March is always a massive month for basketball, and both the NBA and college hoops have been great this year. Before we flip the calendar, though, we get one more slate of fantasy basketball action on DraftKings. We’ll start the work week with a seven-game slate that tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Clippers and the Hornets are the only two teams playing for the second day in a row, but the Bulls, Grizzlies, and Magic are on the front half of their back-to-back set of games. At this point in the season, it’s critical to keep a close eye on the injury report since teams are resting players and many players are battling injury. However, even though there’s still some uncertainty, several strong options are standing out in our projections for this Monday night’s contests.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers welcome in Hali’s old team, the Kings, on Monday night in the game with the third-highest over/under on the slate. Haliburton should be able to attack the favorable matchup and has the second-highest median and ceiling projection at point guard along with the best value projections of any point guard over $5,500.
Haliburton had been on a heater before running into the Thunder on Saturday and managing only 18 points and 33.5 DraftKings points in that difficult matchup. Prior to that matchup, though, he posted at least 47 DraftKings points in five straight games with four double-doubles over that span.
While he has missed some games due to injuries, when he has been on the floor, he has been very productive. Over his last 14 games, Haliburton has 12 double-doubles while averaging 21.4 points, 11.4 assists, and 50.4 DraftKings points per game. Getting him at under $9,000 is a great way to start your lineups this Monday, especially with an extra boost from facing his former squad.
Value
Last March, KJ Simpson was a college basketball star for the Colorado Buffalos, but this year, the second-round pick is looking at a great opportunity to finish his rookie season with extra playing time for the Hornets. He has the top Projected Plus/Minus and Pts/Sal at point guard on this slate on Monday as his Hornets host the Jazz to finish their back-to-back.
Simpson was a second-round pick and spent most of the season in the G League for the Greensboro Swarm, where he averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 35.2 minutes per game. He was brought back up to Charlotte, though, and should get more work now that LaMelo Ball (elbow) was ruled out for the season.
Simpson started each of the last two games, playing 25 minutes against the Raptors and then 35 minutes against the Pelicans. He only had 23 and 22.75 DraftKings points in those two games but he took double-digit field goal attempts in each game and should continue to carry a heavy workload. Keep an eye on the injury report for the Hornets, but if Simpson is starting, he’s a great play under $5,000.
Fast Break
Ja Morant returned from his hamstring injury in the first game the Grizzlies played after firing Taylor Jenkins (insert Brian Windhorst meme). Morant made just 9 of 23 (39%) field goal attempts but still produced 49 DraftKings points in 31 minutes with a double-double in Memphis’s loss to the Lakers. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in four of his last five games when available, and he’ll look to lead his team to a big win over Boston on Monday night.
Miami has been relying heavily on Tyler Herro, especially with Andrew Wiggins (hamstring) and Duncan Robinson (back) out. The All-Star guard had 30 points and 45.75 DraftKings points in Philly on Saturday while leading the team to its fourth straight win. He has at least 20 points and 35 DraftKings points in each of those four games with 45+ DraftKings points in three of them. He has the fourth-highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at point guard Monday.
In the Jazz backcourt, Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier have been volatile plays but bring high ceilings, especially if Collin Sexton (pelvic contusion, questionable) is out. Collier has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard and had 26+ DraftKings points in three straight before going scoreless against the Nuggets last Friday. George had 31 DraftKings points in that game and has 25+ in five of his last six.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
One of the exciting new features this season on FantasyLabs is our partnership with ShotQuality. In both sets of projections, Coby White has the second-highest median, ceiling, and floor projection of all shooting guards. He could get a bump as well if Josh Giddey (hip, injury management) does not play through his questionable tag.
The Bulls have been rolling lately, going 9-3 over their last 12 games, led by the dynamic duo of Giddey and White. White has posted over 42 DraftKings points in five straight and nine of his last 12 games, so getting him at just over $8,000 is a good value.
Over his last 12 contests, he averaged 29.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 44.0 DraftKings points per contest. He has played five games without Giddey since the All-Star break and averaged 42.3 DraftKings points in those contests. With or without Giddey, he’s been hot enough to be an excellent option Monday night.
Value
White’s teammate, Dalen Terry, has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate in the ShotQuality projections. He can fit at either shooting guard or small forward and can stretch the salary cap space of almost any roster construction with his salary of just $3,500.
Terry is only averaging 13.1 minutes per game this season but has been making the most of his expanded opportunities lately. He’ll be set for even more work with Kevin Huerter (thumb) out and listed Lonzo Ball (wrist, doubtful) still expected to miss another game.
In four of his last five games, Terry has played at least 20 minutes. He had 20+ DraftKings points in each of those four games with extra work and had 22.75 DraftKings points in Saturday’s narrow loss to the Mavs. With more minutes available, he can be the key to unlocking the salary you need this Monday.
Fast Break
Franz Wagner and the Magic host the Clippers in one of Monday night’s most interesting matchups. Wagner has the highest ceiling, median, and floor projections in both sets of projections at shooting guard and the second-highest at small forward. Wagner has scored at least 20 points in seven straight games while producing 23.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 38.7 DraftKings points per game.
Nick Smith Jr. has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard in both sets of projections in his favorable matchup against the Jazz. Smith has shown a very high ceiling when taking on more work without LaMelo Ball and has scored double-digit points in six of his last seven games with at least 28 DraftKings points in two of his last four.
On the other side of that matchup for the Jazz, Johnny Juzang has also been a bargain contributor recently. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard in both sets of projections after scoring at least nine points in six straight games and producing 20+ DraftKings points in four of those contests. Especially if Collin Sexton is out, Juzang should be in a position to return good value once again on Monday.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Against the Grizzlies, Jayson Tatum has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at small forward in both sets of projections. The Celtics have the highest pace differential on the board, and Tatum could get even more work if Jaylen Brown (knee; questionable) is out.
Like Coby White, though, Tatum is an option with or without the extra work since he has been so good lately. On Saturday, he returned from an ankle injury and dropped 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and 57.5 DraftKings against the Spurs.
When available, he has put up big points with over 46 DraftKings points in four straight games and seven of his last nine. With the extra possessions from the up-tempo pace, Tatum should be in a great spot to build on that big game on Monday in Memphis
Value
Without Wiggins and Robinson, the Heat have plenty of room in their rotation for Haywood Highsmith. Highsmith is a high-energy defensive contributor in every role, but if he gets more minutes, he brings a high ceiling. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards in the FantasyLabs projections and the third-highest at small forward in both sets of projections.
On Saturday, Highsmith scored 13 points and 30 DraftKings points against the Sixers. He produced at least 21 DraftKings points in four of his last five games and has played 30+ minutes in each of his last four. With more minutes available, he’s in a great spot against the Wizards on Monday.
Fast Break
Kawhi Leonard has the third-highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at small forward in both sets of projections. He had been outstanding lately, exceeding salary-based expectations in seven straight games with 43+ DraftKings points in each contest and an average of 48.6 DraftKings points per game. He’s got a tough matchup against Orlando, but still has lots of upside
The Wizards rotation has value but is also very hard to figure out since they’re using the final weeks of the season to evaluate players and not necessarily to try and win games. Both Colby Jones and Jaylen Martin have shown good upside and are solid bargain plays at small forward if they get minutes. Martin has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position in the FantasyLabs projections, and Jones ranks in the top 10 in Projected Plus/Minus in the ShotQuality projections after exceeding salary-based expectations in three straight and five of his last seven games.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Behind only Tatum, Paolo Banchero has the second-highest median, floor, and ceiling projections in both sets of projections. He and Kawhi Leonard going head-to-head should be a great matchup and also give Paolo another chance to show his progress.
Last week, Banchero had 51.75 DraftKings points against the Hornets, 54.5 DraftKings points against the Mavericks, and 42.5 DraftKings points against the Kings. He had 50+ DraftKings points in six of his last nine games overall and is bringing both a high floor and a high ceiling with so much usage in the Magic’s offense.
Over his last nine contests, he has a 35.2% usage rate and has averaged 53.4 DraftKings points per game.
Value
The Jazz will be without Walker Kessler (reconditioning) and Lauri Markkanen (knee), leaving plenty of room for Kyle Filipowski to continue his strong finish to his rookie season. With his power forward eligibility, he’s even more flexible, and he has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards and centers over $6,000 in the ShotQuality projections.
With or without Kessler, Filipowski has started four straight games with 38+ DraftKings points in three of those contests. He is coming off 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 40.25 DraftKings points in a loss to the Nuggets on Friday that both Kessler and Markkanen missed.
Filipowski has regularly delivered around a double-double in games without Kessler. In his five games since the All-Star break without both Markkanen and Kessler, Filipowski produced 43.1 DraftKings points on 19.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game with a solid 23.6% usage rate.
Fast Break
The FantasyLabe projections like this matchup against the Kings as a good bounce-back spot for Pascal Siakam, whose salary has slid to $7,600 after a few down games. He has the sixth-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards in those projections and the highest ceiling projection of all the options under $8,500.
Siakam’s backup Obi Toppin has exceeded salary-based expectations in five of his last seven games with 25+ DraftKings points in three of his last four games. He has a very high ceiling but can be volatile off the bench. At barely over $4,000, though, his upside is worth a look in tournament lineups.
Against the Wizards, Kyle Anderson could have a big enough role to also be a great bargain play. Without Wiggins and Robinson on Saturday, he played 20 minutes and finished with 15.5 DraftKings points. The good news for his value, though, is that he took 11 shots. If that kind of volume becomes the norm, look for him to bring great value.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
In the ShotQuality projections for Monday, Domantas Sabonis has the top median, ceiling, and floor projections at center, narrowly edging out Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis as the top stud plays on the board.
Sabonis has posted four straight double-doubles since returning from injury and now has 54 double-doubles or better in 62 games this season. He is averaging 18.9 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 48.3 DraftKings points per game overall and had a massive game against the Trail Blazers last Thursday with 55.75 DraftKings points, showing he’s past his sprained ankle.
On Monday, he gets a little extra boost from playing against his former team, the Pacers. Since they traded him to the Kings, he has faced them five times, averaging 18.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. He had 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 52.3 DraftKings points against them earlier this season and has a similar ceiling Monday night in Indianapolis.
Value
Kel’el Ware has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers over $4,500 in the FantasyLabs projections along with a top-four Projected Plus/Minus overall at the position in both sets of projections.
Ware is coming off an impressive game against the Sixers, making every shot he took and finishing with 13 points, 14 boards, and 41.5 DraftKings points. That big performance gave him four double-doubles in his last six contests for an average of 34.7 DraftKings points over that span. He also averaged 33.0 DraftKings points in his four games without Wiggins in March.
On Monday, Ware gets a great matchup against the Wizards, who have allowed the most DraftKings points per game to centers this season.
Fast Break
Ware’s teammate Bam Adebayo is a great option as well. His salary is up near $9,000, and he has been held under 40 fantasy points in four of his last five games, but he has huge bounce-back potential in this matchup.
The Wizards’ wonky rotations make it hard to trust either Alexandre Sarr or Tristan Vukcevic for cash games but both have shown high ceilings when given minutes. Sarr usually returns good value if he plays 30+ minutes, and Vukcevic has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position in both sets of projections.
The highest Projected Plus/Minus at center comes from Jazz big man Oscar Tshiebwe. Tshiebwe had seven points, 10 rebounds and 22 DraftKings points in a start against the Nuggets on Friday. He hasn’t always been in the rotation for Utah, but when he has been, he has shown good potential, including posting 19+ DraftKings points in three of his last four games. If he starts against Charlotte, he should be a great value at $4,000.
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