NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: What’s Cooler Than Cool? Ice Trae! (March 18)

Tuesday has a bifurcated four-game slate tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including Trae Young, LaMelo Ball and Giannis Antetokounmpo at the top, with Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu also standing out as tremendous fantasy point-per-dollar options. Then there are questions about the Golden State Warriors on the second leg of a back-to-back.

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: Tuesday, March 18

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

That was the fantasy oomph that was missing, as the 26-year-old was having his lowest scoring season since his rookie campaign. In a fun twist, Young has maintained his league-leading 11.5 assists through the various lineup machinations. His 40.4% success rate from the field is a career low and well below his average of 43.2%, so there is fantasy upside readily available when he is dialed in. Charlotte was in the bottom third of the league with a 117.3 defensive efficiency rating over the last 10 games, which is another bump for the Atlanta offense.

Dyson Daniels is projecting to be on over half of the tournament entries on both DraftKings and FanDuel, buoyed by a reasonable salary and the eight-team player pool. Daniels has started all 63 games he has played, averaging 34 minutes per appearance and crushing his prior efficiency as a part-time player in his first two seasons in New Orleans. Forgetting the raw averages — which, of course, will be higher with a 50% increase in playing time — his per-100-possessions and per-36-minutes rates are crushing his first two campaigns.

Onyeka Okongwu is benefiting from the absence of Clint Capela, though there already was a changing of the guard. On FanDuel, the sixth overall selection of the 2020 NBA Draft also has power forward eligibility, making him a tremendous foundational building block in all game formats.

Caris LeVert (knee) will be out for a second consecutive game, which means more minutes for Vit Krejci, Terance Mann and Georges Niang. These are names that have not come up in the last couple of weeks, so do not be surprised when they start landing in your multi-entry player portfolio. Finally, there is rookie Zaccharie Risacher, who has been inconsistent this season. He has at least been more assertive on offense since the holidays, and, of course, there have been moments of brilliance from the top selected player in the most recent NBA Draft. Keep in mind he is still only 19 years old, with his next birthday a few weeks away.

Miles Bridges is getting a night off, missing only his second game since mid-December. Prior to crashing in his last outing, Bridges had been on a seven-game heater, averaging 35.1 minutes, 31.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.1 “stocks” (combined blocks and steals). Moussa Diabate is expected to slot in with the first five, per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page. Though he only has center eligibility, he is the clear punt du jour on both DraftKings ($3,200 87.1%) and FanDuel ($4,100, 63.6%). Currently, he projects for around 25 to 27 minutes of run and nearly a fantasy point per minute. Wendell Moore Jr. is also in line for increased minutes, having been signed to a two-way contract by Charlotte five weeks ago.

LaMelo Ball should have ample usage and opportunities, though it is important to note that on the recent road trip, he averaged 30.1 minutes in the final three games. Hopefully, he will receive that as a baseline back in the Queen City as a nod to the hometown crowd. Similarly, Mark Williams ranged between 24.5 and 28.8 minutes in the last four games. He has slate-breaking upside, but it is unlikely to be seen if he doesn’t get low-30s minutes, making his heady salary tough on the cap.

Gary Payton II could also be given the night off, with the 32-year-old typically dealing with a variety of nagging maladies. If he is a go, he looks like a solid discount dandy who could see more offensive opportunities, depending on the availability of the rest of the regulars. Per the first run of the Stokastic NBA Boom/Bust Tool, Payton is the best leverage option, with nearly a 50% optimal probability and half the popularity. This chasm will grow smaller closer to tipoff, but it is worth filing away for later.

Brandin Podziemski (back) is returning after a six-game absence, so it will be interesting to see what his workload is tonight. Currently, Milwaukee is favored by a bucket, which lends some credence to the understudies getting extra run tonight. Golden State holds the tiebreaker over Minnesota, giving the Dubs the sixth-best record in the Western Conference. The surging Los Angeles Clippers are only one game behind these teams, making for a tight race to avoid the Play-In Tournament. The starting lineup from coach Kerr will be something to monitor, as the Warriors have an easy matchup on Thursday against Toronto prior to the aforementioned road trip. That will drive the decision points, so any other speculation prior to that confirmation is fruitless.

Milwaukee lost four of the last six games, with tonight being the first tilt of a five-game West Coast swing. The Bucks are battling Indiana and Detroit, and this trio of teams is separated by one game with first-round homecourt advantage on the line. Giannis Antetokounmpo has the best median fantasy point projection on the slate, which is no surprise given that most teams played yesterday and Wednesday is bringing another loaded schedule. He is the priority play, though he will be well represented in tournaments. Oakland native Damian Lillard is always in play, and he had a pair of 50-burgers in his last three games.

Kevin Porter Jr. is the last appealing option, though he usually does his fantasy damage with the second unit when he gets unfettered usage with Antetokounmpo or Lillard off the court. Gary Trent Jr., Brook Lopez and Taurean Prince are potential differentiation plays, though none stand out aside from being underrepresented in tournaments. Kyle Kuzma hasn’t topped 25 fantasy points in the last seven games, so he is best left as a trap for less savvy gamers.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick

Cameron Johnson is someone to consider targeting in the sports wagering world for the under on his 25.5 points + rebound + assists prop on BetMGM at +110.

The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager has a historical 5.2% ROI, and with the combination of today’s matchup variables and the +110 odds, there is a spectacular 6.3% expected value when factoring in the -102 “True Odds.”

We can see that most operators are offering significantly worse odds of -115 to -120, with several other books dropping down to under 24.5 PRA at significantly worse odds to BetMGM.

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Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Johnson projected for 31.4 minutes, 17.27 points, 4.09 rebounds and 3.42 assists for 24.78 PRA. That is a below the 25.5 threshold and, of course, under the 26 PRA needed for this wager to lose.

Johnson balled out in his last seven games, averaging 31.14 PRA and reaching 26-plus PRA six times. The main difference tonight is a game against a strong Boston defense, though Johnson did get them for 39 PRA two games ago. This wager is likely to come down to the wire, but the math is clearly on our side with the current BetMGM offering.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today

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