Tuesday, April 26, keeps the NBA Playoffs rolling with a three-game main slate, including Atlanta facing elimination at the hands of Miami. The fun tips off at 7 p.m. ET on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. As always, you can head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for all the fantasy basketball content you need for any given slate.
NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Tuesday, April 26
Yahoo Play of the Day — Chris Paul: Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 48.28 | DraftKings: 49.96
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 34.4% | FanDuel 26.5% | DraftKings 32.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $39 | FanDuel $10,300 | DraftKings $9,000
Chris Paul and the Suns had an off game on Sunday where he took only eight field goal attempts despite the absence of Devin Booker. In the first three games — two alongside Booker — Paul had 16, 16 and 18 field goal attempts. Consider this a blip on the radar, and feel confident in the expectation that Paul returns to being a fantasy asset capable of producing 50 or more fantasy points in this matchup.
Jimmy Butler: Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 46.36 | DraftKings: 46.28
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 38.8% | FanDuel 24.1% | DraftKings 27.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $39 | FanDuel $10,800 | DraftKings $9,200
Tonight the Heat are looking to close out this series against the Hawks in Miami, where they are 6-point favorites. Kyle Lowry (leg) has been ruled out for a second straight game, which means Jimmy Butler will likely see the ball in his hands on most possessions tonight. Butler is an above-average scorer, rebounder and facilitator, and he should be in the mix for a top-three fantasy output among the six-team player pool making up tonight’s roster options. This is the perfect time to put away the opposition and allow Miami to start resting up for the next round of the playoffs.
Centers of Attention
Karl-Anthony Towns had a stellar Game 4, leading the Timberwolves to a 119-118 victory over the Grizzlies. In 42 minutes, Towns had 17 field goal and 17 free-throw attempts, totaling 33 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and a block for 51.3 fantasy points. This series is knotted up at 2-2, and we should see big minutes once again from Towns.
Deandre Ayton and the Suns fell 118-103 in New Orleans on Sunday, with every other game result streak remaining intact. Phoenix is back home and favored by half a dozen points. Ayton was efficient, sinking 11 of his 14 field goal attempts, but he had a series-low eight rebounds and managed only 35 fantasy points. Expect a bounce-back performance tonight, and anything less than 40 to 45 fantasy points will be a failure.
Brandon Clarke continues to be a surprise, and in the three games this series where he has been on the court for at least 27 minutes, he has tallied 32 or more fantasy points. Most DFS gamers have missed the change in roles and the consistency of Clarke this series, and his popularity is currently trending at around 20% across all of the DFS sites.
Yahoo Discount Dandies
Gabe Vincent – Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks ($10): On Sunday, with Lowry out, Gabe Vincent drew a spot start. It is likely that coach Erik Spoelstra will go back to the third-year guard tonight. Although he has been listed as questionable all series with a toe injury, Vincent has played at least 25 minutes in three of the four games. Something in that range is realistic tonight, along with around a fantasy point per minute. Take advantage of this salary and look for differentiation elsewhere.
Kyle Anderson – Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ($11): The player affectionately known as “Slo-Mo” is, once again, locked into a comically low salary on Yahoo. Kyle Anderson has used his chameleon-like abilities to fit in whatever role Memphis needs. He started Game 3 and has come off the bench in the other three tilts against Minnesota. In three of the four games, he has tallied between 17 and 19 fantasy points, which is acceptable as a baseline, even if his upside is somewhat limited with a fully healthy Grizzlies team.
Delon Wright – Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat ($10): Through the four games in this series, Delon Wright has displayed metronomic consistency, scoring 21.4, 20.5, 19.6 and 21.4 fantasy points. In this elimination game, he should see between 26 and 30 minutes with Atlanta likely to go small and try to get as many scorers on the court in the hopes of extending this series.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks for the Tuesday, April 26 Fantasy Basketball Slate
Tonight is a frontloaded slate with two games tipping off within the first half hour, and then the third game does not begin until 10 p.m. ET. Fortunately, there is no pending news for the Tuesday West Coast night cap between New Orleans and Phoenix.
