NBA

NBA DFS Picks: Top OwnersBox Plays for Friday (Mar. 22)

By Zach Thompson @ZT_Sports
Mar 22, 2024

OwnersBox is one of the unique DFS sites that still has traditional daily salary cap contests in addition to their Lightning Lineups contests.

In Lightning Lineups, the OwnersBox app will provide three sets of lineups for a given sport and slate, each lineup with three players. From there, users pick which lineup they think will score the most points. If you don’t like the options, you can spin for new lineups.

Spin. Pick. Win. OwnersBox innovative Lighting Lineups format is the most electric way to play daily fantasy sports.

However, they also have a traditional DFS format, which will be the focus of this article.

For OwnersBox, you use four guards, four forwards/centers, and one Superflex.

Also, our OwnersBox promo code delivers new users a $500 sign-up offer. Their 100% deposit match of up to $500 is by far the best among DFS sites.

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.

Note: Projections 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 Guard Picks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($9,300) at Toronto Raptors

The Thunder visit Toronto in one of the eight games on Friday night’s slate, and OKC has the highest implied team total on the board as they take on the short-handed Raptors. Toronto-native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be in a great spot to post another big number. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections of all guards on the slate as he continues to carry a huge workload for the Thunder in the battle for the top seed in the Western Conference.

SGA has scored at least 30 points in 11 of his 14 games over the last month since the All-Star Break while averaging 30.2 points, 6.0 boards, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He’s shooting over 50% from the field during that stretch and has led the Thunder to an 11-3 record.

The Raptors sold at the trade deadline and then suffered multiple key injuries. They’re especially thin in the backcourt, so they have been a great matchup for opposing point guards. SGA has been a great pay-up play on almost every slate over the last month and deserves consideration in this matchup in Toronto, with some added boost from the nice homecoming hype.

Derrick White ($5,500) at Detroit Pistons

The Celtics have run away with the Eastern Conference and start play this Friday with a 10.5-game lead over the Bucks. Boston has been getting its stars some games off to heal up from minor injuries, and Jrue Holiday (shoulder) has already been ruled out for Friday’s matchup in Detroit while Jaylen Brown (ankle), Jayson Tatum (ankle), and Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) are all questionable. If any or all of those three are out in addition to Holiday, there should be plenty of work for Derrick White, who sat out last Sunday but is not on the injury report for this matchup.

White has the third-highest Pts/Sal of all guards on this slate and comes with an extremely high ceiling for his price point as he potentially fills in some of the extra work. He did that on Monday in his first game back in action in this same matchup against the Pistons. He finished that game with his only triple-double of the season, posting 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in 38 minutes.

Throughout the season, White’s emergence has been a key to the Celtics’ success. He posted double-digit points in six straight games while also averaging 6.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists. With Holiday off the floor this season, White’s usage increases by 4.5 percentage points to 23.6%. With more work coming his way, he’s a great play in this soft matchup against the Pistons.

Some other value guards based on Pts/Sal include Bruce Brown and Gary Trent of the Raptors, Tre Jones of the Spurs, and John Konchar of the Grizz.

Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:

NBA DFS Forward/Center Picks

Anthony Davis ($8,900) vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Anthony Davis has the highest ceiling projections of all forward/centers on Friday’s slate and is only barely behind Victor Wembanyama in median and floor projections. Davis is a little cheaper, though, and has much better value numbers to offer in this home matchup against the Sixers, who are still without Joel Ebmiid (knee) down low.

As usual, Davis is probable with an Achilles issue and his running-mate LeBron James (ankle) is questionable, but both stars have been regularly playing through those tags since the All-Star Break. Davis has played in all 13 of the Lakers matchups over the last month and has posted a double-double in 12 of those 13 games. The only exception was the game last Saturday when he left after 12 minutes with an eye injury. He returned from that injury and posted 22 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists in 31 minutes in a rout of the Hawks on Monday, in his most recent game.

Over his last 19 games since Feb. 1, Davis has averaged an impressive 23.2 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks in 34.5 minutes per game. With a mismatch against Paul Reed and his former teammate Mo Bamba, Davis should be a great pay-up play to build around in the late game.

Jeremy Sochan ($4,600) vs. Memphis Grizzlies

The Spurs have been playing better lately, beating the Warriors and Nets in their last six games and losing competitive contests to the Mavs, Nuggets, and Rockets. While Wembanyama is the main fantasy headliner, Jeremy Sochan is another important young piece of the San Antonio core that has shown vast improvement. He has the highest Pts/Sal of all forwards/centers on Friday in this favorable spot against the Grizzlies.

Sochan has started every one of the Spurs’ 69 games this season but has really found his stride over his last 10 games. In those contests, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game. His usage rate on the season is 19.0% but over the last 10 games, that has increased to 21.0%.

On Tuesday, Sochan posted his third double-double since the All-Star Break, totaling 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists against the Mavs. He played 42 minutes in his previous game against the Nets and showed his scoring ceiling with 19+ points in three of his last six games.

Sochan is a great value option at forward/center and has the second-highest Pts/Sal on the whole slate, making him a strong enough option to consider even in your Superflex spot, which is typically best filled with a guard.