Wednesday, April 27, brings a pair of Game 5 elimination opportunities, with both Chicago and Denver at risk of seeing their seasons come to an end. The fun tips off at 7:30 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 | Wednesday, April 27
Yahoo Play of the Day — DeMar DeRozan: Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 48.75 | DraftKings: 49.47
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 53.0% | FanDuel 54.7% | DraftKings 45.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $10 | FanDuel $9,100 | DraftKings $8,800
Happy DeMar DeRozan Day! By the time this game tips off, we are likely to see DeRozan on 60% or more of all lineups. This is largely due to the fact that Zach LaVine has been placed in the health and safety protocol, while Alex Caruso is out with a concussion. The Awesemo projections have a median outcome of 41.8 minutes tonight for DeRozan, and he could easily surpass 45 minutes in this elimination game. Though DeRozan has struggled in the last two games, keep in mind he had 41 points on 31 field goal attempts against the Bucks in Game 2 of this series on his way to 62 Yahoo fantasy points. The volume and opportunities should be there for a repeat performance, but so will the Bucks defensive attention for the suddenly shorthanded Bulls.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 59.91 | DraftKings: 61.91
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 50.6% | FanDuel 62.5% | DraftKings 47.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $57 | FanDuel $11,500 | DraftKings $11,600
Khris Middleton is out with a knee issue, which, in turn, means that Giannis Antetokounmpo will shoulder even more of the offensive responsibilities for Milwaukee. Tonight the Awesemo projections have him with a median outcome of 60 fantasy points. That is not far-fetched at all considering he had 64.9 fantasy points on Sunday covering for Middleton and 74.1 fantasy points in a Game 2 loss. This is a perfect time for the Bucks to press their advantage to the fullest and close out this series for Chicago.
Centers of Attention
Nikola Jokic easily deserves consideration as the top fantasy option, as his projection is aligned with Giannis’. This is also an elimination game for the Nuggets, which means the team will be throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at Golden State in order to extend this series.
Nikola Vucevic likely will see 6 to 8 fewer minutes tonight than DeRozan, but he will still be a crucial part of keeping postseason hopes alive for Chicago. It is hard to envision Vucevic without a 20-point, 10-rebound stat line, which is what he authored in the first two games of this series.
Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez have seen their production look like a yin-and-yang mirror image when comparing Games 1 and 2 with Games 3 and 4. Mostly this has been a result of field goal opportunities, with Lopez getting 14, 16, nine and most recently four. Portis has been seeing a positive trend with eight, two, 14 and 12 — the latter two games also coinciding with him stepping into the starting role vacated by Middleton. Lopez is still a tournament dart throw; however, it seems that Portis has the edge for the time being.
Yahoo Discount Dandies
Ayo Dosunmu – Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks ($10): This is a nice situation for Ayo Dosunmu, and even if he is coming off the bench, he should play upwards of 30 minutes tonight without LaVine and Caruso. Patrick Williams ($14) likely will get a boost with an extra field goal attempt or two, and he has the potential to replicate his 20-point, 10-rebound effort from Game 4. Coby White ($13) is the other wild card. Though he has not seen many positive outcomes this postseason, he does have a solid track record as the third guard and in an instant-offense-off-the-bench role in the last two regular seasons.
Pat Connaughton – Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls ($10): If Grayson Allen ($14) continues his torrid shooting streak — 18 of 24 from behind the arc in the last two games after making just 1 of 7 in the first three games — then, of course, he is a better play than Pat Connaughton. However, Connaughton has the better track record as a more consistent option and comes at a salary and popularity discount. Both forwards are in play with Middleton out, but regression is coming soon for Allen.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks for the Wednesday, April 27 Fantasy Basketball Slate
Just when it seemed like the playoffs were settling in, injuries and the lingering pandemic reared up to create a little DFS chaos over the last four days. While all of the news is in, the remaining variable will be how coaches Mike Malone and Billy Donovan look to shake things up to avoid elimination tonight.
