Friday wraps up the workweek with a seven-game featured slate, tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays like Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Edwards and eight or more players from the Memphis vs. Portland matchup. Subscribe today for access to our industry-leading resources, including our lineup generator (available for NFL, NBA, MLB and PGA), our DFS simulation tools (available for NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, MMA and NASCAR) and our industry-leading projections for every sport.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Friday, March 1
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks
Tyrese Maxey: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Stokastic’s Fantasy Point Projections
DraftKings: 50.48 | FanDuel: 48.41
Stokastic’s Rostership Projections
DraftKings: 15.8% | FanDuel: 22.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $9,900
Tyrese Maxey has assumed a larger share of the responsibilities in the Philadelphia offensive scheme and he has topped 40 fantasy points in six of his last seven games, with three trips to the 50 fantasy point plateau.
In this stretch, he is averaging 38.6 minutes with 22.6 field goal attempts. This has culminated in 27.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists an 1.1 combined steals and blocks.
To the Hornets credit, they have a 109.8 defensive efficiency rating over the last 10 games, which has them in the top-third of the league during this stretch. While Charlotte has lost three of the last four games, two of those were to Milwaukee and one was in Golden State. The Hornets have won five of the last eight, so while they are double-digit underdogs in Philly, there is a good chance they could keep this game competitive into the final frame, which will be key for 76ers needing to keep Maxey on the court for ample minutes. Philadelphia is a paltry 4-12 in the last 16 games, which has the team sliding into the Play-In Tournament. Buddy Hield, Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. are fine for tournament differentiation.
Looking to the Hornets, Cody Martin is popping up as a decent discount dandy on both DraftKings ($4,800) and FanDuel ($5,200), though he is better left for tournaments rather than “cash” games (e.g. H2Hs, 50/50s, double-ups and 3-mans).
Anthony Edwards: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Sacramento Kings
Stokastic’s Fantasy Point Projections
DraftKings: 46.47 | FanDuel: 44.82
Stokastic’s Rostership Projections
DraftKings: 18.0% | FanDuel: 12.0%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $8,800 | FanDuel: $9,600
Anthony Edwards did tweak his ankle in the first half of last game, but he was able to play out the second half. If he is a go tonight, he is one of the stronger “pay up” options on the board.
If he is out, then Karl-Anthony Towns would slide back in as the primary offensive option. Kyle Anderson is doubtful, which means a slight uptick for Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jordan McLaughlin.
If Edwards is out, Monte Morris would receive an upgrade from tournament lottery ticket, so a secondary option. Minnesota has one of the best defenses in the league, but Domantas Sabonis is always viable in tournaments with his propensity to produce across the stat sheet.
Looking for more NBA DFS picks and advice? You’ve come to the right place. Sign up for our NBA DFS Premium Package for access to our player projections, ownership projections and our state-of-the-art NBA DFS simulation tools.
Stokastic Hall of Fame Highlights
Want to start winning like our users? Sign up for a Stokastic subscription today!
NBA DFS Picks: Key Games
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trail Blazers
NBA DFS is a funny thing, here we have a game with a 208.5 projected total, yet nine of the most popular plays on DraftKings and six on FanDuel are coming from this matchup.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (quad) and Derrick Rose (back) are out, while Luke Kennard (illness) is doubtful as is John Konchar (thumb). G.G. Jackson (quad is also questionable and of course Memphis was already the most injured team in the league (Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, Scotty Pippin Jr.).
So that leaves Jordan Goodwin, who was just converted from a 10-day contract to a two-way deal, to be the lead point guard position. Former 10th overall pick in the 2021 Draft Ziaire Williams is getting extra run as the team tries to figure out if he is an asset, while rookie Vince Williams Jr. is also getting heavy developmental minutes.
Santi Aldama rarely seems to exceed 25 minutes, but he is capable of playing in the low-30s and has done so in four of the last eight games. Trey Jemison is appealing at a rock bottom $3.300 on DraftKings, though it is not worth burning the center position with him on FanDuel ($3,900). Veteran Lamar Stevens should get a couple dozen minutes and put up something in the low-20s for his fantasy production.
If Jackson is out, then Jake LaRavia and Yuta Watanabe could become extreme punt plays.
Portland is another team dealing with a myriad of injuries and DeAndre Ayton, Malcolm Brogdon, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Robert Williams III are all out. The latter two have been lost for the season, but it is wild to think that each of these teams has lost an entire starting five. Moses Brown is questionable and if he is out, more minutes would slide towards Duop Reath and Jabari Walker. Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons are likely to end up on over 40% of all tournament rosters, which makes sense as they are the main remaining offensive options who are ambulatory.
Walker really needs Brown to be out to be anything more than a lottery ticket, but Kris Murray and Toumani Camara do not have that same restriction and both are in play for all formats. Finally, there is a slim chance that Ayton could be available tonight, instead of tomorrow, depending on how his hand issue is improving.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Vince Williams Jr. is going to be a mainstay of our DFS lineups, however, that is a salary and opportunity based situation.
He still stands out as a viable target to pick on with the under on his 28.5 points + rebounds + assists (PRA) prop, which is currently available at odds of-104 on UniBet, Sugar House and Bet Rivers.
This is a good example that demonstrates the power of letting OddsShopper do the heavy lifting when researching favorable bets.
The next-best odds at the most popular books are in the -120 to -130 range, with “sharp” book Pinnacle all the way down at -140, which is absurd by comparison.
Per the true odds of -116 (how OddsShopper measures the potential expected ROI of a given wager), this opportunity has a healthy 5.4% positive expected ROI as a function of the inefficient line.
NBA Bet Pro currently has Williams projected for 36.2 minutes,14.43 points, 7.32 rebounds and 7.30 assists. That median projection is a tick above the 28.5 target, but keep in mind a range of outcomes is far different than one specific projection.
Over his last nine games, Williams has averaged 34.0 minutes and 10.1 field goal attempts with a 42.9% conversion rate. This has worked out to 12.7 points, along with 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists for a 25.7 PRA. In these nine games, he has topped 28.5 twice (22.2%), with two more games landing on 27. This wager is likely to go down to the wire, but it is also an opportunity to benefit from any DFS downside.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Check out the Stokastic NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock Shows starting at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, breaking down all of the key elements for today’s slate. Brought to you by PrizePicks – new users, use this link to receive a $100 first deposit match AND – ONE FREE MONTH of OddsShopper Premium! Full details here.
