NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Sleeper Lineup Picks for 3/13/19

*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*

It’s been a fairly quiet start to the week for the NBA and things don’t really pick up Wednesday with just six games on the schedule. We still have another opportunity to win some cash in DFS, though, so let’s highlight a couple of cheaper value plays at each position that could provide value. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our NBA Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

POINT GUARDS

D.J. Augustin, ORL at WAS
FanDuel = $4,300
DraftKings = $4,300

Augustin continues to churn out respectable stat lines, averaging 11.2 points, three rebounds and 5.1 assists across his last 10 games. With very little talent behind him at point guard, his role is safe moving forward. The Wizards play at the seventh-fastest pace (102.8 possessions per game) and allow the second-most points per game (117.2) in the league, so this could be a matchup to take advantage of by using Augustin for your entry.

Ish Smith, DET at MIA
FanDuel = $4,300
DraftKings = $4,100

Smith isn’t going to grab many headlines playing on a team that includes Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, but that doesn’t mean he’s not crucial for the Pistons to be successful. He’s played well off the bench down the stretch, averaging 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists over his last 13 games. When these two teams met a little over two weeks ago, Smith destroyed the Heat for 22 points and nine assists. At this cheap price, he’s an intriguing option in tournament play.

SHOOTING GUARDS

Delon Wright, MEM at ATL
FanDuel = $5,300
DraftKings = $4,600

The Grizzlies are normally not a high-scoring team in large part because they play at the slowest pace (96.8). However, they’ll need to pick things up Wednesday considering the Hawks play at the second-fastest pace (104.4). That’s good news for Wright, who has carved out an important role off the bench since being acquired from the Raptors. Even though his upside isn’t overly high when Mike Conley is healthy, Wright could still provide value.

Andre Iguodala, GS at HOU
FanDuel = $4,300
DraftKings = $4,000

This is the highlight game of the night in what is a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Kevin Durant (ankle) will not take the floor. That should open up more minutes for Iguodala, especially considering the small lineups that the Rockets like to deploy. He’s clearly not going to get a ton of offensive looks with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins still in the fold, but his ability to contribute in multiple areas could make him worth the risk in tournament play.

SMALL FORWARDS

Jae Crowder, UTA at PHO
FanDuel = $5,200
DraftKings = $5,000

After a stunning 18-game losing streak, the Suns have won five of their last seven games. They even defeated the Bucks and Warriors during that stretch, so they might actually be able to keep this game close at home against the Jazz. Crowder should receive plenty of playing time off the bench regardless, leaving him as a viable cheaper option to target considering the Suns allow the third-most points per game (115.9).

Mikal Bridges, PHO vs. UTA
FanDuel = $4,900
DraftKings = $4,000

Few players can remain DFS relevant despite not scoring much, but Bridges is doing just that. He’s only averaged 7.6 points across his last 10 games, but he’s helped make up for the lack of offense by averaging 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and two steals during that stretch. While that’s nothing to write home about, that does bring him into the discussion for viable cheap options at small forward.

POWER FORWARDS

P.J. Tucker, HOU vs. GS
FanDuel = $4,800
DraftKings = $3,800

Speaking of players who don’t score much, enter Tucker. He’s only averaging 7.7 points a game this year and has never averaged more than 9.4 points during any season of his career. However, his defensive prowess makes him a huge reason for the Rockets’ success and enables him to log a ton of minutes. That’s helped him average 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.8 three-pointers a night. After recording 18 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks against the Warriors a couple of weeks ago, he makes a lot of sense in DFS for their rematch.

Rodions Kurucs, BKN at OKC
FanDuel = $4,600
DraftKings = $4,600

Just when the Nets finally became healthy in their backcourt, their frontcourt suffered an injury with DeMarre Carroll (knee) ruled out for this game. That could open up a few added minutes for Kurucs, who is already averaging 13.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, one steal and one block across his last five games. It also helps his upside that the Thunder play at the third-fastest pace (104.1) in the league.

CENTERS

Steven Adams, OKC vs. BKN
FanDuel = $6,900
DraftKings = $6,300

If you’re playing on FanDuel, viable cheap center options are few and far between. Let’s come up in price a little bit for this creampuff matchup that Adams has against the Nets. The Nets simply can’t slow down centers, allowing the fourth-most DraftKings points per game and the fifth-most FanDuel points per game to the position. Adams has five double-doubles across his last seven contests and should be a safe bet to make it six out of eight by the time this game is over.

Joakim Noah, MEM at ATL
FanDuel = $4,800
DraftKings = $4,700

If you are going to chase a cheap center, why not go after the Hawks? With how poorly they defend across the board, they could produce several fantasy-friendly stat lines for players on the Grizzlies. Even with Jonas Valanciunas healthy and starting each of the last eight games, Noah has still been able to average 10.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, four assists and 1.3 blocks over that stretch.

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award.