FanDuel NBA DFS Picks for Today (Friday, 4/4/25): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

April 4, 2025

Dan's favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks for today, Friday - 4/4/25. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for FanDuel DFS contests.

If you have come here for anything other than Deni Avdija praise and admiration, then you may be in the wrong place. The end-of-season run that Deni is on is a thing of beauty, especially for someone who touted him as hard as I did coming into the season for fantasy basketball purposes.

As always, I'm going to help break down the FanDuel NBA DFS slate and give you a place to start your research. I always make it a point to recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs while highlighting some of my favorite value plays and game stacks. If you want DraftKings picks, see who Zach Thompson likes by reading his piece here.

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/4/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on FanDuel. 

FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks

Deni Avdija, POR - SF/PF ($9.2K) 

He did it again! Deni went for 58 FD points last night in Toronto, continuing his incredible late-season tear.

What's even more impressive is that he did it in only 33 minutes and still got his 50-burger despite turning it over seven times (for the second straight game).

Another Deni masterclass 😮‍💨🤌

▫️ 26 PTS
▫️ 15 REB
▫️ 6 AST
▫️ 2 STL
▫️ 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/s9alU8ginX

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 4, 2025

Who cares about efficiency when we are getting these incredible counting stats? It may be a back-to-back, but I expect Deni to do his thing tonight against the Bulls - another weak defensive team. His price jumped into the 9k range, but he's still a bargain for his level of production.

Shaedon Sharpe, POR - SG/SF ($7.8K)

I played Deni and Sharpe everywhere last night, and they both came through in a big way, especially Sharpe, who nearly outscored Deni despite being $1500 less.

Sharpe now has two 50+ FD point outings in a row and continues to be the top guard for Portland, scoring 20+ actual points in six of their last seven games.

We know the Bulls have been bleeding production to opposing guards all season, so why not continue to attack them with a young, hungry player who just happens to be red hot? I simply have to have multiple pieces of this game as it has the second-highest total on the slate and playable pieces on both sides.

Kyle Filipowski, UTA - PF/C ($6.8K)

I feel like I need a Utah piece in my core tonight, as they are benching a bunch of starters once again, as they have been for the last few months.

Isaiah Collier is hot, but I like Filipowski's matchup against Myles Turner, and I think he's a tad more reliable with his scoring and rebounding floor.

The playing time and usage should be there with John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler all being out for this game. The former Duke big man has a versatile offensive game and has flashed 40+ FD point upside when given this kind of opportunity this season.

Others Under Consideration: Tyrese Haliburton - PG/SG ($9.2K), Evan Mobley - PF/C ($8.6K), Josh Giddey - PG/SG ($9.5K)

FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Kristaps Porzingis, BOS - PF/C ($7.9K)

If you have read any of my articles this season or in the past, you know that I tend to look hard at the $6500 to $8000 range for GPP plays, as most optimizers tend to force in the top raw points plays and smash in a bunch of cheap value around them.

So, going opposite of the classic "stars and scrubs" build will often make your lineup contrarian. At $7.9K tonight, Porzo offers 40+ FD point upside against a Phoenix team that is without Kevin Durant and will ask a traditional center, Nick Richards, to try to guard the stretch-5 Porzingis.

He was masterful against Phoenix just a week ago, when he posted 46 FD points in only 28 minutes.

Stephon Castle, SAS – PG/SG ($7.2K)

Castle has the keys to the Spurs' offense for the final stretch of games, and he's putting together an impressive run to his rookie year.

Castle has posted 40+ FD points in three of his last four games and is fresh off a near-triple-double against Denver. One of those games was against Cleveland, too. If the Cavs let the Spurs hang around into the fourth quarter, then Castle could get enough minutes in this one to hit his ceiling, which has proven to be around 6x value on this price.

Brandin Podziemski, GSW - PG/SG ($6.1K)

It was awesome to see Podz have a huge game last night as the Warriors picked up a crucial win against the Lakers. The second-year shooting guard was on fire from behind the arc, nailing eight of ten attempts on his way to 28 points.

Brandon Podziemski Tonight:

28 Points
8 Rebounds
6 Assists
8/10 3PT

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/SHF0hhJpdr

— Warriors Way (@GSW_Way) April 4, 2025

I don't think Curry rests tonight, even on a back-to-back, but Podz is good enough to crush this price tag even while playing Robin to Curry's Batman.

He is a fantastic rebounder for his position and a solid passer as well. This game is projected to be close, and I'm happy to take a shot on Podz staying hot two nights in a row.

Others Under Consideration: Russell Westbrook (if Murray is out) - PG ($7K), Coby White - PG/SG ($8.3K), Bruce Brown - SF ($5.7K), Isaiah Collier - PG ($5.9K)

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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks

Ja'Kobe Walter, TOR – PG/SG ($5.2K)

Walter struggled to score last night, but still finished with 24 FD points on the strength of his rebounding. He should continue to play solid minutes with the Raptors, who are resting the other guards intermittently.

Julian Champagnie, SAS - SG/SF ($4.8K)

I am probably locking Champagnie into lineups as my top value and moving on. He's played 30+ minutes in the last two games and was able to put up 25 and 26 FD points. He should be blowout-proof and doesn't need to do much to make value.

Cason Wallace, OKC - PG/SG ($5.4K)

Wallace has been rolling lately, with 29 or more FD points in three straight. He is not a guy who provides much offense, but can contribute in assists and steals to such a degree that he can crush his price tag. Look for him to keep it rolling tonight against Houston.

Obi Toppin, IND - PF ($4.8K)

Pascal Siakam is questionable tonight, and the Pacers might be willing to rest him as they are double-digit favorites against Utah. Toppin is great on a per-minute basis, so any increase in playing time and he should smash his price tag.

Tim Hardaway Jr., DET - SF/SG ($4.8K)

Hardaway has been known as one of the streakier three-point shooters in the league over the last decade, and right now, he's hot. He's poured in 32, 30, and 23 actual points in three straight games and has a great matchup against Toronto tonight.

Others Under Consideration: KJ Simpson - PG ($5.6K), Collin Gillespie - PG ($4.3K), Paul Reed - C ($4.1K)

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Deni Avdija
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Deni Avjida
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Stephon Castle
• My favorite VALUE play: Julian Champagnie

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis