FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Sunday 3/6/22

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 NBA is very reliant on 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, and we also have player news updates. The projected numbers referenced below may change throughout the day.

We'll be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position. The main slate starts at 7 p.m. EST.

Guards

Ja Morant, PG, (FanDuel Salary: $10,300) - There's a lot to like about Morant in a date with the Houston Rockets in a game that boasts a 237.0-point total -- a slate-best mark by 9.5 points. Over the last 15 games, Houston is permitting the seventh-most FanDuel points per game to point guards (51.1), and they're also dead last in defensive rating in that time while playing at the ninth-fastest pace. So, yeah, it's a friendly matchup. An 11.0-point spread is the lone box unchecked for Morant's outlook, but he's an excellent play regardless.

Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, $9,000 - Not only do the Utah Jazz get a dreamy matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Mike Conley is sitting out. With Conley off the floor the past four weeks, Mitchell sports a 35.6% usage rate -- a rise of 3.3 percentage points -- and puts up 1.56 FanDuel points per minute, according to RotoGrinders' CourtIQ. The lone concern is blowout risk as this game carries a 14.0-point spread. If it stays close, Mitchell has one of the best ceilings on the slate, and if he gets only three quarters, he can still do a lot of damage. If the lopsided spread scares you, Jordan Clarkson ($4,900) is a viable pivot at a much lower salary.

Others to Consider: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200), Reggie Jackson ($7,000), Alec Burks ($5,100), Jordan Clarkson ($4,900)

Wings

Desmond Bane, SG/SF, $5,600 - Early on, it looks like the forward spots will be a good place to save some coin. Bane is easy to like at this salary. We have him cruising to value, projecting him for 29.4 FanDuel points (5.25 per $1,000). There's upside for more against the Rockets' porous defense. Shooting guards have produced 43.1 FanDuel points per game versus Houston over the last 15 games, which is the seventh-most. Bane has posted 34.2 and 29.9 FanDuel points in his two most recent appearances. The floor/ceiling combination is fantastic.

Bojan Bogdanovic, SF/PF, $4,400 - I'll write up someone from a team other than Utah or Memphis eventually, but Bogdanovic is guy who I'll have a lot of tonight. In the split sans Conley the last four weeks, Bogdanovic owns a 26.2% usage rate. OKC (8th in pace the last 15 games) is a huge pace-up spot for Utah (27th). Our algorithm projects Bogdanovic for 25.1 FanDuel points, which amounts to 5.69 per $1,000.

Others to Consider: Gary Trent Jr. ($6,600), Herbert Jones ($4,800), Jaxson Hayes ($4,800)

Bigs

Nikola Jokic, C, $10,900 - Jokic tops our projections as we forecast him to amass 55.6 FanDuel points (5.01 per $1,000). That's 6.8 clear of everyone else. After sitting last time out, the Joker is expected to play today, and his matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans is a great one for DFS. The total is 227.5, and the spread is just 3.5 points. The Pels have surrendered the ninth-most FanDuel points per game to centers this season (55.0). Jokic is a core play for me, and he might not be super chalky due to this next guy.

Rudy Gobert, C, $8,400 - Gobert can smash against the Thunder. OKC has given up the fourth-most FanDuel points per game to centers (57.5) this campaign. Over the last two weeks, that number is up to 63.1. The blowout risk (14.0-point favorites) and Jokic's monster upside push me toward the Denver Nuggets' start, but this is unquestionably a spot in which Gobert could go off. If Jokic is projected to be super popular, it'll increase my interest in Gobert, but if the expected popularity is similar, I'll go big on Jokic.

Others to Consider: Pascal Siakam ($8,100), Aleksej Pokusevski ($5,300)