Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Picks Today: Free NBA DFS Rankings 4/5/22

There is a monster 12-game NBA slate on tap for today with lots of injury news and notes. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are listed as questionable and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as probable, but still a game-time decision. The largest over/under on the slate belongs to Houston – Brooklyn (245), with Brooklyn favored by a whopping 17.5 points. Minnesota – Washington also has shootout vibes with a 238 over/under and the Timberwolves favored by 12.5, so there are some great options for the Yahoo Fantasy Basketball lineups tonight.

This column will use the Awesemo NBA player projections, fantasy basketball rankings and NBA DFS tools to build lineups and help wade through the day’s data and news. Make sure to read to the end for a couple of extreme value plays for Yahoo fantasy basketball lineups today.

Yahoo Fantasy Basketball & NBA DFS Value Picks Today

Guard — Darius Garland $37

The Cavaliers remain without a couple of their starters up front and that means Darius Garland should get tons of usage today. While he has not exploded for a big game over his last three starts, Garland has still managed over 20 real-life points in five of his last six games and gets a plus matchup with the Magic. Orlando has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points against per game to the point guard position this year and Garland rates extremely well in the Awesemo projections, coming in a close third place to the two top plays, who both cost well over $40 tonight. This game does not have the largest point total but Garland’s usage, and a closer point spread, makes him an excellent upper-tier value to start lineups with.

Guard — Will Barton $19

Speaking of value, if you want to save some room to go big with the big men, taking the sub-$20 price on Will Barton tonight seems reasonable enough. The Nuggets have the third-largest implied team total on the slate and face off against a Spurs team who are bottom 10 in most categories in guarding against the shooting guard position. Barton has shot the ball exceedingly well of late, with 17 or more points in five of his last six games and is coming off a game where he went six of eight from beyond the arc. He has a solid value score and the second largest point projection of any shooting guard under $20 today. With a great game environment and good recent form, expect Barton to produce more fantasy goodness here.

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Forward — Aleksej Pokusevski $26

There are two terrible teams going up against each other, which will make for poor viewing but also for some potentially good fantasy value to reveal itself. The Thunder shutting down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the season means that Aleksej Pokusevski should continue to get big play and usage every night. The power forward recently pushed for over 40 minutes in a game against Portland, a 3-point Oklahoma City win where the teams combined for 265 points. There is another close point spread on tap with Oklahoma City favored by 4.5 and Pokusevski coming in with confidence after recording the first triple-double of his career in the Thunder’s last game. He is top five at his position today on Awesemo and has the highest point projection of anyone under $30, making him another elite mid-tier value to target.

Forward — Anthony Edwards $31

The Timberwolves are another heavy favorite in a great spot today. They sit with the second-largest implied team total on the slate and face off against a Wizards team who allowed 144 points against in their last outing against Boston. Anthony Edwards rates highly with the second-largest point projection at a relatively thin small forward position and also provides an easy way to get exposure to this game. He has carried a lot of the offense for Minnesota lately and produced 37 or more Yahoo points in each of his last four games. Looking to him at a solid price to carry you at small forward is not a bad idea at all.

Center — Joel Embiid $57

There are obviously a lot of big names on the slate today with both Brooklyn and the Nuggets being in massive spots against inferior opponents. Still, the number one player in the projections today is Joel Embiid, who will be getting a crack at a Pacers team who has lost seven games in a row. Embiid’s fantasy efficiency has gone up of late, as the addition of James Harden has not taken away from his usage at all but seems to have given him even more space on the floor to produce. He has gone for over 60.0 Yahoo points in three of his last five games and is the stud to build around today, especially given he comes in slightly cheaper than Nikola Jokic, who sits just behind him in the Awesemo Projections.

Embiid was showing up well in Awesemo’s fantasy basketball rankings today. He is popping as one of the best Yahoo Fantasy Basketball plays on the entire DFS slate. Check out who else is one of the best NBA picks today in the Yahoo NBA DFS Cheat Sheet.

Yahoo NBA DFS Value Play — Moses Brown $12

As mentioned above, the Cavaliers are dealing with multiple injury issues up front and that has led to some rotational names getting more play and becoming very viable fantasy values as a result. This is a situation that can continue to be targeted for a punt play again today with Moses Brown, who has posted 12 or more rebounds in three straight games and is averaging around 25 minutes over his last three starts as well. Brown also has a great matchup against Orlando, one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Another double-double seems likely and Brown has the top value score at center on the entire slate.

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