There is a four-game slate to attack for Thursday night, and below are some of the best NBA daily fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings based on Awesemo’s grades and values.
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NBA Daily Fantasy Picks: Awesemo Grades | April 15
Point Guard: Stephen Curry
DraftKings Grades: A, Values: C
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: C
Curry has been playing at an MVP level recently. As the Warriors chase a playoff spot, he has 50.7 DraftKings points per game in his last six starts. With Kelly Oubre (out, wrist) and James Wiseman (out, knee) inactive for the Warriors’ past two, Curry has posted a 37.4% usage rate and knocked down 21 total 3-pointers, resulting in an absurd 68 DraftKings points per game. In the 392 minutes Curry has logged without Oubre and Wiseman this season, he has generated a godly 1.73 DraftKings points per minute.
With Vegas only listing the Warriors as six-point road favorites against the Cavaliers, all of their main players should see their usual complement minutes, especially with Cleveland having won three of their last five. Curry is a possessed man right now, and gamers have to continue riding his hot hand in all formats for this short slate.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 28.6%, FanDuel 31.4%
Center: Hassan Whiteside
DraftKings Grades: D, Values: A
FanDuel Grades: D, Values: D
With Richaun Holmes (hamstring) unavailable last night, Whiteside reentered the Kings’ rotation and recorded 36.25 DraftKings points in 22.5 minutes off the bench against the Wizards. Along with Marvin Bagley (hand), Holmes has already been ruled out for Thursday night. That leaves Luke Walton with no choice but to give Whiteside a decent amount of work. The ineffective Damian Jones will likely start at center again, but Whiteside should handle a minimum of 20 minutes against the Suns.
This may not seem like much, but Whiteside is providing 1.32 DraftKings points per minute and 25.8 DraftKings points per game when his playing time is over 15 minutes this year. Phoenix presents a tough matchup (fifth in defensive rating), but the efficient Whiteside should have no issues beating his $3,400 salary on DraftKings. Per Awesemo’s NBA DFS projections, he is grading as a top-five value of the slate at this low price tag.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 20.8%, FanDuel 2.8%
Center: Jarrett Allen
DraftKings Grades: B, Values: C
FanDuel Grades: B, Values: B
After missing eight straight games with a concussion, Allen returned to the lineup last night and posted 30 DraftKings points over 30 minutes against Hornets. This wasn’t the best output, but he had topped 40 DraftKings points in his final two before the head injury, and this matchup against the Warriors is a juicy spot for centers. In its last 10, Golden State has surrendered the fifth-most points in the paint and the 10th-most rebounds in the league, translating to the second-most DraftKings points per game to opposing centers.
Allen recorded 39 DraftKings points against the Warriors back in February and is an enticing GPP pivot tonight, with most DFS players looking elsewhere at center, according to our NBA DFS ownership projections.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 8.2%, FanDuel 12.2%
Small Forward: Kent Bazemore
DraftKings Grades: C, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: C, Values: A
Bazemore’s price tags on both DraftKings and FanDuel have yet to fully adjust for life without Oubre. In these past three with Oubre missing, Bazemore has entered the Warriors’ starting lineup and generated 26.2 DraftKings points per game. Take Wiseman and Oubre off the court, and Bazemore is scoring 0.92 DraftKings points per minute this season, and he should garner over 30 minutes in this 6-point spread against the Cavs. Before embarrassing the Thunder by 35 points Wednesday night, Bazemore was logging 33.3 minutes as the interim starter for Oubre.
Despite being only small forward eligible on both sites, Bazemore’s spot in the Warriors’ first unit is at shooting guard, and the Cavs’ main flaw on the defensive end is guarding shooting guards. They are yielding the seventh-most DraftKings points per game to opposing shooting guards, and Bazemore is without a doubt the safest cheap DraftKings NBA pick of Thursday night.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings21.6%, FanDuel 28.6%
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