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We are getting down to the last few days and only a few changes can be made to the current playoff positioning. A big one tonight is the Pelicans vs. Kings game. The Pelicans are holding on to a tight half-game lead over the Suns and a two-game lead over the Kings. The Celtics vs. Knicks game doesn't have much playoff implications but the Knicks are a game and a half back from the Bucks for the second seed. With the Celtics locked into first, I expect them to begin resting their starters. Both the Warriors and Bulls could move up or stay where they are based on how they finish out the last few games, so they can be viable options as well.
The key to being successful in NBA DFS comes down to making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always essential to have a game plan, and the best players and spots circled first before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/11/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EDT on FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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Today's NBA DFS Core Picks
Let's take a look at our premium projections to narrow down some of our core plays for the day!
The Kings are fighting to get out of the play-in tournament, so there won't be any resting starters here. Domantas Sabonis gets a great matchup against the Pelicans, who have struggled to defend centers throughout the last seven games where they have given up the eighth-most fantasy points.
DeMar DeRozan is in an elite spot coming into this matchup against the Pistons. The Pistons give up the second-most fantasy points to opposing SFs over the last 15 minutes. At this point, the Bulls are playing to have a home-court advantage over the Hawks in the play-in. They will continue to play hard and the starters should see full minutes. DeRozan has been seeing upward of 40+ minutes a game and has scored 40+ fantasy points in nine of the last 10 games.
Unless something happens where Deandre Ayton is ruled out, he has to be an option on this slate. He is keeping this poor Blazers team in games. He has had 35+ FP in five straight games with two of those being over 50. The Warriors haven't been running a true center out there, so it will make Ayton hard to defend, especially as he has become a solid mid-range shooter, too.
- Domantas Sabonis, SAC vs. NOP – C ($10.4K DK; $10.6K FD)
- DeMar DeRozan, CHI at DET – SF/PF ($8.1K DK; $8.6K FD)
- Deandre Ayton, POR vs. GSW – C ($8.4K DK; $8.7K FD)
Today's NBA DFS Value Picks
The Utah Jazz? Their roster has been torn to shreds from "injuries" as the season is coming to an end, so it opens a lot of space up for a bunch of guys to get minutes they probably would haven't seen otherwise. Talen Horton-Tucker and Keyonte George should see the most minutes at the guard positions as they are down to three healthy guards. At the forward position, Luka Samanic is coming off an impressive game, as did Omer Yurtseven. They are much more affordable on DraftKings, but there are a few guys on FanDuel that are pretty cheap as well.
Chimezie Metu has seen quite a bump in minutes, and the Pistons are beginning to get low on frontcourt guys and have leaned on Metu to pick up the slack. He took a bit of a production hit when Jalen Duren came back on the court but is still in line to get 30+ minutes and has shown he can fill up the stat sheet.
Sam Hauser could be in line for a starting spot coming into tonight's game against the Knicks. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jrue Holiday are all questionable. If any one of these guys is out, this could lead to extended minutes for Hauser, who is a lethal three-point shooter. His price at 4.9K is an awesome deal if he ends up starting, too.
Top Value Plays:
- Luka Samanic, UTA vs. HOU - PF ($3.6K DK; $4.5K FD)
- Chimezie Metu, DET vs. CHI – PF/C ($5K DK; $5.7K FD)
- Sam Hauser, BOS vs. NYK – SF ($4.9K DK; $4.9K FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard
Jalen Brunson has been a walking bucket recently. He has only dropped below 30 points once in his last seven games. He is shooting plenty of times each night, so the volume is there. My only worry is if Boston does decide to rest its starters this game, it could easily end up being one-sided and the Knicks could run away with it. Jalen has dropped 60 fantasy points in four straight and they are eyeing that two seed, which they are in reach of.
The thing I love most about Scoot Henderson tonight is he is blowout-proof. He has pushed 35+ minutes a night fairly consistently recently and it looks like Portland has given him the reins to run off with. If he can lower the amount of turnovers each night, he could be a solid fantasy player throughout the next couple of seasons. As for right now, though, he has been giving close to 20 points and nearly 10 assists a night. The $6,900 price tag on FD is a bit steep, but the ceiling is there for him to hit.
Scoot Henderson with a rookie franchise-high 15 AST!
He's averaging 19 PTS & 10 AST over his last 4 gamespic.twitter.com/bGmhbroR8y
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 10, 2024
Coby White looked better than ever in his game against the Knicks as he finished with 37 fantasy points in 42 minutes. Chicago is still fighting for playoff positioning and wants to see home-court advantage over the Hawks in the play-in, so expect Coby White and Co. to continue to play hard as they need to get this win here.
Top PG Options:
- Jalen Brunson, NYK at BOS – PG ($9.6K DK, $10K FD)
- Scoot Henderson, POR vs. GSW – PG ($6.9K DK, $6.9K FD)
- Coby White, CHI at DET - PG ($6.5K DK; $7.1K FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard
CJ McCollum has been a monster lately and has dropped 35+ fantasy points in 10 straight games. There is no game bigger than this one, however. They are holding on to a half-game lead and must keep it that way if they wish to avoid the play-in. His shooting has been fantastic lately and as long as he keeps the turnovers down, we should see 40+ FP out of him tonight.
Jaden Ivey becomes an elite option if Cade Cunningham is ruled out tonight. In his last three games while Cade has been out, he has finished with 35 fantasy points or better. The Bulls are also giving up the third-most fantasy points over the last 15 games to opposing PGs as well. That will be the position Jaden Ivey will be in if Cade is out.
Talen Horton-Tucker grades out as one of the better value plays on the slate. He makes much more sense on DK as he is dirt cheap, but if he produces anything close to his last game, he could be in for a 7x or better. He finished with 32 FP in 32 minutes in his previous game against the Nuggets. The Jazz backcourt is very depleted, so I expect his minutes to continue being where they have been.
Top SG Options:
- CJ McCollum, NOP at SAC - SG/PG ($8.3K DK; $8.5K FD)
- Jaden Ivey, DET vs. CHI - PG/SG ($6.6K DK; $7.1K FD)
- Talen Horton-Tucker, UTA vs. HOU – SG/SF ($3.7K DK; $5.6K FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward
DeMar DeRozan is in an elite spot coming into this matchup against the Pistons. The Pistons give up the second-most fantasy points to opposing SFs over the last 15 minutes. At this point, the Bulls are playing to have a home-court advantage over the Hawks in the play-in. They will continue to play hard and the starters should see full minutes. DeRozan has been seeing upward of 40+ minutes a game and has scored 40+ fantasy points in nine of the last 10 games.
Trey Murphy tonight:
31 points (game-high)
8 rebounds
9-17 FG
5-12 3PTThe Pelicans beat the Blazers 110-100!
— Hoos In The NBA (@hoosinthenba) April 10, 2024
Until Brandon Ingram is back in the lineup, I'm going to continue to attack Trey Murphy III. He has been a critical piece to this lineup. He is coming off a 51 FP performance against Portland on Tuesday night and has shown no sign of slowing down. He has averaged around 36 minutes per game over the last eight games. This game is a big one and they will need him to continue this production in a big way.
Top SF Options:
- DeMar DeRozan, CHI at DET – SF/PF ($8.1K DK; $8.6K FD)
- Trey Murphy III, NOP at SAC – SF ($6.5K DK; $7K FD)
- Sam Hauser, BOS vs. NYK – SF ($4.9K DK; $4.9K FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward
I think I have gone with Jabari Smith Jr. multiple times recently, but he once again has a great matchup against a depleted frontcourt in Utah. This game has one of the higher totals on this slate. Alperen Sengun will be out for the year, so I expect Jabari to continue to eat up minutes as the main big man for the Houston Rockets.
It was a hard choice but the Warriors have a few options to choose from at the PF position. Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Trayce Jackson-Davis are all viable options. The Blazers are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing PF/C over the last seven games. The Warriors, however, don't run a true center, so this will fall onto the other big men. I lean toward Wiggins as he has been getting the most minutes and is the cheapest of the three, but in the end, all of them are viable options.
Top PF Options:
- Jabari Smith Jr., HOU at UTA – PF ($6.2K DK; $7.2K FD)
- Andrew Wiggins, GSW vs. POR – PF($5.5K DK; $6.1K FD)
- Chimezie Metu, DET vs. CHI – PF/C ($5K DK; $5.7K FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center
I prefer to spend up at the center position with Nikola Vucevic being a solid option as well as the two others listed above. But, if you are looking for something a bit more budget-friendly, I like Isaiah Hartenstein here. It is by no means an easy matchup, but Boston could be resting some starters here, which could pave the way for an easier matchup than you would normally expect. At $6,600, he makes for a solid option who has 30+ fantasy-point upside.
Deandre Ayton scores a season-high 34 points and grabs 14 boards to lead Portland to the W in DC 💪 pic.twitter.com/2RGRd9n9vn
— NBA (@NBA) April 6, 2024
Top C Options:
- Domantas Sabonis, SAC vs. NOP – C ($10.4K DK; $10.6K FD)
- Deandre Ayton, POR vs. GSW – C ($8.4K DK; $8.7K FD)
- Isaiah Hartenstein, NYK at BOS – C ($5.5K DK; $6.6K FD)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
- Rockets at Jazz (226.5 points)
- Pelicans at Kings (218.5 points)
- Warriors at Trail Blazers (222.5 points)
Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
- The Warriors are a tough option to play this week, as they are projected to blow the Blazers out, which makes it tough to go after them. The Blazers have been keeping games closer than they should, so they could end up being solid options. The Blazers are very low on players, so they are still viable options even with a blowout possible.
- I find myself staying away from the Knicks game as there are a lot of unknowns, but that could easily change throughout the day as more information is given.
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite overall play on the slate: DeMar DeRozan
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Domantas Sabonis
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Scoot Henderson
- My favorite value play: Chimezie Metu
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