NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 3/30/21

Russell Westbrook has put up monster numbers when Bradley Beal has been sidelined. Can he do it again on Tuesday night?

With four games to choose from on Tuesday's slate -- which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST -- let's look at the top options across all five positions for NBA DFS.

Be sure to check out our projections, which are updated throughout the day as news breaks, and our other DFS tools such as advanced stats and a matchup heat map.

Here are some of the top plays on today's DraftKings slate. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Russell Westbrook ($10,900) - On Tuesday, the Washington Wizards may be without their other star, Bradley Beal, for a second straight game. The All-Star guard was unable to take the floor Monday because of a hip contusion, and can be considered questionable for Tuesday. That would mean a monster usage for Westbrook, who had no problem producing a night ago, putting up a 35-point, 21-assist, and 14-rebound triple-double in route to 94.5 DraftKings points. And in case you're worried about the back-to-back, the last time Westbrook played two straight nights he tallied more than 80 DK points in 38 minutes. He should be your top priority against the Charlotte Hornets.

Devonte' Graham ($6,100) - On the other side of that matchup is Graham, who has had an up-and-down year, to say the least. While he's dealt with injuries, he has taken a backseat to LaMelo Ball until recently. With Ball out due to injury, Graham's seen his role increase once again, playing 30 and 39 minutes in the last two contests. He's turned that into 30.25 and 37.25 DK points, respectively, and though Malik Monk is due back, Graham should continue to see 30 minutes in a fantasy-friendly clash with Washington.

Shooting Guard

Terry Rozier ($7,700) - The reason Washington is an advantageous matchup lies in their pace of play and lack of defense. According to NBA.com, they are 1st in the Association in pace and 26th in defensive rating, allowing 113.4 points per 100 possession. That's music to the ears of someone like Rozier, who thrives on taking it to the hole and getting up shots. On the year, he's up to 20.5 points and 15.3 shots a game on a 23.2% usage rate, but in the last four games without Ball, those figures have climbed to 24.3, 17.0, and 24.9%, respectively. He could flirt with 40 to 50 DK points tonight.

Terance Mann ($4,700) - On Monday, the Los Angeles Clippers were without Paul George due to foot soreness, so it's possible that he sits out again on the back-to-back. If so, Mann should pick up more minutes in his stead, just as he did a night ago. Better yet, he's been playing minutes in the mid-20s to low-30s of late, particularly with Lou Williams no longer in L.A. Since Williams was traded, Mann has logged 32, 29, and 34 minutes for 33, 29.25 and 32.5 DK points. The monster upside is also there with the Orlando Magic back in full rebuild mode.

Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard ($8,800) - Naturally, no PG points directly to Leonard, who has seen elevated numbers without his running mate this season. Per NBA Wowy, Kawhi's usage rate has climbed from 27.2% to 32.0% in a sample of 500-plus minutes, during which he has averaged a massive 1.4 DK points per minute. Math tells us that, at that pace, he requires a mere 31.4 minutes to meet his implied value at this salary. As long as he's not rested, Leonard should enjoy a big night against Orlando.

Deni Avdija ($3,700) - The Hornets/Wizards game is one worth stacking. Not only do we have a high-pace team on one end, but both teams are in the bottom half in defensive efficiency and have just a one-point spread between them. Avdija is a good way of finding salary relief, too, alongside Westbrook and others. He has played 27 and 32 minutes in the last two games, and last time out he exceeded 24 DK points. The 20-year-old needs just 18.5 to bring back five-times value at this salary.

Power Forward

Tobias Harris ($8,500) - The Denver Nuggets are a tough matchup that is conceivably tougher with Aaron Gordon now added to their wing depth. For that reason, Harris isn't as much of a no-brainer as he's been without Joel Embiid, but his numbers without the star center are hard to ignore. When the big man has been off the floor Harris has used 28% of the team's offensive possessions, yielding 1.25 DK points per minute on 50.6% shooting. He's a great tourney alternative at this position.

Rui Hachimura ($6,000) - Hachimura hasn't been the most consistent producer this season. However, with players sent elsewhere in recent weeks, space has been cleared for him to play a larger role and take more shots. Monday night's matchup saw that come to a head, as he converted 12 of 24 shots for 26 points and 39 DK points. Add in the fact that the Hornets rank dead last against power forwards -- according to FantasyPros -- and you have the recipe for a big fantasy outing.

Center

Deandre Ayton ($6,400) - Tonight, the mid-range is prime territory for the center spot. Ayton has been Mr. Reliable pretty much all year for the Suns. The third-year center has played fewer minutes than a year ago, yet he's averaged similar per-game stats to the tune of a double-double and 33.6 DK points. He's averaged a cool 34.3 DK points in the last 10 days alone. Comparatively so, Ayton is the preferred play to someone like Dwight Howard.

Dwight Howard ($5,800) - Before the trade deadline, the absence of Embiid has meant a timeshare between Howard and Tony Bradley with Bradley sometimes getting the lion's share of the minutes. But Bradley has been shipped out to Oklahoma City in the George Hill trade, so until Embiid returns it's Howard's job to hold it down at center. On Saturday, he was limited to 19 minutes because of an ejection, but even then he was able to rack up 25.25 DK points. He's going to see a lot of time against Nikola Jokic, so feel good about his chances at a double-double and 30 fantasy points.



Brett Oswalt i
s not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.