DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (4/16/21): NBA DFS Lineups

April 16, 2021

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on April 16, 2021. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

Yesterday was basically a day off in the Association, so that makes tonight a ten-game monster with an afternoon matinee if you still can't get enough. We already have a lot of the injury news, which is nice. Kyle Lowry is resting again and he will be joined by OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. His Beardness is still sidelined. The only news we are really waiting on is the status of Kawhi Leonard and Tobias Harris among players priced over $7,000.

The Pelicans and Wizards are expected to run wild with the game total all the way up at 243. The Knicks and Mavs are at the opposite end of the spectrum at just 211. We also get Jimmy Butler's return to Minneapolis. Is he worth using in this game? We'll cover that and a few more things as we get you ready for a big Friday night in the Association!

This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 4/14/21. 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! 

DraftKings DFS Guards

Russell Westbrook - PG, vs. New Orleans ($11,000)

It's impossible to fade Westbrook in cash games and getting increasingly harder to do so in GPP formats as well. Westbrook hasn't been under 50 DraftKings points since March 23 and has only been under 55 twice in the 13 games since then. 5x value has to be considered his floor against a team like the Pelicans, who have struggled on the perimeter defensively all season. It's nearly impossible to find this kind of upside in the high salary ranks where the players need mid-50's just to not be a bust. Westbrook is proving to be the most reliable commodity around. He has six consecutive triple-doubles. Fade at your own risk.

Fred VanVleet - PG/SG, vs. Orlando ($7,900)

It's VanVleet's turn to play the One-Man Gang against the Magic. Siakam did it earlier this week and we saw Kyle Lowry take a gander at it last week. The Raptors are creatively tanking by running eight players in every game now. Siakam, OG, and Lowry are all out and Deandre' Bembry and Gary Trent Jr. are likely to join them. That leaves VanVleet as the main scoring threat on the entire team. If the Raptors announce that they are limiting his minutes, I may move off. If it's all systems go for Fred, both he and Malachi Flynn are elite plays tonight. Flynn is either way.

Dejounte Murray - PG, vs. Portland ($7,000)

Murray is one of the few Spurs getting consistent run. He has not been under 30 DraftKings points since March 24 and is still playing 28-32 minutes per game with the Spurs guards all healthy. Murray, despite poor shooting in the first game against Portland, came very close to a triple-double in that game. The fact that the Spurs aren't willing to play him big minutes curbs my enthusiasm a little, but he's an automatic 5x value with good potential here. He's worth a look if you want to build in the mid range.

Monte Morris - PG/SG, at Houston ($3,700)

Morris isn't racking up assists just yet since Jokic is a usage magnet and he's splitting time almost evenly with EuroLeague star Facundo Campazzo, but this price is still too low for what he brings to the table. I like both Morris and Campazzo for value, but neither one of them have a very high ceiling. The ceiling is probably a shade over 6x value here, but the floor is 5x. You can do worse on a slate where we need to pay up for stars.

Bonus Guards: Kyrie Irving ($9,900), Bradley Beal ($8,900), Luguentz Dort ($5,300), P.J. Dozier ($3,500)

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DraftKings DFS Forwards

Zion Williamson - PF/C, at Washington ($10,000)

Williamson has only scored under 25 real points once in the last 14 games. That was against Brooklyn of all teams. With him scoring at such a high level, that gives him a lot of upside since he produces stats across the board. The price is elevated to the point that Zion isn't really a threat for 6x value anymore. That leaves him as more of a cash play right now, but against Washington there is enough upside to roll him in GPP formats at lower ownership if you want.

Brandon Ingram - SF, at Washington ($8,500)

We are at the point where Ingram might be a better per-dollar value than Zion. Ingram has at least 40 DraftKings points in four of the last five games. The return of Lonzo Ball, even in limited fashion, will likely cut into his assists a little. Still, this is a great matchup for Ingram. The Wizards have a poor defense, but they often score well enough to stay in games. Ingram's price isn't high enough to scare me off just yet, though I would pass on him if the matchup weren't great.

Michael Porter Jr.  - SF/PF, at Houston ($7,400)

MPJ was on a bit of a heater even before Jamal Murray went down. He showed against Miami that he's not going to have any issues helping in the scoring department. His passing isn't one area of his game that's refined yet, but MPJ is a walking double-double right now. He is one rebound short of having five straight. This is a great matchup against the rebuilding Rockets. For those of you that like to play theme-based lineups, the Porter Jr. on the other side is worth a look as well.

Jalen McDaniels - PF, at Brooklyn ($5,200)

McDaniels went cold from the floor on Wednesday against Cleveland, but he still nearly hit 5x value. McDaniels hasn't been under 20 DraftKings points since the Hornets started playing him around 30 minutes a game. This is a superb matchup against the Nets. Even if his shot doesn't fall, McDaniels shouldn't have much of a problem hitting 5x value at this price. He has the potential for much, much more.

Bonus Forwards: Jimmy Butler ($9,200), Anthony Edwards ($7,500), Miles Bridges ($6,400), Davis Bertans ($4,000)

DraftKings DFS Centers

Nikola Jokic - C, at Houston ($10,900)

Jokic has seven straight games with more than 50 DraftKings points, and I'm guessing that streak wont end this season unless a blowout happens. Even then, Jokic might still clear that mark with Murray done for the rest of the year. Jokic did a lot of damage against Miami in just 32 minutes on Wednesday, so load management isn't much of a concern for me either. Jokic is the safest play on any slate tonight and the upside is massive against Houston.

Jonas Valanciunas - C, at Chicago ($7,900)

Jonas is on a bit of a heater right now. He has 165.5 DraftKings points over the last three games and has five straight over 40. His floor is almost 6x value right now. I can see fading Jokic in GPP formats if you think that game gets out of hand. Jonas is an excellent plan B, and will give you $3,000 more to play with. You have to go all the way back to St. Patrick's Day to find the last time that Jonas didn't record a double-double. That was 17 games ago. I'll take that floor any day.

Moses Brown - C, at Detroit ($6,100)

The Thunder aren't willing to run Brown big minutes just yet, but he has done a lot in his limited minutes. Brown has 77.75 DraftKings points in just 54 minutes over the last two games. This is another superb matchup for Brown here. Brown is far from a sure thing. He lays an egg about once a week now. I don't think it will be here though. Brown should be good for around 6x value tonight.

Bonus Centers: Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,700), Chris Boucher ($7,100), Kelly Olynyk ($6,500)

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