RADIO
We are to the point that the NBA slates seem to be a little more balanced. We have eight games tonight with Toronto and Detroit the only teams on a back to back. Toronto was without Fred VanVleet last night, so that will be the main thing to watch on this slate. Domantas Sabonis didn't practice yesterday and with the Pacers playing tomorrow as well, I'm going to operate under the assumption that he'll join LeBron and Anthony Davis among the inactives on this slate.
Vegas is taking their time setting the totals in a lot of these games. They don't want too many bets in case Giannis or Sabonis end up sitting/playing. It's a way to lose money for them if they jump the gun there. Grizzlies-Heat is expected to play slow. Pels-Hawks will likely have the highest total with the Bucks and Warriors not far off.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/6/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward, and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
FanDuel DFS Guards
Paul George, SG – vs. Portland ($8,700)
I usually don't play Clippers. I don't like to play the "what-if" game with the Clippers and resting players. However, George cleared 50 DraftKings points against Portland this year with Kawhi also in the lineup. There is good potential here against Portland. They haven't defended the perimeter well in some time now. The good part about tonight is that there is another 10pm Eastern game so you have a chance to pivot if the Clippers pull resting shenanigans again.
Lonzo Ball, PG – at Atlanta ($7,500)
There were no limitations on Ball on Sunday when he played 36 minutes against Houston and went for 48.3 FanDuel points. Atlanta's guard defense isn't a lot better than Houston's and the Pelicans are still going to be without the services of Kira Lewis, Josh Hart, and NAW. Ball is going to be called upon to play big minutes once again. Eric Bledsoe is a superb play for his price as well. The place to attack Atlanta is with guards. The Pelicans only have four, and that's if Isaiah Thomas II is active. Expect big minutes for Ball and Bledsoe again.
Deandre Bembry, SG – vs. Lakers ($3,700)
It seems likely that VanVleet will sit again. Hip flexors aren't to be messed with and the Raptors are more content with losing than winning at this point anyway. They are headed for the lottery and VanVleet will be far more valuable next year and beyond than over the next few games. Bembry had a huge game drawing the start last night. I'm not on as many Raptors tonight, but blame that on the opponent. The Lakers may be challenged on offense right now, but the defense is still playing well. Still, Bembry is way too cheap if he starts again.
Also consider: Trae Young ($8,500), Kemba Walker ($6,600), Will Barton ($5,500), Malachi Flynn ($5,100)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Draymond Green, PF – vs. Milwaukee ($7,500)
Draymond is the king of the all-around stat line, which can rack up huge numbers on FanDuel. He is usually hanging around the triple-double mark. Crazily enough, Draymond's numbers are actually better when Stephen Curry is on the court. Regardless of whether the Bucks have the services of Giannis or not, I like Green here. If Giannis is out, Draymond is such a disruptive force that I may not even run Khris Middleton in this one. It feels like Green will wind up being the better value.
Aaron Gordon, PF – vs. Detroit ($7,100)
Did Denver find the missing link? It took Gordon a few games to get comfortable in Denver, but he has 84.6 FanDuel points over the last two games. One of those was against the Clippers. Detroit's frontcourt was missing a couple of pieces last night. If they are similarly limited here, we could see another strong game out of Gordon. He's never going to be the top option with Jokic around, but that has suited Gordon just fine. He seems to be fitting in well in Denver. It's a small sample size, and Gordon has certainly fooled us before, but the recent returns look promising.
Danilo Gallinari, SF – vs. New Orleans ($5,200)
Bogdan Bogdanovic has priced himself out of value range, but Danilo is still there. That's in spite of his 36 FanDuel points (in just 28 minutes) against the Warriors on Sunday. Gallinari can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. I like this more if the Pelicans are still without Zion and Brandon Ingram so then Gallo wont just have to rely on points. If he's grappling with James Johnson for rebounds in this one, I like Gallinari even more. Regardless, this is a plus matchup no matter who's in uniform for New Orleans.
Also consider: Kawhi Leonard ($9,500), Jerami Grant ($6,400), Patrick Williams ($4,500), Nemanja Bjelica ($4,500)
FanDuel DFS CentersÂ
Joel Embiid – at Boston ($10,800)
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few years, you know what kind of games Embiid has had against the Celtics. Only once have the Celtics held him under FanDuel points when he has played 30 minutes. That including Embiid topping 50 FanDuel points 13 times, including every game in the playoff series in August. Boston did little to improve their post defense at the trade deadline. They definitely didn't get anyone that can stop Embiid. He's my favorite play on this entire slate in cash and GPP formats.
Nikola Vucevic – at Indiana ($8,800)
I really like this play if Domantas Sabonis is out again. Even if he isn't, Vucevic put up 44.4 FanDuel points on the Pacers while a member of the Magic earlier this year. He hasn't missed a beat since joining the Bulls as he and Zach LaVine seem to be working well together. It has cut into the production of LaVine some, but not Vucevic. He has 213.8 FanDuel points in five games with the Bulls. That's a solid foundation with the potential for more if Sabonis is out.
Chris Boucher – vs. Lakers ($5,600)
Boucher is a high-energy guy in his short bursts on the court. It leaves something to be desired for his overall upside, but the price is cheap enough for his volume of work lately. With Kyle Lowry and VanVleet both out, it opens up a lot more shots in the frontcourt for Siakam and Boucher. The replacement guards aren't near the volume of shooters of the guys they replace. Boucher's shot hasn't been falling of late, but he maintains a pretty high usage rate and gets double-digit shot attempts. There is good potential here against a Lakers team that still doesn't defend the interior well without Anthony Davis.
Also consider: Clint Capela ($9,900), Myles Turner ($6,200), Ivica Zubac ($5,400)
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