NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: There is Magic in the Air! (March 27)

Thursday keeps the NBA action rolling, with the fun getting underway at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Luka Doncic and others!

These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page!

NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Thursday, March 27

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Davis is not a DFS consideration, but his availability should keep Dallas more competitive. Anything to help prop up the Mavericks in turn means more run for the likes of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic are unlikely to climb out of the Play-In Tournament, though Orlando trails Atlanta by half a game for the seventh-best record, which comes with the need to win only one Play-In Tournament game to earn a spot in the first round of the playoffs.

Cole Anthony (toe) is expected to miss a fifth consecutive game, with a chance to return to action this weekend. Banchero has seen a slight uptick of a couple percent in his fantasy production when Anthony is off the court, and Wagner surges from 1.1 fantasy points per minute to just over 1.2, a 10% increase. The largest jump is in his assist rate, which moves from 16.5% in 424 minutes with Anthony to 28.1% in 1,323 minutes without the lead guard. This also has Wagner reaching a 33.5% usage rate, nearly in line with Banchero.

Over the last 13 games, Banchero was sublime, averaging 37 minutes and 20.8 field goal attempts with a 51.1% conversion rate. This also included a 39.5% success rate on 6.6 3-point attempts per game, leading to 31 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 “stocks” (combined blocks and steals). The top selection in the 2022 NBA Draft reached the 50-fantasy point plateau seven times in this stretch, with two forays into the 60s, plus a 73.5-fantasy point masterpiece against Toronto.

Wagner posted strong DFS production in the same timeframe with 22.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 stocks in 35.5 minutes of run. This duo looks good across the various DFS sites, with a strong likelihood of seeing increased popularity, depending on who is available in the Lakers-Bulls matchup.

Per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page, the expectation is that Cory Joseph will continue to start with Anthony Black spelling him from the bench. Black is actually the more intriguing fantasy option since some of his run is without both Wagner and Banchero on the court, and in the last three games, he saw the fourth quarter run while Joseph watched from the sidelines. In this trio of tilts, Black played every minute of the final frame, which is crucial for his fantasy relevance.

Sadly, none of the Mavericks are expected to be seen in the featured tournaments, with a combined projected popularity of less than 10% on both DraftKings and FanDuel. If Davis is out, then Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall will probably each reach a 5% representation in tournaments, but even then their respective upside is curbed with a tough road matchup.

Stokastic’s NBA DFS Single Lineup Simulator is a groundbreaking tool that revolutionizes lineup building by providing data-driven simulations, making it a must-have for serious players. Check out how the Simulator evaluates this single lineup for today’s slate:

Los Angeles holds the tiebreaker over Memphis, but it will be facing the Grizzlies on Saturday for the final stop of the current four-game road trip. The Lakers are 2.5 games behind Houston for the second seed, though only three games ahead of the Golden State and the Clippers, and the worst of these teams lands in the Play-In Tournament. Minnesota is 3.5 games back, so with tonight being a winnable game for L.A., it will be interesting to see if anyone rests.

This game is also key for Chicago, though not crucial, with the Bulls all but assured of being the ninth or 10th seed, holding a five-game cushion on the tanking Toronto Raptors. Currently, Miami is one game behind, and the Heat hope to pass the Bulls because that means homecourt advantage in the inevitable meeting where advancing in the postseason will be at stake.

Whoever is playing among James, Doncic and Reaves is the target, with the latter sliding a little if the first two are available. Rui Hachimura is doubtful, but the rest of the Los Angeles frontcourt is healthy, so it really doesn’t move the needle for DFS.

We just saw these teams face off in La La land, where the Lakers messed with the Bulls and got the horns in the form of a 146-115 loss. That game was with the big three for Los Angeles and also highlighted how the defense has slid back down the rankings, ceding 120 points per 100 possessions over the last 10 games. Josh Giddey had a 15-17 triple-double with eight steals. We should not expect that again, but he is seeing nearly 20 potential assists per game with Tre Jones on the sidelines.

Coby White is unlikely to reprise his 12-for-17 (71%) effort, but the breakout season continues, with the 24-year-old averaging a career-high 20.1 points and thriving without having to compete with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Nikola Vucevic is always in play, though there are ample center options tonight with strong fantasy point-per-dollar ratios.

Patrick Williams is back and Jalen Smith seems to have surpassed Zach Collins in the frontcourt rotation, so things are a little crowded now. None are particularly playable, unless, of course, Vucevic (back) sits. Rookie Matas Buzelis is in play for tournaments, with Dalen Terry potentially being a discount dandy. He played just over 20 minutes in each of the last three games, and he is a placeholder value on both DraftKings ($3,200, 15.1%) and FanDuel ($3,900, 7.6%), though other options are likely to be revealed throughout the day, pushing him out of the picture.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks

Rookie Zaccharie Risacher is someone to consider in the market for the under on his 13.5 points prop at BetRivers.

With the combination of today’s matchup variables and the -103 odds, there is a favorable 5.0% expected value when factoring in the -114 “True Odds,” along with the 2.8% historical ROI.

Portfolio EV does all the heavy lifting when sorting through the endless opportunities across the various sports wagering operators, highlighting the best spots quickly and effortlessly.

Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Risacher projected for 24.2 minutes and 12.07 points.

The 19-year-old has seen his minutes semi-managed, averaging 26.2 over the last 10 games and playing in 24 or fewer five times in this span. Said another way, in half of these appearances, he was on the bench for over half of the game.

Considering that, along with a tricky matchup against a solid defensive squad that is happy to slow things down, and the math lands in our favor.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today

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