Expert NBA Fantasy Rankings & DFS Value Plays Today for DraftKings & FanDuel | 4/1/22

With only 10 days left in the NBA season, there is a 10-game slate tonight that features some key playoff implication games. The major news on this slate is with the Lakers, who are in a must-win game at home against the Pelicans. Keep an eye on the LeBron James and Anthony Davis news to make sure they are playing, and as always stay up to date on Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page to see who is in and out of the lineup tonight. These four plays below are driven by Awesemo’s Fantasy Basketball Rankings.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA Fantasy Basketball Rankings

*Grades are ordered DraftKings, FanDuel. The initial grade indicates a player’s strength of output, with the value grade indicating their strength as a play in relation to their salary.

PF Brandon Clarke — Grades: B, B | Values: A, A

The Memphis Grizzlies provide the best value on the slate despite their difficult home matchup against the Phoenix Suns. Four of the top six players on DraftKings and three of the top five players on FanDuel in Awesemo’s ownership projections are from the Grizzlies. Leading the way as the highest owned player on both sites is Brandon Clarke. The Grizzlies will be without Ja Morant as Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams, and Tyus Jones are all listed as doubtful. Awesemo projects Clarke to be the best value by far on both sites.

The Grizzlies are 19-2 without Morant this season and that record will be put to the test in this matchup against the Suns. They are 7-point home underdogs as the Suns are nearly all healthy at this moment. The Suns rank second in defensive rating this season, allowing opponents to shoot just 44.3% from the field and 33.8% from behind the arc. Even with the matchup, it is nearly impossible to ignore Clarke, who has the best boom percentage on both sites in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool of over 70%! At the very least lock him in for cash games.

PF Kelly Olynyk — Grades: B, C | Values: A, A

Another power forward value option that is right behind Clarke is Kelly Olynyk. Given how many Grizzlies are in the top of the projections, it is impressive that Olynyk ranks in the top three on both sites for value. The Pistons are coming off a big victory over the 76ers last night and are still without Jerami Grant, while Marvin Bagley III is listed as questionable. Olynyk has had over 25 DraftKings points in three of his last four games, even though the most he has played during that time is 21 minutes. Tonight, he is projected for 24.8 minutes.

This matchup for the Pistons is much better against the Thunder, who have also mailed in the season with nearly everyone in their starting lineup out for the season. The Thunder are 4-14 since the All-Star break and have the third-worst defensive rating. During that time, they also rank third in pace, allowing 123.3 points per game. Olynyk is also in the top three on both sites in Awesemo’s ownership projections and Boom/Bust Tool. Notoriously a really solid DraftKings points per minute producer, Olynyk is a great salary saver on this slate.

C Nikola Jokic — Grades: A, A | Values: B, A

With so much value on the Grizzlies and with Olynyk, it is time to spend some of that extra salary. Going to the top of the pricing tier with Nikola Jokic, who is projected to lead the slate in fantasy points on both site according to Awesemo’s projections. Jokic has finished with 70 or more DraftKings points in three straight games. During that time, he is averaging nearly a triple-double with 32.7 points, 14.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game while shooting a ridiculous 72.5% from the field! Jokic without a doubt has the highest ceiling.

The best game environment to target tonight is this matchup with the Nuggets and Timberwolves. This game features the highest total on the slate at 240.5 points, as the Nuggets are favored by only 2.5 points. A high total plus a closely projected game is the best spot for fantasy producing. The salary for Jokic on FanDuel still is too low for how he has been playing. It should be no surprise given the value on this slate that Jokic is coming in third in Awesemo’s ownership projections. Prioritize him on FanDuel, but he is a great play regardless.


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SF LeBron James — Grades: A, A | Values: B, A

This slate leads to the perfect stars and scrubs lineup build. James is rating out incredibly in Awesemo’s Fantasy Basketball Rankings but not in any of the other tools. He is one of four players on this slate who has a perfect A grade and A value on FanDuel. The Lakers’ back is against the wall. They are currently on the outside looking into the playoff picture with only six games left and a very difficult schedule. This is a near must-win game against the Pelicans and James will need to put on a peak performance.

James is averaging a league-high 30.1 points per game and needs to play in two more games to qualify for the scoring title. He could be the oldest player at 37 to ever win a scoring title. The Lakers are 2.5-point underdogs at home to the Pelicans, to who they blew a 20-point halftime lead just five days ago. James may also get Davis, also who has not played since the All-Star break, back in action. Make sure James is in the starting lineup tonight and play him with confidence in a must-win game for the Lakers at home.

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