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We have eight games on tap for the NBA tonight. As has become commonplace this season, a plethora of players are out with injuries and dozens more are questionable. Is it annoying as hell? Sure, but considering this is also somewhat unchartered territory, leverage can be gained. In DFS in any sport, leverage is king. The leverage here is if you can keep up on the news up until the slate lock.
Value is everywhere. Stars are not. LeKing, De'Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Mike Conley, and Derrick White are all out. And those are just the point guards! Every position is similarly decimated. Picking the right spots in DFS is extremely critical at this time of the season. Most values wont hurt you anymore, but choosing a star that's a dud will ruin you right away.
This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 4/30/21. 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
Russell Westbrook - PG, at Cleveland ($11,000)
Russ's streak of 5x value games came to an end at 16 against Cleveland on Sunday, but he showed back up on Monday and dropped 64.75 DraftKings points on the Spurs. For the encore, Russ torched the shell of the champion Lakers for 69.5 DraftKings points. Do we dare use him against Cleveland, the team that just ended his streak five days ago? I think it's worth a shot. Russ's ceiling is by far the highest around on a nightly basis. The five rebound night against the Cavs was an anomaly. So was the 13 shots. If anything, I'm guessing Russ comes back out there with the purpose of hanging it on the Cavs. He's one of the most competitive players in the league, and considering the state of the NBA right now, it's a great thing to see.
Darius Garland - PG, vs. Washington ($8,000)
This is "if/then" season in the NBA, meaning I'm only on Garland if Collin Sexton is out again. His upgrade to questionable suggests that he has a chance to play, but why would Cleveland push him? Assuming this is Garland without Sexton, this is the same matchup that Garland scored 47.5 DraftKings points in just six days ago. That outscored Westbrook, by the way. Garland dropped a 50 on the Magic on Wednesday night, so I'm all-in if Sexton is out again. Garland seems cheap right now even at this price.
Buddy Hield - SG/SF, at Lakers ($7,200)
The price on Tyrese Haliburton has become untenable. Especially when you consider that Hield's assists are up even if his points are a bit down. Hield is the de-facto point guard for the Kings right now. Hield has 168.5 DraftKings points over the last four games. He has had these kind of streaks before and they always come to an abrupt end. Hield's inconsistency is legendary, but if he keeps dropping 40's, he is very underpriced.
Ben McLemore - SG/SF, vs. Sacramento ($3,400)
McLemore is far from a sure thing, just like every other Lakers guard. However, the rest of the guards are more expensive. If McLemore gets hot, he plays. If the plays, he destroys value. McLemore is a perfect GPP punt since the ceiling is so high against a team like the Kings. Don't go near this in cash.
Bonus Guards: Ja Morant ($8,500), Dejounte Murray ($7,500), Lou Williams ($5,200), Gary Harris ($4,400)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Kevin Durant - PF, vs. Portland ($8,900)
This is the Nets, so there is a high probability that Durant sits tonight on night two of a back-to-back. This is especially true since he played 36 minutes. If Durant plays though, he's the best value on the entire slate. He put up 64.25 DraftKings points last night. The ceiling is even higher against Portland. We know that Durant can carry this team and that Kyrie and His Beardness are out again. If Durant plays, he will break the slate again.
Kyle Kuzma - SF/PF, vs. Sacramento ($6,100)
Kuzma keeps proving time and again that he's only worth using when the matchup is right. Kuzma's 36.75 DraftKings points (despite 4-12 shooting from the field) against Washington was a primo matchup. A date with the Kings is technically just as good. This is one of those nights where it's okay to take a chance on Kuzma. Once he gets back to actual NBA teams as opponents, keep him away from your lineups.
Cedi Osman - SF/PF, vs. Washington ($5,400)
Osman did this last year before COVID hit too. He becomes relevant when Cleveland either succumbs to injuries or gives up. This year it's the latter. The Cavs are lottery bound and Osman is playing well over 30 minutes per game right now. He'll lose some of those when Sexton gets back, If Sexton is in, I'll back off of Cedi. If Sexton is out, we have a guy with a nice floor that is very affordable.
Brandon Clarke - PF/C, vs. Orlando ($3,800)
Clarke is mostly an afterthought with Jaren Jackson back in the equation, but he's also priced like it. Whenever someone as talented as Clarke is priced like this, I keep an eye on him. Clarke can put up good numbers in limited minutes, which is all we can ask for until more value opens up.
Bonus Forwards: Khris Middleton ($7,900), Bojan Bogdanovic ($6,300), Joe Harris ($5,700), Thaddeus Young ($5,100)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic - C, vs. Milwaukee ($10,100)
Center is gutted tonight and full of overpriced guys that aren't living up to their potential lately. Vucevic is classified as probable and there's a good chance Giannis doesn't play. The Bulls are still in the thick of the playoff race and Vucevic is carrying the team with Zach LaVine out. I think this continues against the Bucks, who aren't particularly strong on the interior. Vucevic put up 53.25 DraftKings points on them the first time around in 31 minutes.
Jarrett Allen - C, vs. Washington ($7,400)
Allen is back to posting elite stat lines again. He has cleared 6x value in two of the last three games. One of those, the 55 DraftKings point outburst, was against this same Washington team. This game is a DFS gold mine. Allen has only missed 11 of 35 shots in the last three games. With that kind of shooting efficiency and his rebounding ability, Allen sure looks underpriced again.
Daniel Gafford - C, vs. Lakers ($4,200)
For some strange reason, the Wizards insist on playing Alex Len. Len is tits on the DFS boar. Len does almost nothing with the minutes he is given. Meanwhile, Gafford has shown the ability to put up some really good numbers in small numbers of minutes. The only reason I'm willing to look back at Gafford tonight is because of what he did to Cleveland a few days ago. Gafford racked up 38.5 DraftKings points in that one. He would likely need foul trouble from Len to hit that kind of ceiling again, but 25 is a real possibility.
Bonus Centers: Andre Drummond ($7,500), Jusuf Nurkic ($7,100), Tristan Thompson ($5,600), Chimezie Metu ($3,600)
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