NBA DFS: Top Daily Fantasy Expert Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (4/5/25)

Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Kyle Ringstad's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on April 5th, 2025.

We’re in the thick of Silly Season—where rotations get weird, tanking is transparent, and late scratches can nuke a slate. It’s chaos, but there’s still an edge. I always write this article with a cash game floor in mind, but as a tournament-heavy player, the picks are generally packed with tourney-winning upside — high-minute roles, clean paths to value, and ceiling exposure in the right spots.

Only four games tonight, so there’s no room to get cute. We’ll hammer the Grizzlies-Pistons fast-paced shootout, target soft spots like the Sixers’ shaky D, and look to exploit a Mavs team that’s been leaking even with AD in.

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/5/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on DraftKings and FanDuel. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Today's NBA DFS Core Picks

Here is a look at some of the higher-priced players we can use as building blocks for cash and GPP contests.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone ballistic over his last two games, finishing with 69.25 and 94.25 DK points. Those were in very favorable matchups against the Suns and 76ers, respectively. He gets a much more complex game environment against the Heat tonight, a team that plays at the fourth-slowest pace and has allowed the second-least fantasy points per game over their last seven games. I won't fully fade him, but starting lineups with him won't be my preferred route tonight.

Instead, I'll mix-and-match players like Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, and Ivica Zubac as cheaper building blocks. They don't have the 90+ DK point upside, but we can get there in the aggregate by hitting on a pair of players in the second-tier salary range. Edwards gets a glorious matchup against the 76ers, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game over their last 30 games.

Morant is too cheap, as he has exceeded what he needs for 5x value in seven of his last nine games. The matchup against the Pistons isn't ideal, but it's worth noting that they've allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to PGs over their last seven games.

Zubac is in an upside spot against the Mavericks, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to Cs over their last seven games. They have most of their bigs back in Anthony Davis, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford, but that means that the Clippers will need to play Zubac his full allotment of minutes against a team that has bled points to the position. Zubac relies on heavy rebound totals to post his big fantasy nights, and the Mavericks rank 28th in rebounding rate this season at 46.8%.

Top Core Plays:

1. Anthony Edwards, MIN @ PHI - SG ($9,500 DK; $9,300 FD)
2. Ja Morant, MEM @ DET - PG ($8,900 DK; $8,600 FD)
3. Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. DAL - C ($8,100 DK; $8,200 FD)

Today's NBA DFS Value Picks

This is where we talk about saving salary. Whether it's a severely underpriced backup or even as simple as a guy playing like someone who should be priced higher, this is where you'll find guys who make lineups work.

Sorting the best value picks of the day by fantasy points per dollar:

We have plenty of value options to work through tonight, and we will likely see even more as injury news comes out. Bogdan Bogdanovic is the cream of the crop. The former Hawks forward has posted three games with at least 30 DK points over his last five outings, and his salary is not reflective of his current form or potential upside for tonight's matchup. The Mavericks have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game over their last 15 games, and Bogdanovic could see 30+ minutes with Kawhi Leonard unlikely to play in the second half of a back-to-back set.

Zach Edey is finally being unleashed with the playoffs approaching. The rookie has scored 26.5, 40, 8.5, and 39.75 DK points over his last four games. More importantly, he played 28, 32, 13, and 26 minutes in those games and is projected for 28 minutes tonight. The Grizzlies-Pistons matchup is the top game environment on the slate as both teams play fast, and there's some big upside for the rebounding machine Edey as Detroit ranks 23rd in defensive rebounding rate.

Norman Powell will be key if we get news that Leonard is sitting. He holds a solid 1.09 FPTS/min rate with Kawhi off the floor this season, but his 28.5% usage rate in the split gets my attention. Derrick Jones Jr. is another value option from the Clippers if Kawhi is out, as he would see around 30 minutes at a dirt-cheap price tag in that scenario.

Top Value Plays:

1. Bogdan Bogdanovic, LAC vs. DAL - SG/SF ($3,900 DK; $4,600 FD)
2. Zach Edey, MEM @ DET - C ($4,700 DK; $5,400 FD)
3. Norman Powell, LAC vs. DAL - SG/SF ($6,600 DK; $6,400 FD) Prefer on FanDuel
4. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN @ PHI ($3,600 DK) DraftKings Only
5. Derrick Jones Jr., LAC vs. DAL - PF ($3,500 DK; $4,200 FD)
6. Jaylen Wells, MEM @ DET - SF ($3,100 DK) DraftKings Only
7. Santi Aldama, MEM @ DET - PF ($5,400 DK; $5,700 FD)

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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard

Morant is one of my favorite plays on the slate, but we also have a few mid-range and cheap options to consider at the PG position. Scotty Pippen Jr. is in excellent form, scoring at least 29.75 DK points in nine of his last 11 games. Some of those came with Morant missing time, but he's still seeing enough minutes and playing well enough to stay in consideration for tonight's slate at his low price tag.

Kris Dunn averages 0.81 FPTS/min with Leonard off the floor, so he'd be a cheap dart-throw if the star gets ruled out. He's not a high-upside play, but he should be good for at least 20 DK points. I prefer to take shots on the safe floor of Mike Conley or the upside of Donte DiVincenzo in a smash spot against the 76ers, though.

Top PG Options:

1. Ja Morant, MEM @ DET ($8,900 DK; $8,600 FD)
2. Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM @ DET ($4,600 DK) DraftKings Only
3. Donte DiVincenzo, MIN @ PHI ($5,000 DK; $5,300 FD)
4. Mike Conley, MIN @ PHI ($4,000 DK; $4,400 FD)
5. Kris Dunn, LAC vs. DAL ($3,800 DK; $4,500 FD) Prefer on DraftKings

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard

SG is straightforward for me tonight. Edwards is in a smash spot against Philly, while Bogdanovic and Powell are critical pieces (if Kawhi sits) for the Clippers in a favorable spot against the Mavericks. Dunn and DiVincenzo can be mixed in, but I prefer taking shots on the streaking Nickeil Alexander-Walker at just $3,600 on DraftKings. He has put up monster games of 34 and 54 DK points coming into tonight, and there's no reason he can't keep it going against the leaky 76ers defense.

Top SG Options:

1. Anthony Edwards, MIN @ PHI ($9,500 DK; $9,300 FD)
2. Bogdan Bogdanovic, LAC vs. DAL ($3,900 DK; $4,600 FD)
3. Norman Powell, LAC vs. DAL ($6,600 DK; $6,400 FD) Prefer on FanDuel
4. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN @ PHI ($3,600 DK) DraftKings Only

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward

Bogdanovic, Powell, and NAW will be staples for me at SF, but we can also mix in Wells and Christie at their sub-$3,500 DraftKings pricing. Wells is a weak per-minute fantasy player, but he plays 24-30 minutes per game, and he's playing in the top game environment on the slate. He's far too cheap with all of that considered.

Christie is in the same boat as Wells, as he is cheap and a terrible per-minute fantasy producer. He gets the tougher matchup on the road against the Clippers, but he should be good for around 20 DK points tonight.

Top SF Options:

1. Bogdan Bogdanovic, LAC vs. DAL ($3,900 DK; $4,600 FD)
2. Norman Powell, LAC vs. DAL ($6,600 DK; $6,400 FD) Prefer on FanDuel
3. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN @ PHI ($3,600 DK) DraftKings Only
4. Jaylen Wells, MEM @ DET ($3,100 DK) DraftKings Only

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward

Top PF Options:

I don't like getting to Jaren Jackson Jr. when Ja Morant and Desmond Bane are healthy, as his production is more volatile and his upside is capped with them on the floor. I'm more likely to get to Santi Aldama, who's much cheaper despite a similar FPTS/min rate. He should get around 30 minutes at 0.94 FPTS/min, a rate this favorable game environment should boost.

1. Derrick Jones Jr., LAC vs. DAL ($3,500 DK; $4,200 FD)
2. Santi Aldama, MEM @ DET ($5,400 DK; $5,700 FD)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL @ MIA ($12,400 DK; $12,500 FD)

Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center

Top C Options:

It's Edey and Zubac for me at center tonight. As detailed in the "Core" and "Values" sections, these two guys are in incredible spots to produce value at their respective price tags. I will be running a lot of lineups with both of them, and you should probably do the same.

1. Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. DAL - C ($8,100 DK; $8,200 FD)
2. Zach Edey, MEM @ DET ($4,700 DK; $5,400 FD)

Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks

1. Grizzlies @ Pistons (240.5 o/u; 105.4 projected pace)

Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids

Quentin Grimes and PJ Washington. Grimes has cooled off and gets a brutal matchup against Minnesota, but he's still priced with the ninth-highest salary on the slate. That's a hard, hard pass for me. Washington needs 38 DK points to hit 5x value tonight, and he has only exceeded that once over his last six games. A matchup with the Clippers doesn't help, either, as they've allowed the seventh-least fantasy points per game to Cs this season.

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: Anthony Edwards
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Bogdan Bogdanovic (if Kawhi sits)
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Anthony Edwards
• My favorite value play: Bogdan Bogdanovic (if Kawhi sits)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis