FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 3/1/22

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy basketball is very reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

A six-game slate to kick off March begins with a decently-quiet official injury report.

LeBron James is once again listed as questionable with the same knee soreness he's fought much of the season. He has played through it, but it is still worth watching into Tuesday evening.

Speaking of a knee issue, one held Fred VanVleet out of the first leg of Toronto's back-to-back on Monday. He's questionable for Tuesday as they host Brooklyn.

On the Nets' side, Kyrie Irving (vaccination status) is ineligible to travel for the Nets. Andre Drummond (knee) is also questionable to play after a hard fall on Monday.

Kevin Porter Jr. (ankle) is a question mark for Houston as they unbelievably play the Los Angeles Clippers for the third time in four games.

The Hawks are unlikely to get John Collins (foot) back; he's doubtful.

Finally, Klay Thompson will sit for Golden State once more with a non-COVID illness.

Guards

Luka Doncic ($10,800): On a totally off night, Doncic still rallied to 50.2 FanDuel points against the Warriors on Sunday. That let Luka cap February at 1.58 FanDuel points per minute on an absurd 41.7% usage rate. His Mavericks are five-point road favorites over the Lakers, and while the 217.0-point total isn't earth-shattering, Doncic has by far the largest slice of his team's respective pie compared to the other stars on this slate.

Russell Westbrook ($6,600): Amidst a February filled with sides of backboards and boo-birds, Westbrook still had a 26.1% usage rate and averaged 0.93 FanDuel points per minute. If you take the emotion away from it, his role is still pristine for this salary. The Lakers -- no doubt -- seem totally broken at the moment, but Westbrook has still exceeded 35 FanDuel points eight times since January 1st. He's objectively under-salaried despite his obvious efficiency woes.

Patrick Beverley ($4,700): A number of Timberwolves saw sizable salary decreases that likely were in the works before many slumps were busted on Monday. That includes Beverley, who posted 33.4 FanDuel points in 29 minutes. He doesn't need nearly that production to pay off. Beverley still averaged 0.97 FanDuel points per minute through an up-and-down February, so in nearly a full-time role, he's a great source of value.

Others to Consider:
Jalen Brunson ($5,800): This entire section could have been all Mavs, including Reggie Bullock. Load up.
Dennis Schroder ($5,500): Worth having a close salary buddy to get to Schroder if KPJ is ruled out. 30-plus minutes in the last two versus the Clips.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,400): Great tournament upside. 35-plus FanDuel points in two of his last four entering a matchup with lowly Detroit.

Wings

Jayson Tatum ($8,900): Realistically, this is the salary Tatum should have had for weeks. It's better late than never entering a matchup with Atlanta's fourth-worst defensive rating in the NBA. Tatum did nip Jaylen Brown for the Celtics' team-high usage rate in February (30.4%), and he's dropped at least 22 points in eight of his last nine games. A pace-up spot against the Hawks should help him fill in his FanDuel total on the glass.

Anthony Edwards ($6,600): Edwards' scoring slump isn't quite over. He posted just 17 points but added 4 steals to cruise past FanDuel value on Monday against the Cavaliers. Unfortunately, that will boost his popularity in a spot that's great otherwise. The slate-high 231.5-point total against the Dubs might finally be the spot Edwards returns to the 20-point mark. After all, he's averaged 28.0 points against the Warriors in three games this season.

Andrew Wiggins ($5,500): On the other side, it's more than a revenge narrative to make Wiggins a key priority. Wiggins is salaried for his role with Klay, but he's averaging 0.92 FanDuel points per minute this season when Thompson is off the floor. That's come on a healthy 23.8% usage rate in a game that will feature plenty of scoring. Wiggins could drop 25-plus real-life points tonight, so he's a great option in all formats.

Others to Consider:
Gary Trent Jr. ($6,500): If VanVleet sits, Trent has a team-best 27.5% usage rate without him. Solid plug.
Danilo Gallinari ($4,900): No Collins means another game for Gallinari in the lineup. Mixed results lately, but still 0.88 FanDuel points per minute without J.C. overall.
De'Andre Hunter ($4,600): Lower production rate than Gallinari, but absolutely capable of upside. Roll is safe with no Collins.

Bigs

Pascal Siakam ($8,300): As someone who rostered Siakam quite a bit on Monday in this same matchup at $9,100, this salary might make me go crazy. Siakam and Trent Jr. both see usage rate lifts above 4.0 percentage points with VanVleet and OG Anunoby off the floor this season. The difference? Siakam also adds 5.37 assists and 6.47 rebounds per 36 minutes in that floor condition. He's a phenomenal stud option at this salary.

Christian Wood ($7,200): Well, if Scottie Barnes can finally cash in on a low salary in a great matchup, perhaps Wood can do the same Tuesday. The Clippers are second-to-last in estimated rebounding (74.6%), and they've been an outlier matchup for bigs all season. Wood grabbed his lowest single-game total for boards in February (7) against the Clippers in both contests. If he can get back to double digits on the glass, this salary is a bargain.

Scottie Barnes ($5,500): Barnes dropped in a career-high 28 points and made his first 11 shots on Monday in this same matchup, so it's safe to say he'll be on a few rosters for Tuesday. He's notably here because the bigs are by far the weakest spot on the slate, so he's likely best served to drop in one of the power forward spots. For the season, his upticks without VanVleet aren't as high as Siakam or Trent, but he is a solid option at this salary.

Others to Consider:
Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,300): He's tremendous in a vacuum, but Edwards and Beverley are higher priorities at their salary unless I go crazy with Wolves.
Carmelo Anthony ($4,800): At least 29 minutes and 25 FanDuel points in both games since Anthony Davis was lost -- even amidst blowouts.
Kevon Looney ($4,700): T-Wolves are last in defensive rebounding. Looney averages 12.34 rebounds per 36 minutes. Hello, ol' reliable.