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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on April 4th, 2021. Eric Moody provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
The NBA schedule has four games on the main slate for Sunday night. You won't have many players to choose from, but one game you'll want exposure to is the New Orleans Pelicans versus the Houston Rockets. This matchup has a point total of 229.5. Here are three tips on how to attack the overall slate when assembling lineups.
First of all, it’s important to look at the pace and Vegas lines. Second, it’s also useful to understand the number of fantasy points a team gives up to a specific position. The final tip is to identify value plays that are critical on a slate of any size. You don’t have to necessarily go for the cheapest value, but you want to identify players who have a high floor and a high ceiling.
This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 4/4/21. You can also check out today’s FanDuel lineup picks. It’s also important to monitor injury news as a result of COVID-19 as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Without further ado, let’s dive into the picks!
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Ben Simmons - PG/SF, PHI vs MEM ($8,900)
Simmons scored 14 points, accumulated eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals last Saturday against the Timberwolves. This was his first game with 36 or more DraftKings fantasy points since March 25th against the Lakers. The Grizzlies have allowed the 13th most fantasy points per game this season. Simmons has been subpar lately, but is in a good spot to bounce back against Memphis. He has one of the higher ceilings of any guard on the slate.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker - PG/SG, NO vs HOU ($7,000)
Alexander-Walker scored 12 points, gathered three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal in 35 minutes against the Hawks. Before Friday's game, he's averaged 35 DraftKings fantasy points per game as the starter. Alexander-Walker should continue to thrive while Lonzo Ball is out of the lineup with a hip injury. The Rockets have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game all season and are particularly vulnerable to shooting guards. Alexander-Walker is one of my favorite guards on the slate.
Bogdan Bogdanovic - SG/SF, ATL vs GS ($6,600)
Bogdanovic scored 26 points, racked up seven rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block in 32 minutes last Friday against the Pelicans. The 28-year-old has scored 45 or more DraftKings fantasy points in three consecutive games. Bogdanovic faces a Warriors team that has allowed the eighth most fantasy points per game to shooting guards.
Bonus Guards: Ja Morant ($7,600), Kevin Porter Jr. ($6,900), Eric Bledsoe ($6,300), Lou Williams ($5,500)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Tobias Harris - SF/PF, PHI vs MEM ($8,400)
Harris bounced back nicely against the Timberwolves last night. He scored 32 points, amassed five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and a block. Harris (24.1%) has the 12th highest Usage Rate among small forwards this season. This metric is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. Harris (24.6) ranks fourth in Player Efficiency Rating at his position. This metric sums up all a player's positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments and returns a per-minute rating of a player's performance. Harris has the highest ceiling of any player on the slate. He faces a Grizzlies defense that has allowed the most DraftKings fantasy points to small forwards this season.
Andrew Wiggins - SG/SF, GS vs ATL ($8,000)
The Warriors were eviscerated by the Raptors last Friday night. Golden State finished that game with 21 turnovers on their ledger. Wiggins scored 15 points, collected four rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes. This was his lowest fantasy output since March 23rd against the 76ers. Wiggins had averaged 45 DraftKings fantasy points per game over his previous four games. He ranks 15th in Usage Rate at his position this season. Wiggins and the entire Warriors team will look to bounce back against the Hawks. The 26-year old will continue to have a huge role offensively.
Michael Porter Jr. - SF/PF, DEN vs ORL ($7,400)
Porter scored 20 points, garnered four rebounds, two blocks, and an assist in 32 minutes against the Clippers last Thursday. His output has been unaffected by the arrival of Aaron Gordon. Porter has scored 30 or more DraftKings fantasy points in 13 consecutive games. He's scored 46 or more fantasy points three times over that time frame. Orlando has allowed the fourth-most DraftKings fantasy points per game to small forwards this season.
Bonus Forwards: Kelly Oubre Jr. ($6,800), Draymond Green ($6,500), Aaron Gordon ($6,400), James Johnson ($4,300)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN vs ORL ($10,700)
It was surprising to see Jokic only scored 14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and a block in 36 minutes against the Clippers last Thursday. He wasn't a huge factor in the Nuggets win over Los Angeles, but that should not deter you from inserting Jokic into DFS lineups. He has the fourth-highest Usage Rate and second-highest Player Efficiency Rating among centers. Jokic had eight games during the month of March with 60 or more DraftKings fantasy points. He will bounce back nicely against an Orlando team that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game this season.
Christian Wood - C, HOU vs NO ($8,600)
Wood scored 19 points, hoarded 10 rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 32 minutes against the Celtics. He's averaged 31.3 minutes, 19 points, 8.6 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block per game over his last eight. This was Wood's third double-double since the All-Star break. He has one of the higher ceilings on the slate. Wood is a nice alternative if you rather than absorb Jokic or Joel Embiid's salary into your DFS lineups.
Bonus Centers: Clint Capela ($8,800), Jonas Valanciunas ($7,800)
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