While March Madness may be generating much of the attention of the basketball world this month, the Western Conference has been in a state of madness all season. The Thunder and Nuggets are tied for the best record in the West with the Timberwolves 1.5 games behind. OKC and Minnesota are two teams playing in Friday's eight-game NBA slate, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the NBA in scoring at 30.9 points per game. Should daily Fantasy basketball players include the Thunder superstar in NBA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings?
The Wolves are playing their eighth game without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee), and Anthony Edwards is averaging 31.1 ppg over that stretch. Edwards and Gilgeous-Alexander are two of the top options in Friday's NBA DFS player pool, so are they worth their prices for NBA DFS lineups? Who would be some cheaper NBA DFS picks with value to potentially pair with them in your NBA DFS strategy? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Jimmie Kaylor.
Kaylor is a DFS and betting expert for SportsLine, who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest in 2022. He uses a combination of his background as a former college and professional athlete and his keen eye for statistical trends when making his picks and locking in his DFS lineups. Kaylor enters the 2024 calendar year with multiple five-figure tournament cashes on his DFS resume.
Kaylor's approach allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he only shares on SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
Last Friday (when Kaylor last made picks), Kaylor highlighted Suns center Jusuf Nurkic as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Nurkic had 13 points, 21 rebounds, two assists and a steal, returning 44.75 points on DraftKings and 42.2 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Kaylor has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, March 22
For Friday, one of Kaylor's top NBA DFS picks is 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey ($8,700 on DraftKings and $9,000 on FanDuel). Maxey is coming off a rough shooting performance, going 3 of 13 for six points in a 115-102 loss to the Suns on Wednesday. But the 23-year-old scored at least 30 points in each of his previous three games, making Wednesday more likely a one-off poor performance for the dynamic 76ers guard.
The Sixers have relied on Maxey to take a huge role with Joel Embiid (knee) out. Tobias Harris (ankle, questionable) has missed the last three games as well, putting more offensive pressure on Maxey. Outside of Wednesday, the fourth-year guard has shined in his expanded role. The 76ers play the Lakers on Friday and Maxey had 31 points and eight assists against Los Angeles in their first meeting of the season.
Another part of Kaylor's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham ($8,200 on DraftKings and $8,400 on FanDuel). Cunningham had 23 points, six rebounds and 10 assists against the Pacers on Wednesday. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is averaging 22.2 points and 7.6 assists per game in his third NBA season.
The Pistons draw a tough matchup against the Celtics, but Cunningham is one of the few players in the league to have strong success against Boston this season. He had 31 points, six rebounds, nine assists and three steals against Boston earlier this season. Cunningham has at least nine assists in three straight games and if Detroit has any chance of a massive upset against Boston, it'll need a huge game from the 22-year-old point guard. See Kaylor's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, March 22
Kaylor is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Jimmie Kaylor putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest, and find out.
