NBA Pulse: Wednesday, March 18

The NBA Pulse is constructed to give daily fantasy enthusiasts insight to the most popular picks in a game slate, assessing their viability along the way. In other words, this column is designed to gauge the daily fantasy world's opinion as a whole. We will then take it a step further, telling you when to “join the herd" and when to pivot elsewhere.

Buzz is calculated on a 1-10 scale by considering numerous daily fantasy media outlets picks and general conversation on forums/twitter.

POINT GUARD

It appears that most people are gravitating towards Stephen Curry instead of paying up for Russell Westbrook. I can't say I disagree. That is the preferred route, especially in cash games, as Curry will be called upon to carry a larger offensive load with Klay Thompson out.

Reggie Jackson and Kyle Lowry check in as the next most popular PG's. I'm reserving Lowry more for tournaments, as he's pricey on FanDuel, and the blowout factor looms. Reggie Jackson is playable in all formats. Don't expect him to catch 50 FP upside again, but he's a solid mid-range pick in a great matchup. It doesn't hurt that he's playing with confidence after last night's breakthrough.

Russell Westbrook is still generating buzz, but it's significantly less than Curry at this point in time. Take note of that for tournament opportunities.

George Hill and Goran Dragic are two other mid-range options that have people buzzing. Of the two, I would feel more comfortable taking Hill in a good matchup vs Chicago's weak, injury-laden backcourt.

UNDER THE RADAR: Nobody is talking about Elfrid Payton, yet he has a great matchup against the Mavericks. He could receive an uptick if Tobias Harris were to miss this game.

SHOOTING GUARD

Dwyane Wade is the flavor of the day here, as he'll take his hotstreak into a matchup vs Portland's last ranked defense vs SG's (over the past five games).

Kent Bazemore has a better price tag on DraftKings than FanDuel, and I feel more comfortable targeting him over there.

Justin Holiday is SG eligible on some sites, SF eligible on others. He's a fine value pick at a scarce position, especially if you are paying up for the top studs.

Victor Oladipo is a high upside pivot off Dwyane Wade. If Tobias Harris is out, his fantasy prospects become a little bit better.

DeMar DeRozan is nothing more than a tournament pick for the same reasons outlined with Lowry above.

Monta Ellis is a satisfying cash game play at FanDuel, and majority of the articles mentioning him directly referenced FanDuel.

UNDER THE RADAR: Evan Turner and Avery Bradley are two players to consider for tournaments in a fast-paced matchup vs Oklahoma City.

SMALL FORWARD

Small Forward profiles as a mixed bag tonight. Chandler Parsons and Rodney Hood are receiving a little more buzz than others, but there is no clear “consensus" pick. I'm fine with targeting both of these guys, with Hood serving as a cheap filler, and Parsons holding more upside.

Nic Batum and Draymond Green are in decent positions, especially the latter. However, they both have prohibitive price points – except Green's salary on DraftKings.

UNDER THE RADAR: DeMarre Carroll has a non-prohibitive price point, and he could see heavy minutes in this up-tempo draw at Golden State.

POWER FORWARD

This is surprising, as I was under the impression that Nerlens Noel would fall through the cracks tonight. However, people seem to buying, as he has rattled off a nice stretch of consistency, and the matchup vs Detroit looks good on paper. I'm buying some shares, but not investing exclusively.

Blake Griffin has a good matchup at Sacramento, and the fact LAC is playing b2b on the road reduces the blowout risk. He doesn't offer a ton of profit potential at his price point, but he should near/exceed his value threshold.

Nikola Mirotic is someone I'm targeting heavily on FanDuel, as he should see 30+ minutes again. Some people may be scared off by the subpar matchup, but remember, Mirotic isn't a traditional PF that will bang against Indiana's strong frontcourt. Instead, they'll have to chase him around the perimeter, which creates a nice mismatch.

UNDER THE RADAR: Thaddeus Young isn't getting enough love today. He's mispriced considering a starting role, in a decent matchup vs Cleveland. The only concern here lies within a potential blowout, as the Cavs are favored by 12.

CENTER

Enes Kanter, Enes Kanter, and more Enes Kanter. He is especially hard to fade in a great matchup for a non-prohibitive price. He'll be in majority of my lineups, and I'm suggesting to follow this pick in cash games.

What to make of Andre Drummond? Sure, the matchup profiles great vs Philly, but Andre hasn't really done much against the Sixers in the past. Maybe for a tournament, but I'm not going there. I'd rather invest in Rudy Gobert for upside at a similar price point.

Gorgui Dieng is generating some late buzz following the announcement that Pekovic and Garnett are doubtful. He's a pleasant cash game pick, where priced significantly below Kanter. If they are similar in price, I'm rolling with Enes.

UNDER THE RADAR: Stemming off the Dieng write-up, don't forget about Justin Hamilton either. He's likely to see minutes off Minnesota's bench – averaging 30 fppg over the past four.