For Wednesday night, there are 12 games on the NBA schedule, 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 21
Point Guard: Stephen Curry
DraftKings Grades: A, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: B
Curry is on a historical run as the Warriors make their push for a playoff berth in the Western Conference, and there is no chance he slows down tonight in this dream spot against the Wizards. In his last 11 starts, he has generated 52.7 DraftKings points per game while shooting 54.9% from the field and 50.3% from beyond the arc. The Warriors’ game plan has been simply to give Curry the ball and get out of the way, and they have fed him a godly 46.75% usage rate in his past two contests. Fresh off taking down the top-seeded 76ers on Monday, which was their sixth victory in their past eight, Golden State will absolutely continue to feature Curry tonight in this game against Washington with a massive 238.5-point total.
With Russell Westbrook running the show, the Wizards are the fastest team in the NBA this season. The Warriors aren’t far behind, currently ranking third in pace. Washington is allowing opposing guards to score DraftKings points at the seventh-highest rate, and Curry’s ceiling is north of 70 fantasy points in this uptempo shootout.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 24.4%, FanDuel 24.2%
Point Guard: Malcolm Brogdon
DraftKings Grades: B, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: B, Values: A
Of the 24 NBA teams in action tonight, the Pacers carry the third-highest implied team total at 119.75 points thanks to this appetizing matchup with the Thunder. This month, Oklahoma City has been a complete disaster on the defensive end, ranking third to last in defensive rating. They are giving up a league-high 84.6 DraftKings points per game to opposing points guard in their past 10, and Brogdon should flourish with the expanded role he is going to handle with Domantas Sabonis (back) and Myles Turner (toe) out of the lineup.
In all the time Brogdon has been on the court without these two bigs since the start of March, his usage rate has risen 8.8 percentage points to a team-high 34.2%. Brogdon has posted a usage rate above 30% eight times this season, and he is producing with 44.6 DraftKings points per game with the elevated volume. Brogdon is underpriced on both DraftKings and FanDuel for his current situation and shouldn’t be overly popular given the size of the slate.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 16.6%, FanDuel 18.0%
Center: Goga Bitadze
DraftKings Grades: B, Values: A
FanDuel Grades: B, Values: A
Bitadze is another great value to attack from Indiana’s hefty team total. He is questionable with a sprained ankle but should play and start tonight with Turner and Sabonis inactive. JaKarr Sampson will also be serving a one-game suspension Wednesday, leaving the Pacers extremely thin up front. Bitadze is the only true center left on the roster and should log as many minutes as he can handle.
Awesemo’s NBA DFS projections have Bitadze slated for 28.2 minutes of work against a Thunder defense that is allowing the second-most DraftKings points per game across their past 10. He is averaging a solid 1.17 DraftKings points per minute this year and is the top value on the site for this 12-game slate, according to Awesemo’s NBA DFS projections.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 19.8%, FanDuel 23.6%
Update: Bitadze has been ruled out tonight, along with Jeremy Lamb (knee) and Doug McDermott (ankle). Oshae Brissett is the last man standing in terms of big men for Indiana, and the second-year forward should start at center and play a ton of minutes in this prime spot against the defensively challenged Thunder. Brissett is providing right under one DraftKings points per minute this season, and his price tags are near the minimum on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Albeit a chalky play, Brissett is a tremendous punt that should smash value in this beautiful matchup.
Shooting Guard: Paul George
DraftKings Grades: A, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: A
George shined last night with Kawhi Leonard (foot) absent, scoring 56.25 DraftKings in the come-from-behind road win over the Trail Blazers. Leonard is expected to miss at least a week due to the foot injury, making George a must-play until Leonard returns. Serge Ibaka (out, back) and Patrick Beverley (out, hand) are still sidelined, and the Clippers traded away Lou Williams to Atlanta at the trade deadline last month. In the five full contests George has played without these three and Leonard this season, he has averaged 51.8 DraftKings points per game.
Overall, George is posting a 38.1% usage rate and a 23% assist percentage when those five are off the floor, helping him score an outstanding 1.52 DraftKings points per minute. He has been rested on the second night of Los Angeles’ last two back-to-back sets, but the Clippers are 2-point favorites over the Grizzlies tonight. With Leonard confirmed out, this line suggests that George will be available to dominate this Memphis defense that ranks 23rd in rating over their past 10. Via Awesemo’s NBA DFS projections, George is the best point-per-dollar value above $9,000 on DraftKings this evening.
Projected NBA DFS Ownership: DraftKings 26.4%, FanDuel 36.0%
Update: George, Rajon Rondo and Reggie Jackson will all be rested tonight. The Clippers instantly become the best source of value for this full slate, with Luke Kennard, Terance Mann and Marcus Morris all standing out as elite value plays that must be utilized. All three should be in line for over 30 minutes against this struggling Memphis defense. When George, Rondo, Jackson, Leonard, Williams, Ibaka and Beverly have been off the floor this season, Morris, Kennard and Mann have led the team with 1.3, 1.2 and 0.9 DraftKings PPM, respectively.
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