NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 3/9/20

Can Trae Young rebound with a strong performance against the Hornets tonight? Who should you target on DraftKings on this three-game slate?

With three games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Trae Young ($10,300) - Young had back-to-back rough games versus the Memphis Grizzlies in his last two contests, as he's been dealing with an illness. Young had a day of rest on Sunday and is back at home versus a divisional opponent he dominated the first time around. Young recorded 30 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes in a win in his only meeting versus the Charlotte Hornets this season. Off of one day of rest, Young is averaging 30.5 points, 9.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in 36 games this season. The Hornets allow the third-most assists per game to point guards (9.11), and Young averages his highest assist total off one day of rest. numberFire's model projects Young to record the second-most fantasy points (48.4), and the most real-life points (28.3) and assists (8.7) tonight.

Gary Harris ($4,400) - Harris has really picked up his play the last four games, posting 24 or more fantasy points in each of them, something he failed to do in his six games prior. He's averaging 18.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 24.40 fantasy points over that four-game stretch. Luckily, the Denver Nuggets welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to town without star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Harris should have another successful fantasy night and likely increase on his 0.79 fantasy points per minute over the last five games.

Shooting Guard

Donovan Mitchell ($7,500) - Mitchell has put together a strong stretch of nine games after the All-Star break. Mitchell has scored 23 or more real-life points in six of nine games, grabbed 4 or more rebounds in seven of those, and dished out 4 or more assists in five of them. The Utah Jazz welcome the Toronto Raptors to town -- who are playing the second night of a back-to-back road trip. Mitchell played in Toronto earlier this season and recorded a woeful 26.3 fantasy points in the lone meeting, though this matchup is more favorable with Fred VanVleet potentially out. numberFire's model projects Mitchell to record 38.8 fantasy points versus Toronto.

Terry Rozier ($6,600) - Rozier's usage rate is up to 24.65% over his last five games, and the Hornets are playing their best basketball of the season. Rozier is averaging 32.10 fantasy points over those five, along with 0.89 fantasy points per minute. The Hawks are down a few players due to injury, and they've already been allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to shooting guards (44.46), and rank 18th versus point guards (48.18). Rozier has surpassed 35 fantasy points in four of his last six games, and I like his chances to surpass his season average of 31.8 fantasy points tonight.

Small Forward

Khris Middleton ($7,600) - Middleton will have to carry the load with Giannis Antetokounmpo expected to miss the next two games. Middleton played without Giannis versus the Phoenix Suns last night, and scored a game-high 39 points, adding 4 assists and 2 rebounds for 47 fantasy points. He's played seven games on no rest and averages 19.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in those contests. In one meeting with Denver this season, Middleton recorded 24 points, 9 assists, and 2 rebounds. If Middleton can connect from deep tonight, you can expect him to lead the Bucks in scoring again. numberFire's model projects Middleton to hit 2.5 three-pointers tonight and record 37.6 fantasy points.

Michael Porter Jr. ($3,400) - Porter Jr.'s minutes have been limited over the past four games as he's failed to record 20 minutes, but this game provides his most solid matchup, despite it being versus the best team in the league. The Bucks allow small forwards to make 2.62 three-pointers per game, ranking 23rd in the league, and Porter Jr. has attempted at least three triples in three of his last five games. Milwaukee has also ranks 17th in rebounds per game allowed to small forwards -- something Porter Jr. could increase on with Giannis out tonight. He's averaged 6.2 rebounds in his last five home games in just 17.8 minutes. Porter Jr. is right behind Middleton (1.03) in fantasy points per minute over the last five games (1.02). When he's on the floor, he has been impactful, and he could see an increase in minutes tonight at home.

Power Forward

PJ Washington ($5,600) - Washington has put together an impressive stretch of 10 games for the Hornets, as he's been one of the main contributors to their recent success. Washington is averaging 28.38 fantasy points over his last 10 games on 0.87 per minute. He had a tremendous game against the Hawks earlier this season, recording 41 fantasy points on 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in their lone meeting. The Hawks now rank 24th in fantasy points per game allowed to power forwards (50.0), and last versus centers (59.24). Washington is averaging 17.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in his last five games, and should be in line for his fourth consecutive 30-point fantasy game.

Pascal Siakam ($8,700) - Siakam was clutch late in last night's Raptors win versus the Sacramento Kings, and he finished with 47 fantasy points on 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Siakam has played six games on no rest this season and is averaging 20.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 34.2 minutes in those contests. He's played 38 or more minutes in seven of his last eight games and is posting 1.15 fantasy points per minute in his last 10. Siakam had one of his best scoring performances of the season versus Utah in their last meeting, recording 53.3 fantasy points on 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. numberFire's model projects Siakam to record 41.1 fantasy points on the back-to-back.

Center

Nikola Jokic ($9,500) - Jokic had his fourth straight near triple-double, posting 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. He's averaging 15.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 46.87 fantasy points in his last four games. Jokic is recording the most fantasy points per minute over his last 10 games (1.42) of any player available tonight. He met the Bucks earlier in the season and had another monster effort, falling just shy of a triple-double. Jokic posted 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists for 43.5 fantasy points. numberFire's model pegs Jokic to record the most fantasy points tonight (49.6), and projected to be top-five in points (21.6), rebounds (10.3), and assists (7.0).

Cody Zeller ($4,900) - Zeller, along with Washington, should benefit from the Hawks lackluster defense versus frontcourts. Zeller is averaging 1.01 fantasy points per minute in his last 10 games. He's seen an increase in usage rate over his last five games to 22.46%, and he's recorded double-digit points and at least five rebounds in four of his last six games. He saw 28 minutes of action in his last game out versus the Rockets, the most minutes he's played in his last 10 games -- resulting in his third-highest fantasy output (24.75). Expect Zeller to play more minutes and post a healthy fantasy output versus the Hawks.


Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.