NBA DFS Preview - First Look (3/16)

Wednesday’s NBA DFS slate is absolutely crazy. There are 12 games on the schedule, with so many superstar players available. Slates of this size can be overwhelming, so be sure to pay attention to news throughout the day.

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NBA Vegas Data for March 16 | NBA DFS First Look

Atlanta Hawks @ Charlotte Hornets

ATL -1, total: 238
Pace: ATL (20th), CHA (3rd)

Situations to monitor:

John Collins will remain out for Atlanta, while Danilo Gallinari is listed as probable.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers

PHI -4, total: 219.5
Pace: PHI (28th), CLE (27th)

Situations to monitor:

Jarrett Allen and Rajon Rondo will remain sidelined for Cleveland.

Denver Nuggets @ Washington Wizards

DEN -6.5, total: 228
Pace: DEN (20th), WAS (23rd)

Situations to monitor:

Aaron Gordon (illness) is listed as questionable.

Dallas Mavericks @ Brooklyn Nets

DAL -1.5, total: 220.5
Pace: DAL (30th), BKN (10th)

Situations to monitor:

Coming off a 60-point effort, Kyrie Irving will not play in Brooklyn Wednesday. Seth Curry (ankle) could sit again, while LaMarcus Aldridge remains out.
For Dallas, Reggie Bullock has been ruled out due to personal reasons.

Portland Trail Blazers @ New York Knicks

NYK -11.5, total: 222.5
Pace: POR (15th), NYK (26th)

Situations to monitor:

Anfernee Simons remains out for Portland, along with half of their roster.

Phoenix Suns @ Houston Rockets

PHX -11.5, total: 235.5
Pace: PHX (8th), HOU (2nd)

Situations to monitor:

Eric Gordon is listed as questionable for the Rockets.
Chris Paul obviously remains out for the Suns, while Cameron Johnson has missed six consecutive games.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Minnesota Timberwolves

MIN -9.5, total: 241.5
Pace: LAL (6th), MIN (1st)

Situations to monitor:

Jarred Vanderbilt, Patrick Beverley and Naz Reid are listed as questionable for Minnesota.
LeBron James is once again listed as questionable, while Talen Horton-Tucker is probable.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs

SAS -13.5, total: 232.5
Pace: OKC (13th), SAS (5th)

Situations to monitor:

Luguentz Dort, Josh Giddey, Ty Jerome and Kenrich Williams will remain out for the Thunder.

Chicago Bulls @ Utah Jazz

UTA -5.5, total: 224.5
Pace: CHI (14th), UTA (19th)

Situations to monitor:

Zach LaVine is listed as probable.
Bojan Bogdanovic has been ruled out with a calf injury.

Boston Celtics @ Golden State Warriors

GSW -2.5, total: 220
Pace: BOS (24th), GSW (12th)

Situations to monitor:

Andrew Wiggins (illness) is listed as questionable for the Warriors. Gary Payton remains out.

Milwaukee Bucks @ Sacramento Kings

MIL -8.5, total: 241.5
Pace: MIL (8th), SAC (7th)

Situations to monitor:

Jeremy Lamb has been ruled out for the Kings.

Toronto Raptors @ Los Angeles Clippers

TOR -1.5, total: 216
Pace: TOR (24th), LAC (17th)

Situations to monitor:

Fred VanVleet is once again listed as questionable for Toronto. Malachi Flynn and OG Anunoby remain sidelined.

Matchups to Target | NBA DFS First Look

Jakob Poeltl vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Poeltl has been solid all season, but he hasn’t shown a massive fantasy ceiling lately. However, I truly believe it returns Wednesday, as he faces a struggling Oklahoma City defense that has struggled against opposing centers all season long. The Thunder are coughing up a league-leading 17.82 rebounds per game to opposing centers, while also ranking bottom-three in fantasy points per game allowed to the position. Oklahoma City is also allowing the most points per possession to the post (1.03), as well as the highest field goal percentage to the play type (56.8%). In two meetings with the Thunder this season, Poeltl is averaging 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 45.6 fantasy points per game. With the price dropping, now is the time to give Poeltl a strong look.

Trae Young vs. Charlotte Hornets

This is a loaded slate with plenty of superstars. However, you can make the case Young is the best, as he’s been dominant lately, especially without John Collins, who has been ruled out again. With Collins off the floor this season, Young is sporting a massive 36.5% usage rate to go along with a 24% assist rate and 1.48 fantasy points per minute. Over his last three games alone, Young’s usage rate is hovering around 34% and now he gets a stellar matchup with Charlotte, who are one of the worst defenses in basketball. The Hornets are also allowing the fourth-most points per possession (0.92) to opposing ball handlers out of the pick-and-roll, while also allowing the fifth-worst field goal percentage off the play type (44.4%). That bodes extremely well for Young, who is averaging a league-leading 13.7 points per game as the primary ball handler out of the pick-and-roll.

D’Angelo Russell vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Minnesota is coming off a game where they scored 150 points, including 60 from Karl-Anthony Towns. And while KAT could easily go off again here, I do like Russell, who remains under $8,000 on DraftKings and gets a great matchup. Los Angeles is allowing the most real points per game to opposing point guards this season (25.2), as well as the fifth-most assists per game to the position (9.05). In just over 30 minutes per game in two meetings against his former team, Russell is averaging just under 40 fantasy points per game. If Los Angeles can keep this game close, it should be one of the highest-scoring contests of the slate.

Value Plays | NBA DFS First Look

Onyeka Okongwu vs. CHA — With John Collins out for the Hawks, Okongwu is in line for more minutes. He is sporting a 26% rebounding rate with Collins off the floor, while averaging just over a fantasy point per minute. And he’s often even closed games over Clint Capela. Against a Hornets team that is awful against opposing centers, you only need 20-23 minutes from Okongwu to be more than viable as a value play today.