Monday delivers a massive 11-game slate, and below are some of the best NBA daily fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings based on Awesemo’s expert daily fantasy basketball rankings, grades and values.
NBA Daily Fantasy Picks: Awesemo Grades | April 26
Shooting Guard: Paul George
DraftKings Grades: A, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: B
His salary is elevated on FanDuel, but George is criminally underpriced at $9,600 on DraftKings tonight. On top of Kawhi Leonard (foot) being sidelined, Serge Ibaka (back), Luke Kennard (rest) and Patrick Beverley (hand) will all be unavailable of the Clippers. Due to a ridiculous 39.5% usage rate, George scores a tremendous 1.62 DraftKings points per minute when these players are off the court, and he has 55 DraftKings points per game in the last five he has been active for sans Leonard. For Monday night, George finds himself in one of the top environments of this mammoth 11-game slate, taking on the Pelicans in New Orleans.
This game’s total is the second-highest on the slate at 228.5 points, and its 2-point spread is also the smallest of this full card. New Orleans ranks third in pace this month, and George has been a stud in competitive games recently, averaging 59 DraftKings points per game the last three times he has suited up for a spread under 5 points.
NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 27.4%, FanDuel 21.4%
Center: Nikola Jokic
DraftKings Grades: A, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: B
Via Awesemo’s NBA DFS projections, Jokic and George are the best point-per-dollar values above $8,000 on DraftKings tonight. Fresh off a 55.5-DraftKings-point outing against the Rockets on Saturday, Jokic is in a beautiful spot tonight against the Grizzlies. Across its last 10, Memphis has given up the third-most rebounds and fifth-most points in the paint per game. This equates to a whopping 92.2 DraftKings points per game to opposing centers, which is the most in the league during this time by a wide margin, with the Pacers ranking second at 78.2 DraftKings points per game allowed. This is the third and final time Jokic will go head-to-head with the Grizzlies this season, and he dominated them for 70.8 DraftKings points per game in the first two matchups.
Furthermore, Jokic’s usage has been all the way up to 35.8% when Jamal Murray (out, knee), Monte Morris (out, hamstring) and Will Barton (out, hamstring) have been off the court, and the Nuggets present the second-largest implied total on the board at home tonight (116.25 points). Whenever Jokic has been at home this season and Denver has had an implied team total of 115 points or greater, Jokic has contributed 63 DraftKings points per game.
NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 38.0%, FanDuel 22.0%
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Shooting Guard: Bogdan Bogdanovic
DraftKings Grades: B, Values: D
FanDuel Grades: B, Values: C
Instead of sticking to their usual plan of starting Brandon Goodwin, the Hawks have opted to move Bogdanovic over to point guard in these past two with Trae Young (ankle) injured. Bogdanovic has been a natural in the role, scoring 40.75 DraftKings points against the Heat and then 45.75 DraftKings points against the Bucks. These two playoff-bound clubs rank inside the top eight in defensive efficiency this season, and the Hawks secured wins against the quality opponents.
With Young still missing this evening, Bogdanovic will get to run the show again, this time against a Pistons defense that ranks 24th in rating this month. Detroit has been a friendly spot for point guards all season long, with them giving up the seventh-most DraftKings points per game to the position. As such, Bogdanovic is a strong bet for over 40 fantasy points that is going to be slept on in GPPs. Via Awesemo’s NBA DFS ownership projections, he is slated for single-digit ownership levels on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 1.0%, FanDuel 5.8%
Point Guard: Delon Wright
DraftKings Grades: C, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: C, Values: C
With De’Aaron Fox in quarantine, Tyrese Haliburton is one of the strongest values of the night, but also do not forget about Wright in this situation. Wright gained 27.1 minutes off the bench and responded with 26 DraftKings points against the Warriors in Fox’s absence. He is now producing 29.25 DraftKings points per game when he has logged a minimum of 25 minutes since joining the Kings at the trade deadline. With Haliburton shifting to the starting five, Wright is guaranteed 25 to 30 minutes off the bench on a nightly basis until Fox is cleared to return, and this Dallas club he is going against Monday has slipped to 23rd in defensive rating over their last 10.
Also, do not forget that Wright used to play for the Mavericks, and when Sacramento and Dallas matched up last Sunday, he finished with an efficient 28.25 DraftKings points in 25 minutes. Wright’s salary on FanDuel is a bit aggressive, but he is appealing cheap target at only $5,000 on DraftKings that shouldn’t be a common name in GPPs. That makes him an interesting NBA daily fantasy pick tonight.
NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 9.0%, FanDuel 0.4%
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