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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on April 7, 2021. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
It's another solid slate in the NBA with nine games going on, but we know that load management shenanigans will plague this long before lock. At least we already know that His Beardness is out with a bum hammy. Jamal Murray sat last night, so I would guess he'll be in there tonight. Kevin Durant will return, but wont see near enough minutes to pay off that tag. Porzingis, Brandon Ingram, and Sabonis are all still questionable, just to name a few. This slate is loaded with mines.
Once again, we don't have much to go on for Vegas odds this early. The Hawks-Grizzlies, despite both being on the tail end of a back-to-back set, is expected to be higher scoring. Charlotte-Oklahoma City has the lowest total and it will likely stay that way. Along with the Hawks and Grizzlies, the Pacers, Celtics, Pelicans, and Nuggets are also on the back side of consecutive games. There could be a lot of resting players tonight.
This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 4/7/21. 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 Orlando ($11,100)
The Wizards have no reason to rush Bradley Beal back. Even if he plays, I might still be on Westbrook. He has five triple-doubles in the last six games. If Beal is out, lock Westbrook in. He hasn't been under 50 DraftKings points since March 23 and even broke 90 at one point in that streak. Westbrook is unstoppable with Beal out. With Beal in there, I could get behind a fade with this lofty price and plenty of other solid options behind him.
Lonzo Ball - PG, at Brooklyn ($7,700)
Ball has been on fire since he came back, but some of that has to do with the rest of the team being wracked with injuries. Even with Zion back last night he had a huge game, putting up over 50 DraftKings points for the second straight game. Ball is one of those guys that doesn't need to score to get the job done. He was just one rebound shy of a triple-double last night. This is another superb matchup, and even if Ingram returns, I think I'll still use Ball.
Theo Maledon - PG, vs. Charlotte ($5,400)
I rarely play Maledon and it has everything to do with his inconsistency. However, this is a great matchup against Charlotte and he has hit double figures in scoring in all but two of the 10 games since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went down. The Charlotte guards are nice on the other side of this, but they both feel rather overpriced. This is a nice matchup for Theo and company. I'll say that he keeps scoring well. Now if we can just do something about those assists.....
R.J. Hampton - PG/SG, vs. Washington ($4,500)
We are seeing why Orlando viewed Hampton as the prize in the deal that sent Aaron Gordon packing for the mountains. Hampton has played 64 minutes over the last two games, putting up 58 DraftKings points in that time. His precipitous price jump is coming soon. DraftKings raised it $900 for this one, but Hampton is still very underpriced, especially against a Washington team that doesn't defend any position well. I expect Hampton to be right around 30 DraftKings points again, which is close to 7x value at this price.
Bonus Guards: Kyrie Irving ($10,200), Anthony Edwards ($7,700), T.J. McConnell ($5,100), Edmond Sumner ($3,500, if Brogdon is out)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Luka Doncic - PG/SF, at Houston ($10,900)
It doesn't matter whether Kristaps Porzingis plays or not. The Rockets don't have anyone that can guard Luka. He has 116.75 DraftKings points in the two games against the Rockets this year. We know that Luka can score whether Porzingis is on the court or not. The issue here is his high price. Can he really manage the 65 DraftKings points he needs for 6x value? It's certainly possible against a team like Houston.
Zion Williamson - PF/C, at Brooklyn ($9,000)
You go after the Nets with bigs. That might change some with the return of Kevin Durant, but I don't see Durant playing enough to really impact Zion's output. The status of Brandon Ingram will have a far greater impact on what kind of numbers Zion puts up. I do have questions on whether the Pelicans will turn Zion loose on a back-to-back after he just returned from injury. If Zion has no limitations, he's totally worth this price. We just need to make sure that we know how the Pelicans are going to handle this first.
Chuma Okeke - PF/C, vs. Washington ($5,800)
Okeke has been an absolute monster since the great Orlando fire sale of 2021. He has cleared 30 DraftKings points in four straight and even topped 40 against Denver. This is a dream matchup for the rookie to show what he can do. Washington is not a good defensive team even when they're at full strength. They wont be here either. Okeke has proven to be a guy that can put up numbers in every category and he has increased his scoring output. He is rounding into a really good player and he still isn't priced like it. Take advantage while you still can.
Deni Avdija - SF/PF, at Orlando ($5,100)
Washington is running their youngsters more minutes now. Avdija has played at least 32 minutes in five straight and hit the 40 minute threshold against the Raptors on Monday. The huge minutes don't always mean huge production though. His 30.5 DraftKings points on Monday was a career high. Avdija is trending in the right direction, but he still carries some risk.
Bonus Forwards: Julius Randle ($9,900), Bogdan Bogdanovic ($6,500), Aleksej Pokusevski ($5,600), Keldon Johnson ($5,600)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Karl-Anthony Towns - C, at Indiana ($10,700)
We saw what Vucevic did to Myles Turner last night. It wasn't pretty. Towns' usage has been through the roof even with Russell back. D-Russ still wont be at full strength for a while, so Towns might have the best upside of anyone on the slate with the possible exception of Westbrook. Even if Sabonis returns, there's no way Turner can handle Towns. Towns has scored 30 actual points in four of his seven career games against Turner and has topped 50 DraftKings points in five of them.
Wendell Carter Jr. - C, vs. Washington ($6,000)
The Magic have committed to playing Carter more than 30 minutes per game. He has responded with 122.25 DraftKings points over the last three games. Carter is the best value on this slate at any price, especially considering that Washington presents the best matchup he's had since he got to Orlando. I expect a huge game from Carter for the price. He will be in every one of my lineups tonight.
Steven Adams - C, at Brooklyn ($5,800)
He's a center that's playing Brooklyn. What else needs to be said? Adams looked fine in his return from a concussion last night. The issue here is that Adams doesn't always play consistent minutes. Still, he's worth the risk against Brooklyn. The upside is definitely there.
Bonus Centers: Nikola Jokic ($10,600), Rudy Gobert ($7,900), Kelly Olynyk ($5,900)
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