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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on April 19th, 2021. Eric Moody provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
The NBA schedule has nine games on the main slate for Monday night. You'll have a plethora of players to choose from and matchups to target. Two matchups you should be particularly keen on are the Utah Jazz versus the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns versus the Milwaukee Bucks. 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 4/19/21. 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
Russell Westbrook - PG, WAS vs OKC ($11,000)
Westbrook scored 15 points, stockpiled 14 rebounds, 11 assists, and two steals last Saturday against the Pistons. Over the last 10 games, he's averaged 22.5 points, nearly 14 rebounds, and 11.6 assists. Westbrook has the sixth-highest Usage Rate (31.4%) among point guards. This metric is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. Westbrook faces a Thunder team that has allowed the ninth most DraftKings fantasy points per game this season.
Bradley Beal - SG, WAS vs OKC ($9,200)
Beal scored 37 points, garnered three assists, three rebounds, and two steals against the Pistons last Saturday. He's averaged 45.4 DraftKings fantasy points per game over the last four. No other shooting guard has a higher Usage Rate (34.7%) than Beal this season. He has an excellent matchup against Oklahoma City.
Chris Paul - PG, PHO vs MIL ($7,900)
Paul only scored six points, six assists, and three rebounds in 22 minutes against the Spurs. The limited minutes were due to negative game flow. Paul has scored 34 or more DraftKings fantasy points in three out of the four previous games. He ranks eighth in Player Efficiency Rating. 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. Paul has one of the highest ceilings at the guard position on tonight's slate.
Bonus Guards: Devin Booker ($8,800), Dejounte Murray ($7,300), Kevin Porter Jr. ($7,000), Mike Conley ($7,000)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C, MIL vs PHO ($10,600)
Antetokounmpo scored 28 points, racked up 11 rebounds, and eight assists last Saturday against the Grizzlies. He has failed to record a block or steal for the fourth time in his last nine games. Antetokounmpo leads all power forwards in Usage Rate (33%) and Player Efficiency Rating (34.7). He's well-positioned to go nuclear against the Suns.
Christian Wood - PF/C, HOU vs MIA ($8,600)
Wood scored 25 points, amassed 10 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal in 40 minutes yesterday against the Magic. He has averaged 34 minutes, 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, one steal, and one block per game over the last four. Wood has the sixth-highest Usage Rate (26%) and seventh-highest Player Efficiency Rating (25.4). He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists this season. Wood has one of the highest ceilings of any forward on tonight's slate.
DeMar DeRozan - SF, SA vs IND ($8,000)
DeRozan was provided a rest day on April 17th. He's averaged 34.6 minutes, 24.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game over his last five. DeRozan has a Player Efficiency Rating of 26 and is in a good spot to exceed expectations against the Pacers.
Bonus Forwards: Khris Middleton ($8,200), Michael Porter Jr. ($7,700), Kevin Love ($6,500), Joe Ingles ($6,200)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN vs MEM ($11,000)
Jokic scored 29 points, hoarded 16 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 27 minutes against the Rockets. He's had a double-double in eight consecutive games. Jokic has the fourth-highest Usage Rate (29.2%) among centers. He also has the second-highest Player Efficiency Rating (35.7). Jokic faces a Grizzlies team that has allowed the 10th most DraftKings fantasy points per game to centers.
Nikola Vucevic - C, CHI vs BOS ($9,900)
Vucevic scored 25 points, collected seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals last Saturday against the Cavaliers. He's averaged 26 points, 10.7 rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 33 minutes per game over the last three. Vucevic is a great option with a similar ceiling if you don't want to absorb Jokic's salary into your lineup.
Bonus Centers: Andre Drummond ($7,100), Kelly Olynyk ($6,900), Moses Brown ($6,200)
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