Monday brings a new week of NBA action, kicking off a packed slate at 7:30 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including Justin Champagnie and Deni Avdija as foundational plays, with Austin Reaves as a potential late-night hammer! Memphis is likely to be the perfect differentiation for this slate as Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr. pick up the slack for Ja Morant.
These picks are based on the latest information available. For the most up-to-date lineup updates, visit our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page!
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Monday, March 17
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Justin Champagnie: Wizards at Trail Blazers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 30.59 | FanDuel: 30.95
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 26.5% | FanDuel: 40.9%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $5,400 | FanDuel: $5,600
The Wizards have been frisky, winning six of their last 10 games, including the last two in Detroit and then in Denver on Saturday. Yes, Washington knocked off the Nuggets 126-123, taking the lead with 10 seconds to go in the final frame.
Utah has now tied Washington in the tanking race, with each squad sitting on 15 victories. However, it is important to keep in mind that 1) the Wizards have played two fewer games, 2) the bottom 3 teams have the same lottery odds and 3) there are still between 14 and 16 games left on the schedule for most teams.
Justin Champagnie just received a four-year contract from the Wizards worth nearly $10 million dollars. That may not seem like much in today’s NBA, but with the context that Champagnie was on a two-way deal, it is something to celebrate. The former Pitt Panther declared early for the 2021 NBA Draft, projecting as a late-first- or early-second-round selection. Unfortunately, he was not drafted, but the Toronto Raptors signed him to a two-way deal, later converting that to a two-year contract, only to waive him less than six months later. After time in the G-League, with a two-game cup of coffee for the Boston Celtics, Champagnie finally broke through last year with a 10-day contract from the Wiz, who moved him to a two-way deal shortly thereafter.
Going forward, Champagnie has a ceiling of a key rotational reserve, though for now he is a developing youngster starting for a team that is in the midst of a major rebuild. Since moving into the starting lineup three games ago, the 23-year-old has averaged 34.3 minutes per game. Cherry picking his last two, he produced 16.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 steals. While he is not going to keep up his torrid 63.2% conversion rate from the field, he should have an inside track on 30 minutes of run going forward. Until his salary adjusts to this new baseline, he should be in line as a discount dandy for another game or two.
Former Wizard Deni Avdija only logged 5.7 minutes in Washington, leaving the game with a quad issue that he reaggravated the following week. Sunday he had a strong performance with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal in 33.7 minutes. He was a skosh better when looking at his last half dozen appearances, averaging 35.5 minutes, 21.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 0.8 “stocks” (combined blocks and steals).
Though this is the second leg of a back-to-back, Portland last played Wednesday and the Trail Blazers do not take the court again until this Wednesday. Expect Jerami Grant (knee) to remain out, and, of course, Deandre Ayton is sidelined as well. There could be someone else who sits for the Blazers, which could open up additional opportunities.
FanDuel has been a little soft with the Portland pricing, which has Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara looking like solid “last man in” type selections. Rookie Donovan Clingan looks like a salary saving differentiation play, though the opportunity cost of centers is high tonight.
Washington will be without Corey Kispert and Marcus Smart (illness) missed Saturday’s contest. Bilal Coulibaly was also lost for the remainder of the season, which is what helped open the door for Champagnie. The Wizards have been content to keep Smart in the 20- to 22-minute range when he plays, with Khris Middleton getting a couple more when he suits up. If Smart is out again, rookie Carlton Carrington III would become a late-slate option, with Kyshawn George getting a similar boost if Middleton is out.
Keep in mind that Jordan Poole is a neutral option on the full-slate, but he moves into the secondary tier for the robust late-game slate. He has averaged just over a dozen field goal attempts in his last four outings, but most have been from beyond the arc. Efficiency will be needed to propel him into tournament prominence, but a 30-point effort is always in play.
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Austin Reaves: Lakers vs. Spurs
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 44.62 | FanDuel: 42.23
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 6.3% | FanDuel: n/a
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $8,900 | FanDuel: n/a
FanDuel is skipping the final matchup of the slate, despite it being only 30 minutes after a four-game wave tipping off at 10 p.m. ET. This is a back-to-back for the Lakers, who easily dispatched the Phoenix Suns 107-96 in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.
The shorthanded Lakers took no chances in ending a four-game slide, playing Luka Doncic 40 minutes and Austin Reaves 39 to maintain a 2.5-game lead over the surging Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, who have won their last seven and eight games, respectively.
Los Angeles is one game out of second place in the Western Conference standings, trailing Houston, Denver and Memphis for that honor. It would make sense for the team to consider sitting Doncic against San Antonio tonight, letting Reaves work his maestro magic as the lead option. In his last three games without LeBron James, one of which was missing Doncic, Reaves averaged 38.1 minutes and 21.6 field goal attempts with a wicked 51.6% success rate, including a 44.4% conversion rate on nine triples per appearance. This has resulted in 31.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.3 stocks, which is outstanding for his current salary. Even if Doncic is a go, Reaves is still in play tonight on DraftKings.
Per the first run of the Stokastic NBA Boom/Bust Tool, the Utah Jazz are well represented as being under-leveraged. Kyle Filipowski, Svi Mykhailiuk, Brice Sensabaugh and Johnny Juzang are each among the top 10 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The Jazz played last night, so there is a good chance that Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton will be in street clothes with Utah in “asset protection” mode. John Collins (ankle) is out for at least the next two weeks, while Jaden Springer is legitimately dealing with back issues. KJ Martin was out yesterday with a sore elbow, and Jordan Clarkson’s plantar fasciitis has flared up again. There will be Utah value in a nice matchup against Chicago; we just have to wait for the dust to settle.
The majority of the Philadelphia roster is out (Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George),or listed as doubtful (Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, Kelly Oubre Jr., Lonnie Walker IV). It is a tough matchup against the Rockets in Houston, but we could again see only seven or eight active players for the 76ers.
Memphis is going to be without Ja Morant (hamstring) for a second consecutive game, with Santi Aldama (calf) looking like he will be out for a sixth straight matchup. Scotty Pippen Jr. has a sore wrist on his off hand, though he could be pressed into duty. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane are going to have to do the heavy lifting tonight against a Sacramento squad that is in free fall, having lost the last four games. This is a terrific core trio to build around, particularly with the back-loaded schedule leading to late-night craziness with the final news drops.
Toronto is taking the tank show to Phoenix with the Suns on a back-to-back. There is still postseason hope for Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and friends, though it is an uphill battle, trailing the decimated Dallas Mavericks by 1.5 games for the final Play-In Tournament ticket but barely making up ground.
These situations will allow gamers to craft the beloved “stars and scrubs” lineups featuring Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham and Nikola Vucevic.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Isaiah Collier is someone to consider targeting in the sports wagering world for the under on his 25.5 points + rebound + assists prop on Hard Rock at -105.
The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager has a historical 6.3% ROI, which also encompasses plenty of time with the Utah Jazz in tank-mode. The combination of today’s matchup variables and the -105 odds results in a strong 6.4% expected value when factoring in the -120 “True Odds.”
We can see that sharp book Pinnacle is posting a -130 line, with several other books dropping down to under 24.5 PRA with similar or worse odds to Hard Rock.
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Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Collier projected for 29.4 minutes, 12.43 points, 4.74 rebounds and 7.69 assists for 24.86 PRA. That is a tick below the 25.5 threshold and, of course, under the 26 PRA needed for this wager to lose. In his last eight games, with various teammates missing time, Collier averaged 30.8 minutes and a 22 PRA. This was curbed by a poor 13-PRA showing across 28.5 minutes in Boston, but there were games that were nearly as bad against Detroit and in Toronto. Make no mistake; this wager is likely to go down to the wire, but take comfort in the rookie topping 26 PRA in just three of his last eight games.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 5:30 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert analysis, key insights and winning strategies to dominate tonight’s NBA DFS slate!
