NBA DFS Picks Projections & Ownerhsip for DraftKings & FanDuel Lineups

The NBA DFS Deep Dive is our primary in-depth daily fantasy basketball article, and it will be free this season. This article’s goal isn’t just to give you a few plays to plug into your lineup but to dig a little bit deeper into why projections may (or may not) like certain players. Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll have a better feel for the slate as a whole. Combining the context from this article with the raw data available in our Boom/Bust tool, Projections, and Ownership Projections should allow you to build strong lineups and make the best NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for any format.

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NBA DFS Deep Dive: DraftKings + FanDuel | April 10

Guards

Kyrie Irving ($10,400 DraftKings/$10,200 FanDuel) – I am not totally sure what to expect from Kevin Durant tonight. He’s back in the Nets’ lineup, but he only played 19 minutes in his first game back. This makes me think we are still a few games away from Durant getting a full workload. With this in mind and James Harden out because of a hamstring injury, Irving will have to carry the Nets’ offense in the interim. I plan on targeting Irving until the minutes restriction comes off of Durant.

Ben Simmons ($8,200 DraftKings/$7,400 FanDuel) – I have a hunch that Joel Embiid will not play tonight. Even though he isn’t on the injury report, Embiid is coming off an injury, and the 76ers have an easily winnable game against the Thunder. OKC is hardly playing to win games at this point in the season, and nearly every core piece they had to open the season isn’t active. If Embiid sits, Simmons becomes a priority play on FanDuel and a lesser but viable play on DraftKings. Simmons has a 23.8% usage rate and scores over 40 fantasy points per 36 minutes this season when Embiid is off the court.

Donovan Mitchell ($8,800 DraftKings/$8,500 FanDuel) – I am not sure why Mitchell’s price dropped after the last game. Jordan Clarkson sat out with an ankle injury which opened up extra usage for Mitchell. He posted a 40.3% usage rate against the Trail Blazers and the only reason this didn’t lead to a massive fantasy night was due to the score of the game. Since the Jazz won by 19 points, he didn’t have to finish the game, or else we probably would have seen somewhere around 60 fantasy points from Mitchell. In one of the best matchups possible against the Kings, Mitchell has as much upside as anybody on this slate.

Gary Trent Jr. ($5,600 DraftKings/$6,300 FanDuel) – The injury list for the Raptors seems to get longer every day. Fred VanVleet continues to miss games because of a hip injury, and Kyle Lowry was ruled out for tonight’s game due to his foot injury. Lowry was briefly upgraded to questionable before getting ruled out. As if this wasn’t enough, Pascal Siakam is resting as it looks like the Raptors are moving into tank mode. Toronto is also missing depth since Paul Watson, Freddie Gillespie, Jalen Harris, and Khem Birch are all. Trent is going to have to play an increased role for the Raptors.

Malachi Flynn ($5,300 DraftKings/$6,000 FanDuel) – A lot of what I said about Trent goes for Flynn. With so many players out for the Raptors, Flynn will have to stick in the starting lineup and play a significant role. Toronto is playing for the future, and they are getting looks at Flynn to see if it is something he fits into future plans. So far, so good. Flynn made his first career start last game, and he’s averaging over 30 fantasy points across his last four games since his role started to expand.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Kyrie Irving, Malachi Flynn, Gary Trent Jr.

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Kyrie Irving, Malachi Flynn, Donovan Mitchell

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Forwards

OG Anunoby ($6,600 DraftKings/$7,700 FanDuel) – There is a significant price difference for Anunoby between FanDuel and DraftKings, but he’s still a strong play for me on both sites. I am not sweating the increased price on FanDuel since Anunonby’s game is better for fantasy production on FanDuel anyway due to his defensive stats. He averages 2.4 steals plus blocks per game, so the added point for the defensive stats on FanDuel helps make up for a bit higher of a salary.

Kelly Oubre ($6,200 DraftKings/$6,600 FanDuel) – We are getting into desperate times for the Warriors. They are the 10 seed in the West, and making the playoffs from that spot is no easy task. Even with the play-in tournament, making the playoffs is tough from here because the Warriors would have to win back-to-back games on the road, and that would grant them a first-round matchup against the top seed in the West. For these reasons, I think we see the Warriors play with a bit more urgency down the stretch of the season. This means a tighter rotation and more minutes for the starters.

Christian Wood ($8,300 DraftKings/$7,800 FanDuel) – Wood is a priority play on FanDuel and more of a secondary option on DraftKings. In my initial builds, he is my most rostered power forward on FanDuel. On DraftKings, he is more expensive and doesn’t have power forward eligibility. John Wall is expected back in the Rockets’ starting lineup, but I don’t think this is a bad thing for Wood. Playing with a good point guard like Wall should create easier buckets for Wood. He actually scores more fantasy points per minute with Wall on the court than when he’s off.

DeAndre’ Bembry ($3,600 DraftKings/$5,600 FanDuel) – I don’t have much to add here other than what I wrote about other Raptors’ players. Half the team is out, so Bembry is line to play a pile of minutes with increased usage. The one note specific to Bembry is that he is significantly cheaper on DraftKings than FanDuel. This makes him one of the best overall plays on DraftKings and more of a fringe option worth only a minimal amount of exposure to on FanDuel.

Kevin Love ($5,800 DraftKings/$6,100 FanDuel) – Love remains really cheap, but his role is increasing. After missing most of the season because of a calf injury, Love is finally healthy and starting to get extended playing time. He’s also taking on a big rebounding role since Larry Nance and Jarrett Allen are both out with injuries. Love is now regularly playing over 20 minutes per game which is enough run for him to nearly average a double-double over his last three contests. I also think there is an outside shot that we get close to 30 minutes for Love. His playing time is creeping up, and he hasn’t had to play extended fourth-quarter minutes because of blowouts. The last seven Cleveland games were decided by at least 14 points.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: OG Anunoby, DeAndre’ Bembry

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Christian Wood, Kelly Oubre, OG Anunoby

Centers

Chris Boucher ($6,800 DraftKings/$6,500 FanDuel) – Coming off of a slate-breaking game against the Hornets where he nearly scored 70 fantasy points, everybody is going to want to roster Boucher, and for a good reason. Boucher is a really strong fantasy producer on a points-per-minute basis, but his playing time is almost always a concern. His minutes are tough to predict and vary from game to game. For today, this isn’t an issue. With the Raptors missing so many players, nothing should prevent Boucher from playing around 30 minutes against a Cavaliers’ team that is also missing players.

Enes Kanter ($5,900 DraftKings/$5,000 FanDuel) – Jusuf Nurkic is out tonight, so Kanter will move back into the starting lineup. This is a role that Kanter has found success in this season, and his price is way down due to decreased production since Nurkic returned from injury. When he starts, Kanter is averaging 34.43 DraftKings points per game with 13.1 points and 12.8 rebounds.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Chris Boucher, Enes Kanter

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Chris Boucher, Enes Kanter

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Author

Greg Ehrenberg

Greg is a former stand up comedian who quit telling jokes to pursue a career in the world of DFS. He started playing fantasy sports in 6th grade when Greg and his friends would skip classes to meet in the bathroom for 20 team fantasy basketball drafts. Considering his current career path, it was the best education he could have asked for.