Tastefully curated today by LineStar Fantasy Expert @GLandry on NBA chat.

5:30 PM EST UPDATE: News is starting to roll in slowly but we don't have as much clarity on some situations as we'd like so we'll do our best to keep up today. In Cleveland, Kyle Korver is officially out so we should see his minutes spread out between JR Smith, Jordan Clarkson, and Rodney Hood. Jeff Green is expected to play but with Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr all back I don't really see this is a big boost anywhere. In Denver, Devin Harris is probable and may see a few extra minutes without Gary Harris but this doesn't change much for me with the Nuggets. For the Kings, Garrett Temple is out so give a bump to Buddy Hield and DeAaron Fox but I would only go here in GPP. Thon Maker is questionable for Milwaukee but this doesn't really change much as he rarely plays more than minutes in the teens. Bam Adebayo was added to Miami's list of players to miss tonight's game. Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson should both play as many minutes as they can handle tonight in great spots. I highlighted Johnson below he's one of my favorite plays particularly on FanDuel where he's under $6K. The Bulls are messing with us today as they could potentially open up some value but we still don't know enough. Denzel Valentine is 50/50 to play tonight. If he's out I really like David Nwaba. Robin Lopez is "unlikely to play" so we should see extra minutes for Cristiano Felicio and Lauri Markkanen is currently probable which should knock Noah Vonleh back to the bench. Draymond Green is doubtful and Omri Casspi is out for Golden State so we should once again see a complete set of reserve players playing full minutes for the Warriors. The good news is these guys should play crazy minutes the bad news is Golden State's implied total is 96.5. By far their lowest of the season and the lowest on the slate. Quinn Cook is my favorite option as he's really excelled in his recent opportunities. On the other side of that matchup, Domantas Sabonis is a game-time decision. If he's out Thaddeus Young should start. In Portland Moe Harkless has been ruled out which means Evan Turner should start at small forward. He's intriguing as his low price tag ($3.6K on both sites) and it's a massive pace up game for Portland but Turner struggled in a recent three-game stint as the starter for Harkless so there's no guarantee this leads to increased production. That's it, for now, but I have a feeling we are going to get more between now and lock so stay alert. Good luck tonight and see you in chat!

This is as good as it gets for a slate in late March. Incredibly 6 of the 8 games are between teams who are fighting for a playoff spot or battling to improve their playoff seed. There are some huge totals and close spreads, some high priced studs and some decent value plays. A lot of different ways you could go today with roster construction. I'm excited about this one so let's get to work!

I appreciate all the great feedback on chat. Glad to see people are liking the updates before lock so we'll be sure to keep that going. Check back later today and feel free to tag me on the LineStar chat @glandry with any questions or comments!

Guards

Kris Middleton, MIL [@LAC] (DK: $7.9K, FD: $8K)

You will see a bit of a theme as you read through the article today. I really like the Bucks/Clippers game with a massive O/U of 225.5 and a spread of only three between two teams still fighting for the playoffs. The Clippers are ranked 29th this season in average fantasy points allowed per game to small forwards (Middleton is shooting guard eligible on FanDuel which is why we have him here). These two teams met recently where he put up 47 fantasy points. Middleton has as strong a floor as anyone and he's currently on a streak of nine straight games with at least 30 fantasy points but the ceiling is there for him to break off that big game you need to win in DFS. Your fun fact of the day is that Middleton has been in the perfect lineup four times in the past 30 days while the Clippers have allowed five small forwards to be in the perfect lineup (including Middleton once already) in that same span.

Eric Gordon, HOU [vs. CHI] (DK: $7.2K, FD: $5.6K)

I feel like I've been writing about this guy every night recently but he just keeps popping up in great spots and is still incredibly underpriced on FanDuel. Even after three starts in a row and three solid performances of 37, 34 and 36 fantasy points his price dropped $400 on DraftKings and was only raised $400 on FanDuel. There is still a $1600 difference between the sites. Houston has the second highest total of the night at 117.5 and is favored by 17 points. Harden is already confirmed resting tonight along with a couple others. Chris Paul is probable but if this game breaks wide open like it should I can't imagine Paul would play full minutes in his first game back from an injury. This should leave plenty of opportunities for guys like Gordon to put up serious fantasy numbers. The last time these teams met back in January Gordon started and put up 47 fantasy points. He's basically free, again, on FanDuel for the price and the kind of production he should be able to put up. He's not an automatic play on DraftKings but I would say he's firmly in consideration over there as well.

Dennis Smith Jr., DAL [@SAC] (DK: $6.7K, FD: $7.7K)

This is a DraftKings specific recommendation where Smith is $1000 less than he is on FanDuel. The Mavericks/Kings game is without question the least exciting on this slate but that also means it will be the most overlooked. Dallas has a laundry list of players tonight either confirmed out or questionable. If we remove all these players (assuming they don't play) and run the usage matrix tool DSJ gets bumped to near 30%. If we take the discounted price and the additional usage and mix it with the fact that the Kings are 24th in average fantasy points allowed to opposing point guards over their last 10 games we have a recipe for fantasy success. It's early but he might be one of my favorite tournament plays tonight if all those players are ruled out (or even some of them) in one of the few meaningless games tonight and currently the second lowest O/U.

Forwards

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL [@LAC] (DK: $10.3K, FD: $11.2K)

There's a trio of stud forwards on this slate tonight that are a bit difficult to separate from each other. Each of them is in a meaningful game where both teams are still alive for playoff implications. Each has a high O/U of at least 218 points and a small spread of no more than four. The implied team totals for each player's team is as follows: 111.8, 111.3, 111.3. If you haven't figured it out yet the players I'm referring to are Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. You can do no wrong rostering any of these guys tonight as the upside is always intact regardless of the matchup. If forced to choose, however, I'm leaning with Giannis. I've already mentioned how much I love the Bucks/Clippers game. Of the three players, he has the most favorable matchup against the Clippers who rank 22nd in average fantasy points allowed to the power forward position. He's also at least $1000 less than the other two on both sites. I'm not saying he's the best player of the three (he's not). I'm not even saying he's the best value tonight (he's not). But, from a game theory standpoint, you have three matchup-proof players with excellent game environments tonight but one of them has a better individual matchup, will be less owned and is less expensive. If he stays even close to the points that James and Davis put up, for less money and at lower ownership you've put yourself in a great position to take down the rest of the field.

James Johnson, MIA [vs. CLE] (DK: $6.2K, FD: $5.8K)

Johnson is another one of those players who I rarely play in cash games because his range of outcomes is so wide. He's got the type of ceiling that could help you win a tournament but also a floor that could ruin your lineup. Tonight, the Heat will once again be without Hassan Whiteside which creates a usage increase for Johnson. Neither one of these teams really has a true center at the moment which should lead to more small ball lineups and additional minutes for him. Cleveland is a good matchup ranking 27th on the season and 23rd over their last ten games in fantasy points allowed to power forwards. The Cavs recently allowed 43.5 fantasy points to Marquese Chriss. I'm not saying Chriss is a bad player but that was his highest fantasy output of the season by far. This is a winnable matchup for Johnson, he should get some additional run tonight, and the game will most likely be competitive. I like Johnson to have a game closer to his ceiling.

Gerald Green, HOU [vs. CHI] (DK: $4.7K, FD: $3.7K)

Green is arguably the top value play of the night. With multiple players resting and the Rockets set to have a massive lead throughout I like Green to get a ton of minutes and put up a big game. In two meetings this season with Chicago he has already put up 24 and 27 fantasy points (the second game was off the bench). The Bulls are also bad at defending reserve small forwards ranking 28th over their last ten games. DraftKings raised his price a bit in anticipation of Harden resting (we got the news last night) so he's more appropriately priced over there but on FanDuel he's our top value of the slate right now and honestly it's not close. Green and his teammates Eric Gordon and Chris Paul should lead the offense for Houston tonight.

Centers

DeAndre Jordan, LAC [vs. MIL] (DK: $8K, FD: $8K)

The Bucks are awful at defending the frontcourt ranking 29th in defensive efficiency against opposing centers. Jordan is one of my favorite players on the board today as targeting centers against Milwaukee has been a profitable decision all season. You'll see in the matchup chart below that just recently Jordan put up 56.5 fantasy points against them. I've been talking about this game throughout the article and this is just another example. He's coming off a couple of poor outings with only 30 and 29 fantasy points but I'm hoping that causes the field to overlook him despite the great matchup. I plan to stack this game as much as possible tonight and Jordan will be a focal point of many of my rosters.

Jusuf Nurkic, POR [@NOP] (DK: $6.7K, FD: $6.9K)

Just three games separate the third place Trail Blazers and the fifth place Pelicans in the western conference. A win for Portland could lock up their current seed while a win for New Orleans brings them closer to improving their position. Nurkic is another player that can be difficult to roster because of the low floor/high ceiling combo. It's hard to know exactly which player you will get on a given night. In the last ten games, he has four games with less than 25 fantasy points and five games with over 40 fantasy points including two with over 50 fantasy points. The good news is the Pelicans are a good matchup for opposing centers. They've given up at least 30 fantasy points to the position in three straight games including a 59 point breakout fantasy game from Clint Capela. This is another great game environment as well with a 222 O/U but a spread of only one and a half points. He should be lower owned tonight, especially on DraftKings where the multi-position eligibility makes the player pool at center much bigger.

Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC [vs. DAL] (DK: $5.6K, FD: $6.9K)

Center is gross tonight on FanDuel. It's a bit better on DraftKings as a bunch of players I like are PF/C eligible but on FanDuel those players are only power forward eligible so you are left with very little to work with after the two guys I've already mentioned. This is far from a ringing endorsement and honestly, it's a better play on DraftKings as I think he's overpriced on FanDuel but you can make a case for WCS tonight against Dallas. The Mavericks are 18th in fantasy points allowed over their last ten games and have given up at least 35 fantasy points in three of their last five. You could certainly do worse but I don't see myself going here. On FanDuel, I think I'm just going to lock in DeAndre Jordan and then figure out how to build around him. On DraftKings, I'd feel more confident given his discounted price but as I said there are more options so I'm not sure he'd make the final cut.

Injuries 🤕

San Antonio:

• OUT: Kawhi Leonard - SF

• UPGRADE: N/A

Washington:

• DTD: John Wall - PG

• UPGRADE: Bradley Beal - PG/SG, Tomas Satoransky - PG/SG

Denver at Toronto

Denver:

• OUT: Gary Harris - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Will Barton - SG/SF

Toronto:

• Wow! A team with no injuries!

Portland at New Orleans

Portland:

• OUT: C.J. Wilcox - SG

• UPGRADE: N/A

New Orleans:

• QUEST: Nikola Mirotic - PF

• QUEST: Rajon Rondo - PG

• OUT: DeMarcus Cousins - PF/C

• UPGRADE: Anthony Davis - PF/C, Cheick Diallo - PF/C, Ian Clark - PG/SG

Chicago at Houston

Chicago:

• QUEST: Lauri Markkanen - PF/C

• QUEST: Denzel Valentine - SG/SF

• OUT: Paul Zipser - SF/PF

• OUT: Antonio Blakeney - PG/SG

• OUT: Zach LaVine - PG/SG

• OUT: Kris Dunn - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Cameron Payne - PG/SG, Jerian Grant - PG, David Nwaba - SG/SF

Houston:

• OUT: Clint Capela - C

• OUT: James Harden - PG/SG

• OUT: Luc Mbah a Moute - PF/C

• DTD: Ryan Anderson - PF

• PROB: Chris Paul - PG

• UPGRADE: Eric Gordon - PG/SG, Nene - C, Tarik Black - PF/C, Chris Paul - PG, Gerald Green - SG/SF

Cleveland at Miami

Cleveland:

• OUT: Jeff Green - SF/PF

• OUT: Kyle Korver - SG/SF

• OUT: Cedi Osman - SF

• UPGRADE: Rodney Hood - SG/SF, J.R. Smith - SG/SF

Miami:

• OUT: Hassan Whiteside - C

• OUT: Dion Waiters - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Bam Adebayo - PF/C, Kelly Olynk - PF/C, James Johnson - PF/C

Dallas at Sacramento

Dallas:

• OUT: J.J. Barea - PG/SG

• QUEST: Salah Mejri - C

• QUEST: Nerlens Noel - C

• QUEST: Dwight Powell - PF/C

• QUEST: Dirk Nowitzki - PF/C

• OUT: Wesley Matthews - PG/SG

• OUT: Seth Curry - SG

• UPGRADE: Maxi Kleber - PF/C, Yogi Ferrell - PG/SG

Sacramento:

• DTD: Zach Randolph - PF/C

• DTD: Garrett Temple - SG/SF

• OUT: Iman Shumpert - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Justin Jackson - SG/SF, Buddy Hield - SG/SF, Skal Labissiere - PF/C

Indiana at Golden State

Indiana:

• QUEST: Domantas Sabonis PF/C

• UPGRADE: Thaddeus Young - SF/PF

Golden State:

• DTD: Omri Casspi - SF/PF

• QUEST: Draymond Green - PF/C

• DOUBT: Kevin Durant - SF/PF

• OUT: Steph Curry - PG/SG

• OUT: Klay Thompson - SG

• UPGRADE: Kevon Looney - SF/PF, Quinn Cook - PG, Patrick McCaw - PG/SF, Nick Young - SG, Jordan Bell - PF/C

Milwaukee at LA Clippers

Milwaukee:

• DTD: Matthew Dellavedova - PG/SG

• DTD: Malcolm Brogdon - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Brandon Jennings - PG/SG

LA Clippers:

• DOUBT: Danilo Gallinari - SF/PF

• UPGRADE: Wes Johnson - SG/SF, Lou Williams - PG/SG

Hopefully, I convinced you this should be an excellent slate. Tournaments should especially be interesting as I see a lot of opportunities for game stacks with all these large totals and close spreads. As usual, injury news will shape how our rosters end up so keep an eye on that and also look for our pre-lock update sometime between 5:30 pm and 6:00 pm EST. If you have any questions or feedback on the article feel free to tag me in the LineStar chat @glandry.

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