Players to consider fading in NBA DFS for Tuesday, March 31st

Tuesday’s main NBA slate on DraftKings will be a small one. Only four games will tip-off between 7 and 10 p.m. ET. As usual, there are pricey players that you’ll want to be wary of.

In NBA DFS, there will always be some flashy names that may tempt you to pay up — even in an unfavorable matchup. Name value sometimes comes with reliability, but the trick to cashing in on your NBA lineups is to maximize the boom while operating under the salary cap. Sometimes, this means fading the chalk plays and spending elsewhere.

Here, we’ll break down three top NBA DFS fades for the game slate on Tuesday, March 31st.

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks ($9,000)

Young creates most of Atlanta’s offense, but the Phoenix Suns are a terrible matchup for him. Chris Paul isn’t a slouch on defense at age 36, and he has a lot to do with Phoenix’s success guarding point guards. The Suns boast a top-five defensive rating (108) and rank first against opposing point guards on DraftKings. Mikal Bridges will make things tough for Young on the perimeter, as the Hawks are short on capable wings because of injuries. There’s a good chance Young will be one of the top performers on this four-game slate, but several other guards could be worthwhile pivots for much less than $9K.

Terrence Ross, Orlando Magic ($7,100)

Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier getting moved ahead of the trade deadline improved Ross’s fantasy value. Still, he’s overpriced in his first game back after missing seven contests with a knee injury. He’s Orlando’s top scoring threat but is up against a team with two elite defensive wings. If this game is a blowout, rostering Ross could hurt you in a big way. The Los Angeles Clippers are 11.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets ($6,200)

Gordon was efficient in his Nuggets debut, but his fantasy numbers weren’t great. His 19.5 DKFP in 21 minutes was encouraging, and his workload will likely increase in time. However, he’s a little pricey for a fourth option at best while he’s getting accustomed to a new team. Gordon could return significant fantasy value at some point down the road, but Michael Porter Jr., Paul Millsap, and JaMychal Green can pilfer minutes from him at the 4 at this point in the year.