FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Thursday 3/28/24

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FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Thursday 3/28/24

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. Our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- update throughout the day to reflect current news. You can also turn to numberFire for player news updates as well as a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks

Thursday's main slate on FanDuel features two games. For a full breakdown, see numberFire's matchup heat map.

Thursday matchups:

Guards

Top Plays

CJ McCollum ($7,900) -- C.J. McCollum has taken on a larger role since Brandon Ingram went down, averaging 25.3 actual and 40.7 FanDuel points per game (FPPG). His usage rate has jumped to 29% over that span, so I'm happy to deploy him against Milwaukee tonight. Even with the Bucks' improved defense, they're still among the 10-best fantasy matchups for guards over the last 15 games, per FantasyPros.

Payton Pritchard ($5,600) -- Payton Pritchard continues to cook in an expanded role with per-game averages of 34 minutes, 17.7 points, and 7.7 assists over the last six games. That's culminated in 33.9 FPPG, making him a strong salary-saver tonight. There's a chance Jrue Holiday returns from a five-game absence tonight, but a lopsided spread should funnel more than enough playing time Pritchard's way.

Others to Consider

Derrick White ($7,700) -- After missing Monday's loss to Atlanta, Derrick White will be back in action for tonight's rematch. The combo guard had been playing well prior to his most recent absence, averaging 43.5 FPPG across his previous seven appearances. There's a chance White hits the bench early in a potential blowout, but the recent production has me bullish he can produce against a Hawks D that's surrendered the fifth-most FPPG to SGs over the last 15 games.

Herbert Jones ($6,000) -- Bucks-Pelicans is where I want most of my exposure on tonight's two-game slate, and Herbert Jones makes sense as a mid-range SG. Herb hasn't flashed much upside of late, but he's been awfully consistent, exceeding 25 FPs in four of the last five games. I'm still hopeful he gets more usage with Brandon Ingram sidelined. According to RotoGrinders' CourtIQ, Jones has averaged 29.6 FPPG with BI sidelined -- compared to 23.7 with him in the lineup.

Wings

Top Plays

Jayson Tatum ($10,400) -- It's hard to build around high-salary studs on such a small slate, but Jayson Tatum is still tempting. He popped for 61.1 FPs in Monday's loss to the Hawks, and there's no reason he can't enjoy similar success in tonight's rematch. Granted, we don't expect Atlanta to mount a 30-point comeback again, but if they keep things at all competitive, we could see Tatum go under-rostered relative to his upside.

Bogdan Bogdanovic ($6,800) -- I'm still waiting for Bogdan Bogdanovic to consistently flirt with 40 FPs given Atlanta's injuries, but he's at least trending up. The SF/SG is coming off a 37.3-FP effort, and he notably scored 22 actual points in Monday's comeback win. It feels like a longshot that the Hawks keep things close again tonight, but Bogdanovic should at least enjoy stellar usage. Since Jalen Johnson went down on March 18th, Bogdan has averaged 13.5 field goal attempts per game.

Others to Consider

Trey Murphy ($6,500) -- Like Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III is someone who's been uber-consistent of late but who I can't help but want a little more from without Brandon Ingram around. Murphy is averaging 31.3 FPPG since the All-Star break, shooting 39% from three (on nearly nine attempts per game). That should come in handy against a Bucks defense that's allowed the fourth-most three-point attempts since the break.

Vit Krejci ($4,800) -- For some value at wing, consider Vit Krejci. The SF's playing time has slowly ticked up this month, and he's now exceeded 30 minutes in four straight games. He scored a season-high 26.2 FPs in Monday's win over Boston and should see a sizable workload regardless of the score.

Bigs

Top Plays

Zion Williamson ($9,500) -- With 55.4 and 54 FPs in the last two games, we're beginning to see Zion Williamson fully unleashed. He's notably played 38 and 36 minutes in the last two outings, marking two of his three-highest minute totals of the year. As the primary option with Brandon Ingram out, Zion has a tough matchup with Milwaukee. The Bucks have surrendered the eighth fewest FPPG to PFs on the year, but Zion's awesome role is too good to pass up on a two-game slate.

Bruno Fernando ($4,900) -- Bruno Fernando continues to be a projections darling, with numberFire pegging him for 24.9 FPs tonight. Not only is he the top point-per-dollar value on the slate (5.08 FPs per $1,000), but he's also the only player with 5x value tonight. Despite the unfavorable matchup, Fernando should be in line for a sizable workload for the injury-riddled Hawks. Boston did hold up to 19.1 FPs earlier this week, but he's otherwise flashed real upside this month via a pair of 35-FP games.

Others to Consider

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800) -- Giannis Antetokounmpo boasts the highest raw projection (53.4) tonight, but that comes with the slate's highest salary, too. If you can scrounge up enough value to make the Greek Freak, I'm on board. He's coming off a downright silly 29-point, 21-rebound, 11-assist game on Tuesday -- one that gave him his third 70-FP game of the month. His salary is just tough to swallow given the small slate.

Luke Kornet ($5,000) -- Keep an eye on Boston's injury report, particularly Al Horford's status. Horford is questionable, but I'll happily run Luke Kornet at center if the former is ruled out. Kornet only played nine minutes in Monday's loss to Atlanta, but he's exceeded 30 FPs in each of the last three games he's seen 25-plus minutes. Notably, Kornet has averaged 20.5 minutes and 23.9 FPPG with Horford sidelined this season.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.