DraftKings NBA DFS Picks for Today (Thursday, 4/3/25): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Dan's favorite DraftKings NBA DFS picks for today, Thursday - 4/3/25. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for DraftKings DFS contests.

Things are getting hairier every day for us NBA DFS players. But if you are willing to grind it out til the end of the year and play some guys you've never rostered before all year, you might just find yourself atop the leaderboard at the end of the night.

The last few weeks of the regular season are for the die-hards. Whether you just need to get those DK crowns, or you are someone who watches the league every night and you think you have an edge on the field with your knowledge of rotations, there are still contests to play and money to be won! So let's do it!

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/3/25. 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 DraftKings. 

DraftKings NBA DFS Core Picks

Paolo Banchero, ORL - PF ($9.9K) 

If there's one guy to pay up tonight, I think it's Banchero. We always love targeting Washington with opposing offensive players, and on most nights, we love playing either Paolo or teammate Franz Wagner since both guys do so much of the heavy lifting for this Orlando squad.

Banchero has separated from Wagner a bit in the last month in terms of his production, which is why he costs an extra $1,100. While Wagner is a pure scorer, Paolo can rack up big rebounding and assist totals, as he did the last time he faced the Wizards and dropped 30-8-5 on them in just 31 minutes.

I think Franz is a solid play tonight, too, but I like paying a little extra for the player with the higher ceiling here, and that's Paolo.

Deni Avdija, POR - SF/PF ($8.6K)

Deni has been simply incredible down the stretch in terms of his statistical production. He cracked the 70 DK-point barrier last game against Atlanta with a massive 32-15-10 line and has two 60+ DK-point games on his resume in the last month.

Deni Avdija's last 11 games...

🏀 25.9 PTS
🏀 10.8 REB
🏀 5.5 AST
🏀 52.8 FG%
🏀 48.1 3P%

...and a 32-point triple-double last night for the @trailblazers' ASCENDING young forward!pic.twitter.com/dPiFGrZwSJ

— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2025

With Portland handing him the keys to the offense here at the end of the season, Deni has thrived. He can hit outside shots and also get to the rim. He is constantly hounding the boards while functioning as their de facto point guard.

I think Deni could be in line for another monster triple-double tonight against a very bad Toronto team that is resting a lot of their starters, too.

Others Under Consideration: Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C ($12.1K), LeBron James - SF/PF ($10.1K)

DraftKings NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Tyler Herro, MIA - PG ($9K)

Herro has been so consistent for Miami lately that it's hard not to love him at this price. Just look at his production from the last six games.

Tyler Herro over his last 6 games:

25 PTS - 6 REB - 9 AST
27 PTS - 5 REB - 5 AST
30 PTS - 3 REB - 7 AST
36 PTS - 4 AST - 76% FG
20 PTS - 3 REB - 7 AST
29 PTS - 6 REB - 3 AST

(Via @realapp_ ) pic.twitter.com/Ks8Y2G1pm9

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 3, 2025

He's dipped under 40 DK points just once in that stretch and is fresh off a 51 DK-point masterpiece against Boston. Since taking over as point guard, he's posting big assist numbers along with his scoring, and is easily hitting his floor on a nightly basis.

Memphis has been terrible defensively, and I want to attack them with either Herro or Bam in this spot tonight.

Shaedon Sharpe, POR – PG/SG ($7.1K)

Sharpe erupted for 56 DK points in his last outing and is playing heavy minutes - nearly 40 per game over the last few weeks.

His scoring prowess has been impressive, and he should be able to get what he wants tonight against this Toronto team that is tanking with nothing to play for. I want to target both sides of this game, as I think it has the classic appeal of a game that means nothing in the standings but everything to the players who want to put up big stats.

Pairing Sharpe with Avdija and running it back with some cheaper Toronto options makes a lot of sense to me.

Others Under Consideration: Bam Adebayo - PF/C ($8.8K), Kyle Kuzma - SF/PF ($6.2K)

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DraftKings NBA DFS Value Picks

Ja'Kobe Walter, TOR – SG/SF ($4.2K)

Walter should start and play big minutes tonight. He's a volume scorer but has shown he can return seven-to-eight times his value on this pricetag before.

Zach Edey, MEM - C ($4.5K)

Edey is always a dicey play because of potential foul trouble or if teams decide to go small and he gets run off the court, but he's played 30 minutes in two of his last three games and can post big rebounding numbers.

Kyle Anderson, MIA - PF ($3.6K)

Anderson is excellent on a per-minute basis and is getting enough minutes now in the Miami rotation to where he's a top value tonight.

Tristan Vukcevic, WAS - C (4.4K)

UGH, I hate guessing the Washington rotation, but it seems like Vuk is going to get at least 20 minutes a night down the stretch even if it is off the bench. He is simply too good per minute to ignore at this price, as he can easily get to 30 DK points with his skill set.

Others Under Consideration: Jamal Shead - PG ($4.5K), Jaylen Wells - SF ($3.2K), Jamison Battle - SF ($3.7K)

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: Paolo Banchero
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Tyler Herro
• My favorite VALUE plays: Ja'Kobe Walter

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis