This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.
Sunday's six-game slate once again has key injuries at the forefront, as Stephen Curry has gone back on the shelf alongside fellow stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. That could mean a big night for the returning Draymond Green, while the Rockets could also be facing another game without Chris Paul. The Trail Blazers and Thunder face off in the marquee battle of the day, while the Clippers-Raptors tilt shapes up as an interesting undercard tilt. With so much to break down, let's dive in without further delay:
GUARDS:
Kyle Lowry, TOR vs. LAC ($16,500):James Harden ($22,300) and Russell Westbrook ($22,100) sit prominently atop the guard tier Sunday, and both naturally make for strong plays if you can afford them, although there's definitely a blowout risk with The Beard. For those who need upside at a discount, Lowry gets a crack at what's been one of the most vulnerable defenses against point guards of late, as the Clippers come in allowing the seventh-most fantasy points (56.0) to ones over the last 10, a stretch during which they're also surrendering the fifth-highest shooting percentage (46.0) to the position. Lowry has also been on a tear himself, scoring 42.50 to 60.50 fantasy points in the last four games while shooting a blistering 62.5 percent. Moreover, the Clippers' seventh-fastest pace of play (102.2 possession per game) should serve Lowry well for fantasy purposes, furthering his case.
C.J. McCollum, POR at OKC ($13,900): McCollum eviscerated the Thunder for 53.00 fantasy points on March 3, and he's averaging 25.7 points on 51.8 percent shooting overall in three meetings against OKC this season. The Thunder continue to lay out the welcome mat for shooting guards, as they'll come into Sunday's contest allowing the second-most fantasy points (43.7) to the position on the season, including the most (61.1) over the last 10. They're also allowing the most made threes (3.5) to two-guards on the campaign and surrendering the second-highest percentage of scoring from three-pointers (32.6), including 38.0 percent over the last three contests. McCollum had a clunker two games ago against the Rockets, but he's scored over 30 fantasy points in 10 other March contests, providing solid-to-excellent returns on his current price in the process.
Trey Burke, NY at WAS ($9,900): There's a number of potential tournament options that can be considered Sunday, including Quinn Cook ($11,900) on the high end and the Hawks' duo of Damion Lee ($7,400) and Tyler Dorsey ($6,900) on the bargain-bin side of things. Meanwhile, Burke sits in the middle of those two price points and has been offering strong production in a steady second-unit role of late. The reserve point guard has scored 22.25 to 34.00 fantasy points in five of the last six contests, and he's averaging a solid 10.8 shot attempts over 24.4 minutes in the last five. The Wizards make for an appealing target as well, as the 54.7 fantasy points they've yielded to point guards over their last five games represent a notable spike over the 38.1 they've yielded on the season.
FORWARDS/CENTERS:
Draymond Green, GS vs. UTA ($17,500): Green is slated to be back in the lineup Sunday after a one-game absence due to a pelvic contusion, leaving him poised for a potentially explosive return despite the relatively tough matchup. Stephen Curry (knee), Klay Thompson (thumb) and Kevin Durant (ribs) all remain out Sunday, and Green went off for 50.00 and 56.75 fantasy points in two games without that trio prior to his injury. The Jazz's frontcourt isn't exactly where one typically goes to find fantasy success, but Utah does come in allowing 41.3 fantasy points to power forwards over the last 10, and Green's usage levels should once again be through the roof after averaging 17 shot attempts over his first pair of contests without his star teammates on the floor.
DeAndre Jordan, LAC at TOR ($14,500): Jordan touched up the Raptors for 14 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal across 33 minutes in one prior meeting this season, and Toronto come in allowing the seventh-most rebounds (12.3) to centers on the season. They're also allowing the fourth-most points in the paint (50.7) over the last three – an area of the floor where Jordan logs 80.4 percent of his scoring. Moreover, Jordan has hit the double-double bonus in four of his last five, a stretch during which he's scored over 40 fantasy points twice and more than 50 in another instance.
Markieff Morris, WAS vs. NY ($10,100):Jonas Valanciunas ($12,700), Morris' brother Marcus Morris ($12,300) and Morris' teammate Kelly Oubre, Jr. ($10,700) are three other options that come to mind at this level, but Markieff offers a discount over all of them and has been outpacing his current price on a frequent basis lately. The veteran big man has eclipsed 30 fantasy points in three of the past five, and in five of the last eight overall. He's also averaging 12.4 shot attempts over his last five – a notable bump over his 9.3 season figure – while the Knicks come in allowing the fourth-most fantasy points (56.1) to power forwards over the last 10. Given his current level of usage and the Knicks' considerable defensive deficiencies lately, Morris could be poised for another strong return on his reasonable price.
UTILITY:
Ricky Rubio, UTA at GS ($13,500): Rubio's current five-game tear includes fantasy-point tallies of 36.75 to 44.75, along with a solid 45.2 percent success rate -- including 50.0 percent from distance – on an elevated average of 12.4 attempts. The veteran point guard is also averaging 16.5 points, 6.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals across 30.5 minutes over two games against the Warriors this season, and he's likely to benefit from the bump in pace that Golden State will bring. Rubio won't have to worry about defending Stephen Curry (knee), either, and the Warriors come in allowing the sixth-most fantasy points (56.6) to ones over the last 10 games, along with the fifth-most made threes (3.0).
Greg Monroe, BOS at SAC ($10,300): Monroe has comfortably outpaced his current price on multiple occasions recently, scoring 32.00 to 33.50 fantasy points in four of the last five games. The veteran big man is draining 58.8 percent of his 10.2 shot attempts per contest during that span, with the latter figure representing a bump of nearly three attempts over his season figure. The Kings also come in allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency rating (33.1) to centers on the season and are sporting the sixth-lowest team shooting percentage (44.5) in March, the latter which could afford Monroe a few extra rebounding opportunities.
