WHAT. A. TRADE. DEADLINE. If I’m being completely honest, it’s hard to remember who’s on which team now. Stars were moved. Role players were moved. End of the bench guys are going to get role player minutes, as trades become official. It’s going to be a wild ride in NBA FS for the next few days. We’ll do our best to make sure you’re on top of everything. Onward!
Playing NBA DFS can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also make your head spin. It’s our job to make sure you’re winning as much as possible! There are countless variables that can lead to a player’s individual performance, but I’ve found it’s best to focus on just a few that can lead to better predictability.
My favorite factors to track for NBA DFS targets: Matchups (Offensive/Defensive Ratings), Opportunity (expected player minutes, game pace), and Recent Form.
This is the AM VERSION of a living article that will be updated throughout the day, as news comes through the wire.
LET’S GET INTO THE SLATE!!!!
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NBA DFS Targets and Preview for Mar. 27
Knicks vs. Bucks
We live in a strange new world, ladies and gents. The Knicks are going to be a dangerous playoff team. How are any of us supposed to live like this? When will life get back to normal? Time will tell. But for now, we should recognize the facts. The Knicks have a top-three defense and the Bucks are eighth in defense. This is going to be a legit fight. The Knicks can’t keep up offensively with the Bucks, so I’ll roll with them, but I wouldn’t be shocked if I was wrong.
DFS Targets: In the defensive brawl that I expect this to be, I’d only stick with the usage rate stars in this one. Giannis, Holiday, Randle, and RJ Barrett. You could take a flier on Middleton, but he’s very dependent on his shooting for value, and as mentioned above, the Knicks can lock teams down.
Pistons vs. Wizards
I’m almost ready to give up on my hometown squad. They were up by 17 against the stout Knicks defense and ended up losing the game. They also made a strange move at the trade deadline by giving up Moe Wagner, who has been our only Center worth his salt (no shade to Robin Lopez), to trade for two role-playing big men on the Bulls. They’ve torched us when they played us, but the Wiz have the 27th ranked defense in the league, so who hasn’t? I’m going to stick with the Wizards, but only because the Pistons just traded away Svi and Delon Wright. I trust Russ and Brad Beal to handle Jermai Grant and co.
DFS Targets: DET targets: Grant, Plumlee, Ellington. WAS targets: Beal, Russ, Rui, and Garrison Matthews (Look at him! If he keeps shooting like this, somebody is going to have to pay him).
Rockets vs. Timberwolves
You don’t have to watch this game. I promise you don’t. I’ll watch it for you though. It doesn’t matter who wins this game, but both teams are bad enough to make potential DFS targets. These teams should have no problem scoring, they can’t stop anyone.
DFS Targets: HOU targets: Wall, Brown, Tate, and Wood. MIN targets: KAT, Edwards, and Rubio.
Bulls vs. Spurs
Well, well, well. The Bulls decided they want to be contenders. Talk about a surprise! I didn’t see Nikola Vucevic becoming a Bull. I can’t believe the Magic made this trade. They also got Troy Brown from my Wiz, who can be an exciting young piece for them. Neither of them will make their debut today, as far as I know, however. That means the Bulls are going to be depleted against a Spurs team that is 10th in the league in defense. I like the Spurs.
DFS Targets: CHI targets: Satoransky, LaVine, Lauri, and Young. SAS targets: Murray, White, DeRozan, Johnson, and Poeltl.
Grizzlies vs. Jazz
Jazz…don’t overthink it.
DFS Targets: In a potential blowout game, I’d just stick with the stars, if you decide to target anybody from this game. Mitchell, Gobert, and Morant.
Mavericks vs. Pelicans
I was expecting more moves from the Mavs this trade deadline. They’re not terrible, but they won’t beat any of the top teams in a seven-game series. If they even make it. The Pelicans…well. Zion and Brandon Ingram are a good start, but I don’t even know what they need to become a winning team. I’ll roll with the Mavs in this one.
DFS Targets: DAL targets: Luka, Porzingis, and Richardson. NO targets: Zion, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart.
Celtics vs. Thunder
The Celtics are 11th in the league in terms of net rating. The Thunder are 26th in net rating. And the Thunder can no longer lean on Shai to drop 30+. The Celtics have their issues, and probably should’ve made a bigger splash for Andre Drummond, but they don’t need him to beat the Thunder tonight. Go with Boston.
DFS Targets: BOS targets: Tatum, Brown, Smart, and Walker. OKC targets: Dort, Pokusevski, Roby, and Horford.
76ers vs. Clippers
No Embiid. Perhaps no Kawhi. If Kawhi plays, I like the Clippers to handle this one the whole way. If it’s just Paul George and company, I think Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris can make this a game they can control. This is a lineup-dependent game. I guess they all are, but you know what I mean.
DFS Targets: PHI targets: Simmons, Harris, Green, and Curry. LAC targets: George, Kawhi (maybe), Zubac, Batum, and Mann for value.
Cavaliers vs. Kings
Kings can handle this one.
DFS Targets: I’d keep targets to Garland, Allen, Holmes, Haliburton, Fox, and Hield.
Don’t forget to check back later in the day as Bradlee will be updating his NBA DFS preview with all the info you need to turn tonight’s slate into a resounding success!
If you are reading this on Fantrax.com make sure to head on over to FantraxHQ to check out Brad’s afternoon updates.
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