Friday night delivers a huge 10-game slate, and below are some of the best NBA daily fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings based on Awesemo’s grades and values.
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NBA Daily Fantasy Picks: Awesemo Grades | April 16
Point Guard: Lonzo Ball
DraftKings Grades: B, Values: C
FanDuel Grades: B, Values: C
Ball will return tonight from a four-game absence due to his nagging hip injury. He struggled in the blowout loss to the Nets in his last start (21.5 DraftKings points) but looked terrific in his previous two, with back-to-back outings of over 50 DraftKings points. While Ball will be back in the lineup for New Orleans, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (ankle) and Josh Hart (thumb) remain out. Assuming he isn’t under a minutes limit, Ball should handle well over 30 minutes in this small spread against the Wizards (New Orleans -2.5), who are the fastest team in the Association this season. Not only is this contest projected to be one of the most competitive of the night, its 242.5-point total is easily the high mark of this 10-game slate, and the Pelicans’ hefty 122-point implied team total is the largest on the board.
This shootout is going to deliver some huge fantasy scores, and based on Awesemo’s daily fantasy basketball ownership projections, Ball is expected to be a forgotten man in his return to the court. In his last 10 appearances in totals of 230 points or greater, Ball has stuffed the stat sheet with 42.7 DraftKings points per game.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 2.2%, FanDuel 0.2%
Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
DraftKings Grades: A, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: B
With so much value tonight, it is not possible to keep Westbrook out of lineups. He is on an absolute tear right now, providing 65.25 DraftKings points per game across his past 10. He has notched a triple-double in six straight and returns home tonight after a six-game road trip to meet a New Orleans’ defense that that ranks 28th in defensive efficiency. Being at home has been a huge boost for Westbrook this season, producing 7.6 more DraftKings points per game in Washington than on the road, and again, this matchup carries the highest total of Friday night’s full slate at 242.5 points.
In the five Wizards’ home games that have presented a total of at least 240 points in 2020-21, Westbrook has feasted with 65.5 DraftKings points per game. Even as the most lucrative player on both DraftKings and FanDuel, he is very underpriced. Build around him in all formats.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 24.6%, FanDuel 18.2%
Center: Khem Birch
DraftKings Grades: C, Values: A
FanDuel Grades: C, Values: A
The Raptors are clearly tanking with only 16 games remaining. Tonight Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Kyle Lowry will be rested, while Gary Trent Jr.(doubtful, ankle) is out due to injury. Birch, who was inserted into Toronto’s starting five at center Wednesday night, should gain another start and handle big minutes with his club so understaffed.
In that first start as a Raptor on Wednesday, Birch logged 29 minutes en route to 27 DraftKings points in the win over the Spurs. This snapped a five-game losing streak for the Raptors, and both Anunoby and Siakam were active for this victory. Now take them out of the picture, and Nick Nurse should push Birch above the 30-minute threshold Friday, when they host a Magic team that ranks 25th in defensive rating over their last 10. Additionally, during this stretch Orlando has yielded the second-most rebounds in the NBA. A double-double for Birch is in the realm of possibilities, and when he has been given a minimum of 25 minutes this season, he has supplied 26 DraftKings points per game. He’s a solid NBA daily fantasy pick for tonight’s slate.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 12.8%, FanDuel 19.6%
Small Forward: Hamidou Diallo
DraftKings Grades: C, Values: A
FanDuel Grades: C, Values: A
Diallo has watched his role dwindle, with fewer than 20 minutes in five straight. However, he should have a solid role tonight with his team extremely depleted. All of Jerami Grant (rest), Mason Plumlee (rest), Cory Joseph (ankle), Dennis Smith Jr. (knee), Rodney McGruder (elbow) and Wayne Ellington (rest) will be sidelined for Detroit. While he may not start, Diallo should get over 25 minutes off the bench, which would be more than enough time for him to out-produce his low price in this revenge game against the Thunder.
In his first matchup with Oklahoma City after they dealt him away to the Pistons, Diallo posted 30.5 DraftKings points. The Thunder rate as the worst defense in the NBA over their past 10, and whenever Diallo has eclipsed the 25-minute make this year, he has smashed value with 35.4 DraftKings points per game. Diallo is currently rating as a top-10 point-per-dollar play for both DraftKings and FanDuel via Awesemo’s NBA daily fantasy basketball projections. He is a risk worth embracing tonight.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 23.4%, FanDuel 27.8%
Update: Diallo was a late add to the injury report and is questionable with a knee injury. Thankfully, this is the first game of the night to tip off, so there should be word on his status before the slate begins. If Diallo is active, his ownership should be depressed given the uncertainty of his injury, boosting his GPP stock. If Diallo is out, the Pistons lose another body and all of their remaining options would see a bump, specifically Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Killian Hayes, in that order.
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