Isaiah Thomas has played a total of 539 games throughout his NBA career with two All-Star appearances. This season, he’s played a total of 11 games, but the majority of them have been with Charlotte, starting with the first of two 10-day contracts in March. Despite his limited role with the Hornets, his production in three of the last four games has been useful enough to contribute to NBA DFS lineups.
On Monday, the Hornets host the New Orleans Pelicans, who have also had to call upon a couple of 10-day contract players, but they haven’t made the impact Thomas has with Charlotte. Excluding a quiet game against Atlanta last Wednesday, Thomas has made 54 percent of his shots and averaged 12.3 points since March 11. Are there any gems on short-term contracts that can help you in Monday’s NBA DFS player pool? Before you make 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 Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with nearly $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Sunday, McClure listed Magic power forward Wendell Carter Jr. as one of his top NBA DFS picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Carter scored a season-high 30 points to go with 16 rebounds, two steals and a block to return 59 points on DraftKings and 56.2 points on FanDuel. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to the Monday, March 21, NBA DFS slate and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Monday, March 21
One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks on Monday is Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, who is listed at $12,000 on DraftKings and $10,600 on FanDuel. Doncic bounced back from a poor shooting performance on Friday against Philadelphia with a 37-point showing against Charlotte on Saturday. Against the Hornets, he shot 65 percent from the field and knocked down 3-of-5 three-point attempts.
On Monday, the Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have been one of the league’s hottest teams since the All-Star break, and have won 11 of their last 13 games. Doncic was in the midst of a 10-game absence (health and safety protocols) when the Mavs last played against Minnesota in consecutive games at the end of December. Despite the off-night against the 76ers, he has been stellar in March, and has gone over 30 points in six of the nine games he’s played this month.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Trail Blazers point guard Kris Dunn ($3,800 on DraftKings and $4,900 on FanDuel). The fifth-year journeyman has been asked to step in for Portland on a 10-day contract as the Blazers continue to slog through a bevy of injuries to key players. Dunn has played four games for the Blazers since March 14 but has hit double-digit scoring totals in two of his last three.
Over his last three games, he has averaged 10 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 steals in around 25 minutes of work per outing. On Monday, the Blazers visit Detroit, which has been a bottom-10 Fantasy defense against opposing point guards this season on DraftKings and FanDuel. The Pistons have also given up the ninth-most assists to opponents this season, so Dunn should be able to continue picking out teammates for scoring opportunities.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Monday, March 21
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Monday 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.
So who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Monday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.