Top NBA DFS Plays & Prop Bets 3/14 | Tackling Tuesday's Eight-Game Slate!

Written By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter & LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Another juicy mid-sized slate rolls around with eight games on the board this evening. Once again, a solid batch of value is out there on this slate as a result of a somewhat extensive injury report. It may be Pi Day but let’s stack up some cake tonight instead! Best of luck!

Today’s Key Injuries:

Cavaliers: D. Mitchell - OUT, J. Allen - OUT

Hornets: K. Oubre Jr. - Probable, M. Williams - OUT

Pistons: J. Ivey - OUT, M. Bagley III - OUT, B. Bogdanovic - OUT, I. Stewart - OUT, I. Livers - OUT, H. Diallo - OUT, A. Burks - OUT, C. Joseph - Questionable

Wizards: K. Kuzma - OUT

Nuggets: J. Murray - Questionable, R. Jackson - Probable

Raptors: None

Nets: B. Simmons - Questionable

Thunder: A. Pokusevski - OUT

Lakers: A. Davis - Probable, L. James - OUT, M. Bamba - OUT

Pelicans: B. Ingram - Questionable, Z. Williamson - OUT, J. Alvarado - OUT

Magic: F. Wagner - Questionable

Spurs: K. Johnson - Questionable, J. Sochan - Questionable, T. Jones - OUT, M. Branham - OUT, R. Langford - OUT

Bucks: K. Middleton - OUT, J. Ingles - Questionable, G. Allen - OUT, G. Dragic -OUT

Suns: K. Durant - OUT, L. Shamet - OUT, T. Craig - Probable

Knicks: J. Brunson - Doubtful

Trailblazers: D. Lillard - Questionable, J. Grant - Questionable

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

Top DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Plays

Note: NBA position designations are never going to perfectly align between the major DFS sites. For the purposes of these newsletters, positional designations will default to DraftKings.

💫 = Favorite Play

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

SG Bradley Beal, WAS | DK: $8.2k, FD: $9k | vs. DET | GPP Preferred

It feels like a good day to spend down at the guard positions but we still have some interesting targets toward the top of DFS pricing as well. Before his dud performance against the 76ers on Sunday, Bradley Beal had scored at least 45.0 DKFP in his previous five starts. Beal also stands out as the largest beneficiary with Kyle Kuzma (knee/out) out of the lineup tonight. He has handled a team-high +3.65% usage boost with Kuzma off the floor this season. The Wizards (-13) are, by far, the largest favorites on the slate so there is some blowout risk to worry about against the very shorthanded Pistons but if Beal ends up playing his usual mid-30s minutes, he could easily end up as an optimal play tonight. He went off for 53.75 DKFP when he played Detroit last Tuesday so his GPP upside is very apparent this evening.

💫SG Caris LeVert, CLE | DK: $5k, FD: $6k | @ CHA | Cash & GPP

Donovan Mitchell (finger) will be taking a seat against the Hornets tonight that will slide Caris LeVert into the starting rotation. I know he’s not everyone’s favorite player to roster but, much more often than not, he has returned value on his current DFS price tags when he gets the nod in the starting lineup. He’ll get a premium match-up against a Charlotte team that ranks 6th in pace and 28th versus opposing shooting guards (L20Gms). With the additional minutes that he should handle tonight, LeVert owns a pretty wide open pathway to 6x value (or better).

💫PG Devonte’ Graham, SAS | DK: $5k, FD: $5.6k | vs. ORL | Cash & GPP

The Spurs will be playing without two of their top point guards tonight. Tre Jones (illness) and Malaki Branham (shoulder) have both been ruled out so Devonte’ Graham projects to land in the starting lineup and handle 30+ minutes. In his last three starts, Graham has posted DKFP scores of 31.75, 39.0, and 35.0 while averaging 1.14 FPPM. There is nothing scary about his match-up against an Orlando team that ranks out below average defensively.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG/SG Devin Booker, PHX | DK: $10.1k, FD: $10.7k | vs. MIL | GPP Preferred

💫PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC | DK: $9.4k, FD: $10.5k | vs. BKN | DK Preferred

PG CJ McCollum, NOP | DK: $8k, FD: $8.4k | vs. LAL | GPP Preferred (Cash play if B. Ingram is out)

💫PG Darius Garland, CLE | DK: $7.9k, FD: $8.8k | @ CHA | Cash & GPP

PG Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN | DK: $7.8k, FD: $8.6k | @ OKC | DK Preferred

PG/SG D’Angelo Russell, LAL | DK: $7.1k, FD: $8.1k | @ NOP | GPP Preferred

💫PG Killian Hayes, DET | DK: $6.2k, FD: $7k | @ WAS | Cash & GPP

SG/SF Rodney McGruder, DET | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.8k | @ WAS | GPP Preferred

PG/SG RJ Hampton, DET | DK: $3.3k, FD: $4.8k | @ WAS | DK Preferred

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫PF/C Evan Mobley, CLE | DK: $8.1k, FD: $8.2k | @ CHA | Cash & GPP

It’s tough to be overly thrilled about the forward player pool on this slate but Evan Mobley is going to carry some appeal out of the low-$8k range. Mobley has benefited from a team-high +5.75% usage boost and +15.12 fantasy point average (per 48 min.) when Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Kevin Love (now playing for MIA) have been off the floor this season. The Cavs and Hornets are playing for the second time in two days. Mobley put up a rather so-so 35.75 DKFP in 39 minutes against the Hornets on Sunday. However, Donovan Mitchell did play in that game and, given Mobley’s 1.12 FPPM average (L20Gms), if he pushes for nearly 40 minutes again tonight, we can consider a similar performance to Sunday’s game to be his absolute floor.

SF/PF Paolo Banchero, ORL | DK: $7.7k, FD: $7.8k | @ SAS | Cash & GPP

It’s been a hot minute since Banchero has earned a spotlight in this newsletter but after cooling off a bit in January/February, he has been recapturing some of that early-season upside in recent weeks. Banchero is a shoo-in to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award and, over his last five games, he is posting an average of 24.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.2 APG, and 40.35 FPPG. Tonight’s match-up with the Spurs and their NBA-worst defense (122.0 PPG allowed this season) is also a major draw for Banchero and his DFS outlook. The Orlando Magic find themselves in unfamiliar territory while leading this slate with a 119 implied point total. They have scored at least 117 points in six consecutive games and Banchero’s recent surge has been a major key to their offensive success.

💫PF/C Eugene Omoruyi, DET | DK: $3.8k, FD: $5k | @ WAS | Cash & GPP

The Pistons may only have eight or nine healthy bodies available for tonight’s game so we’re going to go back to the well with Eugene Omoruyi for some potential value. In his first start with the Pistons last night, Omoruyi put up 17 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists (34.0 DKFP) in 32 minutes. With the Pistons being extremely thin at forward once again tonight (Bagley, Bogdanovic, Livers, Stewart, and Diallo are all out), Omoruyi should handle another 30+ minute workload regardless of whether or not this game turns into a blowout.

Other Forwards to Consider:

PF Julius Randle, NYK | DK: $9.9k, FD: $9.9k | @ POR | GPP Preferred (USG boost if J. Brunson sits)

💫PF Jalen Williams, OKC | DK: $7.2k, FD: $7.7k | vs. BKN | GPP Preferred

💫SF RJ Barrett, NYK | DK: $7k, FD: $7.2k | @ POR | Cash & GPP (Bump if J. Brunson sits)

SF/SG Trey Murphy III, NOP | DK: $6k, FD: $6.8k | vs. LAL | GPP Preferred (Bump if B. Ingram sits)

SF/SG Josh Hart, NYK | DK: $5.4k, FD: $5.6k | @ POR | GPP Preferred

SF/PF Deni Avdija, WAS | DK: $4k, FD: $5.2k | vs. DET | GPP Preferred

SF Lamar Stevens, CLE | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4k | @ CHA | GPP Preferred

SF Buddy Boeheim, DET | DK: $3k, FD: $3.5k | @ WAS | GPP Preferred (Extreme punt play)

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Deandre Ayton, PHX | DK: $7.4k, FD: $8.2k | vs. MIL | GPP Preferred

One of the marquee match-ups of the day goes down in Phoenix with the Suns (4th in the West) hosting the Bucks (1st in the East). Deandre Ayton is coming off a 27-point, 12-rebound double-double last night and he should continue to operate as the Suns’ number two scorer while Kevin Durant (ankle) is on the mend, once again. Ayton has averaged 45.8 FPPG in close games this season and we should see a tightly contested tilt tonight with the Bucks coming in as -1.5 road favorites. And despite Milwaukee’s top-rated defense, they have not been particularly effective against opposing centers, ranking 23rd versus the position over their last 20 games. There are safer center options on the board, but Ayton makes for a prime GPP target on this slate.

💫C Nick Richards, CHA | DK: $5k, FD: $6.2k | vs. CLE | Cash & GPP

For center value, we’ll look to Nick Richards, who stands to be a popular target tonight. Mark Williams (thumb) is set to miss his third consecutive game which opens up the majority of center minutes for Richards. Richards has played at least 29 minutes in each of the last three games and he has returned DKFP totals of 42.5, 32.0, and 33.5. The Cavaliers are typically a team to avoid but it helps Richards’ case that Jarrett Allen won’t be available to man the paint and protect the rim. Richards also posted that 42.5 DKFP score against the Cavs on Sunday via a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double which also featured four assists and three blocks. He’s a bargain on DraftKings tonight at a flat $5,000 and a very playable option at $6,200 on FanDuel.

Other Centers to Consider:

💫C Nikola Jokic, DEN | DK: $11.6k, FD: $12.2k | @ TOR | Cash & GPP

C Jakob Poeltl, TOR | DK: $7k, FD: $7.4k | vs. DEN | GPP Preferred

C James Wiseman, DET | DK: $6.9k, FD: $6.7k | @ WAS | GPP Preferred

💫C Nic Claxton, BKN | DK: $6.6k, FD: $7.7k | @ OKC | DK Preferred

💫C Wendell Carter Jr., ORL | DK: $6.3k, FD: $7.4k |@ SAS | DK Preferred

C Zach Collins, SAS | DK: $6.3k, FD: $7.1k | vs. ORL | GPP Preferred

C Jalen Duren, DET | DK: $5.5k, FD: $6k | @ WAS | Cash & GPP

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Paolo Banchero OVER 21.5 Points | -110 (DraftKings) | 2.0 Units

Fred VanVleet OVER 1.5 Steals | +105 (DraftKings) | 2.0 Units

PrizePicks Power Play ⚡

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's NBA action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these bets so I don't just lightly throw these out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Mikal Bridges MORE than 21.5 Points (Discounted "taco" prop available until 6 ET)

Jalen Williams MORE than 30.5 Fantasy Score

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That will wrap us up with today’s “Daily Dribble” edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!