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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on April 20, 2021. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Tuesday, RotoBallers! I was getting used to bigger slates on Tuesday, but we are back down to five games during the early part of the week. Still, that's no problem, thanks to a ton of injuries opening up plenty of discount options and enticing matchups to check out on tonight's DraftKings slate.
The game that jumps off the page is the Minnesota-Sacramento matchup. The game has the highest over/under (237.5 points) amongst the five tilts, and both teams play at a breakneck pace. Also, we need to mention the Timberwolves are a bottom-seven defense versus both guard and forward positions. On the other end of the spectrum is the Charlotte-New York game. Over their last 10 games, the Hornets and Knicks come in as the two slowest teams on the slate, and the game holds an over/under of just 211.5 points. It's tough to avoid one game on a five-game schedule altogether. Still, unless you feel incredibly confident in Terry Rozier ($8,000) or Julius Randle ($10,100), it should be a stay-away contest.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/20/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
De'Aaron Fox - PG, SAC vs. MIN ($9,800)
As previously mentioned, the Timberwolves are not a good defense. Over Minnesota's last 15 games, they allow the second-most points to point guards with 53.19 fantasy points per game. It lines up perfectly for Fox as the stars align for an enormous evening because he has been outstanding over his last five games. In that handful of games, the 23-year old is averaging 32.6 points on 51.7 percent shooting, with eight assists, four rebounds, 2.4 steals, and a couple of three-pointers per game. On average, that's providing DFS players with 54.9 FPPG, but he's also topped 58.5 fantasy points in three of those five contests.
Gary Harris - SG/SF, ORL at ATL ($4,400)
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So when we go big at point guard (De'Aaron Fox), we've got to find the discount options at other spots. That's where Gary Harris comes into play against Atlanta. He was traded to Orlando at the deadline along with R.J. Hampton ($3,900) and some picks for Aaron Gordon. In his new home, he's showing some signs of life. He's up to 11 points per game and shooting 46.2 percent behind the three-point line. At $4,400, he only needs 22 fantasy points to return five times his value. He's hit that mark in two of his last three games and is going against a Hawks defense giving up the fifth-most DraftKings points to shooting guards over their last 15 contests.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Zion Williamson - PF/C, NO vs. BKN ($9,700)
While the Pelicans are in a late-season battle to make the play-in game, Williamson is doing everything he can to make that become a reality. The second-year forward has kicked it up a notch in the latter half of the 2020-21 campaign. He's averaging 43.6 FPPG this year, but it's up to 50.6 FPPG in his last six tilts. That's thanks to the 30.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and one block he is averaging each night. On Tuesday, Williamson will face a Nets team without James Harden and Kevin Durant. Without KD to help at the rim, Zion will only have to get past a combination of Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin. No one from that trio has any hope of stopping Zion one on one. The Nets are the second-worst defense versus power forwards over the last 15 games, and it only raises Williamson's floor to greater heights.
Harrison Barnes - SF/PF, SAC vs. MIN ($6,700)
Barnes is $100 less than teammate Buddy Hield but a far more consistent option at the forward spot. Barnes is averaging 31.3 FPPG this year but has two games over 35 fantasy points in his last four games. Over those same four games, the 28-year old is recording 18 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.3 three-pointers. Minnesota is dreadful against any position with guard or forward in its title, but it's horrible against small forwards. They are allowing a league-worst 59.86 FPPG to the position over their last seven games. It's a perfect matchup, and you are getting a small discount on Barnes compared to Hield. Don't be afraid to go heavy on this matchup and fill in the rest of your squad after the fact.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Enes Kanter - C, POR vs. LAC ($6,100)
Jusuf Nurkic (rest) and Damian Lillard (hamstring) will miss the game against the Clippers. Nurkic's absence will give Kanter the spot start, while Lillard's lack of availability should bump the big man's usage rate. Kanter is a far more viable fantasy option when he is starting and getting at least 30 minutes. That's happened 19 times this season, and he is averaging 15.7 points on 58.6 percent shooting along with 15.7 rebounds. He is in line for that workload again with the injuries the Trail Blazers are suffering, and we've seen what Kanter can do when given the right kind of opportunity. In his last start, the 28-year old dropped 24 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds for 70 DraftKings points. Smash him in your lineups tonight.
Hassan Whiteside - C, SAC vs. MIN ($5,800)
The game between the Kings and Timberwolves should be flying up and down the court all night. That means you'll want as many pieces as you can acquire. One little value is Hassan Whiteside. Richaun Holmes (hamstring) is still on the mend, and it's opened the door for a late-season Whiteside revival. In his last trio of games, Count Blockula (seriously, the basketball reference nickname feature is a gold mine) is averaging 11.7 points on 9.3 attempts, along with 9.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks. He's reached a double-double in back-to-back games and is averaging 30.9 FPPG. In a fast-tempo, high-scoring contest, Whiteside's upside should not be glossed over.
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