Opportunity is the name of the game when it comes to playing DFS. Whether it’s scoring, rebounding or assisting, an NBA player needs an abundance of opportunities to rack up the most fantasy points. When gauging a player’s chance at opportunity, the first place to look is the game total. Typically, the games with a total of 230 or higher are prime target spots as those happen to be the games with efficient offensive play combined with mediocre defensive play. In this article, I will break down two spots that meet this criteria and should be popular game environments on today’s NBA DFS slate.
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Today’s Top NBA DFS Game Environments (March 16)
Washington Wizards-Chicago Bulls | NBA DFS Today
Total: 226
Anytime we get the Wizards on a slate, it’s an automatic target. The Bulls are 10-point favorites against the Wizards in a very DFS-friendly environment for both teams. The Wizards make it easy for any offense to look elite as they are the worst-rated defensive team in the league while playing at the fastest pace in the NBA. Chicago point guard Coby White is doubtful for tonight’s contest, which opens the door for more usage to be spread around.
The Bulls will be heavily targeted by the field with all five starters being projected for more than 30% ownership. DeMar DeRozan will be a priority from this team with his price only being $8,200 and being projected for 45 DKFP in 38 minutes. He grades out amazingly in the Boom/Bust tool with him having a 44% boom chance with a 31% chance at being optimal.
Nikola Vucevic is in the same category as DeRozan in terms of priority with Vucevic being projected for 35% ownership while also having a 44% boom chance. Washington is very weak defensively down low, as they have been forced to run Kuzma at the five due to Richaun Holmes being sidelined with an injury, but Holmes is back for this one while Marvin Bagley III remains out. Vucevic will be a great target vs the 28th-ranked DvP in the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards are facing their own injury problems as well with point guard Tyus Jones expected to miss his first game of the season tonight with a back injury along with Deni Advija being listed as questionable. Point guard Jared Butler is expected to get the start and at his $3,000 price tag will be a player to jam into lineups. Butler is projected for 18 DKFP in 18 minutes.
Jordan Poole at $6,200 will be heavily in play tonight with him having the ability to soak up the majority of the point guard minutes. He has a 25% usage rate average on the season and will have a path to more scoring and playmaking opportunities with the Wizards being potentially short-handed. Still, I would stick to targeting the Bulls side of this game as they have the better talent and better matchup.
Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors | NBA DFS Today
Total: 233.5
This should be a good one to watch as we are getting another Stephen Curry–LeBron James matchup in a game that has the highest total on the slate at 233.5. Both of these teams are mediocre when it comes to defense but love to push the pace — they both rank in the top 8 for the fastest pace in the league.
The Lakers’ dynamic duo of Lebron and Anthony Davis is always going to be a great play, but today the two of them are projecting amazingly in the Boom/Bust tool — both players have a boom chance higher than 30% and optimal percentages above 15%.
With both players ranking so close in projection, I prefer being overweight on LeBron, as he is projected for only 14% ownership compared to Davis at 23%. Target the superstars with a soft matchup in the fastest game on the slate.
Curry is expected to return tonight for the first time since March 7 and is priced fairly low for his ceiling at $8,900. In his most recent games against the Lakers, Curry lit them up, scoring 53.75 and 64.75 DKFP in both outings.
This Warriors team is interesting because they are projected for close to no ownership but get a fairly soft matchup. Andrew Wiggins at $5,200 is worth a look with him being projected for 27 minutes because he can easily reach 30 minutes in a competitive setting. Don’t be afraid to get different with your lineups by getting some Warriors at incredibly low ownership.
