RADIO
The NBA schedule has five games on the main slate for Sunday night. You'll have an adequate number of players to choose from and matchups to target. Two matchups have a point total of 240 or higher. You'll definitely want exposure to the Sacramento Kings versus the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Here are three tips on how to attack the overall slate when assembling lineups.
First of all, it’s important to look at the pace and Vegas lines. Second, it’s also useful to understand the number of fantasy points a team gives up to a specific position. The final tip is to identify value plays that are critical on a slate of any size. You don’t have to necessarily go for the cheapest value, but you want to identify players who have a high floor and a high ceiling.
This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 4/18/21. You can also check out today’s FanDuel lineup picks. It’s also important to monitor injury news as a result of COVID-19 as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Without further ado, let’s dive into the picks!
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Luka Doncic - PG/SF, DAL vs SAC ($10,900)
Doncic scored 22 points, accumulated 19 assists and eight rebounds in 38 minutes against the Knicks last Friday. This tied his career-high in assists and was his first game with 10 or more assists over the last 14 games. Doncic ranks first in Usage Rate (36%) among point guards this season. This metric is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. Doncic faces a Kings team that has allowed the six most DraftKings fantasy points per game to point guards this season. He is in a great position against Sacramento to deliver one of the jaw-dropping statistical lines DFS players are accustomed to.
Anthony Edwards - SG/SF, MIN vs LAC ($7,000)
Edwards scored 12 points, amassed five assists, four rebounds, and one steal in 30 minutes against the Heat last Friday. He's been struggling from the field over the last four games with a 38.5% field goal percentage. It is worth noting that Edwards has been very good at getting to the free-throw line this season. The No. 1 overall pick has eight consecutive games with 32 or more DraftKings fantasy points. Edwards is a nice value on tonight's slate.
Norman Powell - SG/SF, POR vs CHA ($6,300)
Powell scored 22 points, stockpiled four assists, two rebounds, one steal, and one block in 38 minutes against the Spurs last Friday. This was his second consecutive game with 20 or more points. Powell's fantasy production has been up and down like the S&P 500 this month. He's still averaged 28.5 DraftKings fantasy points per game over the last eight games. The Hornets have allowed the 11th most fantasy points per game to shooting guards this season.
Bonus Guards: De'Aaron Fox ($9,800), C.J. McCollum ($8,700), Kyle Lowry ($7,700), Ricky Rubio ($5,100)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Kristaps Porzingis - PF/C, DAL vs SAC ($9,000)
Porzingis scored 23 points, garnered 12 rebounds and two blocks last Friday against the Knicks. He has scored 43.5 or more DraftKings fantasy points in four out of his last five games. Porzingis has the fifth-highest Usage Rate (27.6%) among power forwards this season. He also has the eighth highest Player Efficiency Rating (25). This metric sums up all a player's positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments and returns a per-minute rating of a player's performance. Porzingis faces a Kings team that has allowed the fifth-most DraftKings fantasy points per game this season.
Christian Wood - PF/C, HOU vs ORL ($8,500)
Wood scored 15 points, three rebounds, and an assist across 24 minutes last Friday against the Nuggets. He's averaged 33 minutes, 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, two assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game over the last nine games. Wood has four games with 40 or more DraftKings fantasy points over that time frame. He's in a great spot against a Magic team that allowed the seventh-most DraftKings fantasy points per game this season.
Harrison Barnes - SF/PF, SAC vs DAL ($6,600)
Barnes scored 14 points, piled up two rebounds, three assists, and one steal across 40 minutes against the Suns last Thursday. He's been a source of solid production all season. Barnes has averaged 38 minutes, 15 points, 6.7 rebounds, three assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game over the last 10 games. He's had four games over that time frame with 34.5 or more DraftKings fantasy points.
Bonus Forwards: Kawhi Leonard ($9,500), Pascal Siakam ($8,800), Buddy Hield ($6,700), Robert Covington ($5,800)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Karl-Anthony Towns - C, MIN vs LAC ($10,600)
Towns scored 24 points, racked up five rebounds, five assists, and a block in 26 minutes last Friday against the Heat. His limited minutes were the result of Towns missing the last two games to honor the one-year anniversary of his mother's death. Towns ranks fifth in Usage Rate (29%) this season among centers. He should see his usual workload against the Clippers tonight. Towns has the highest ceilings of any player on tonight's slate.
Jusuf Nurkic - C, POR vs CHA ($5,600)
Nurkic only scored nine points, accrued six rebounds, four assists, and one block in 22 minutes against the Blazers last Friday. He's only averaged 23.3 minutes, 7.7 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and 1.7 blocks per game over the last three games since returning from injury. Nurkic is in a good position to bounce back against the Hornets. He has one of the higher ceilings of any center on the slate.
Bonus Centers: Chris Boucher ($7,300), Hassan Whiteside ($5,500), DeMarcus Cousins ($4,300)
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