hayward, Rozier and Oubre, which are the primary playmakers. That means Smith Jr. could be in line for 40 minutes and all of the ball-handling duties. This guy has played at an $8K level with that sort of role in the past. Oklahoma City is an outstanding matchup, too, ranked 20th in total defense.

GPP Targets

Nick Richards (C – CHA): $4,700 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
The Hornets are using two centers at a time out of their three and rotating them every game. This is where Mark Williams will sit, meaning Richards should resume his starting role. The big man scored at least 27 DK points in six of eight games in that expanded role, averaging nearly 35 fantasy points per game in those six outings. That’s absurd from a $5K player, and we don’t mind that OKC allows the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

Robert Williams III (C – BOS): $4,600 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
Williams is an intriguing GPP option at $4,600 on DraftKings. This big man has been one of the best per-minute producers in the NBA throughout his career and could be a monster in a 25-minute role. We love that since his minutes are slowly on the rise, averaging 24 DK points per game across his last five outings.

Xavier Tillman (PF/C – MEM): $5,200 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Tillman is too talented to be this cheap in his newfound role. The big man has been starting at center with Adams and Clarke both out, averaging 27 DK points per game across 28 minutes a night since both went down. He’s also scored at least 39 DK points in two of his last five outings, and that sort of upside is hard to overlook from such an affordable player.

Value Plays

Marcus Smart (PG/SG – BOS): $5,700 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
It’s strange to see Smart this cheap. The Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 30 DK points per game and has been locked into a 35-minute role. He’s also playing much better over the last two weeks, totaling a 33-point average across his last four fixtures. The matchup with Washington is wonderful, too, with Smart scoring 29 fantasy points in their most recent meeting.

Tyus Jones (PG – MEM): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
It’s funny that Jones finally had his salary dropped, and now Morant is expected to sit. Tyus was sitting above $7K on both sites when Morant was out, and it’s easy to understand why. In his 20 starts this year, Jones is averaging 37 DK points per game across 33 minutes a night.

Delon Wright (PG/SG – WAS): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
Washington could be without Kuzma, Beal, and Morris in this spot, leaving Wright as one of their only ball-handlers left. This guy has proven to be a stud when given a prominent role, averaging 33 DK points per game when he plays at least 29 minutes. That seems like a lock with so many key players missing, and his stat-stuffing ways make the Boston matchup not as tricky as it appears.

Advantageous Pricing