NBA DFS Picks DraftKings + FanDuel Expert Lineup Building Strategy 4/12

Monday is the sort of day DFS dreams are made of. With a nine-game main slate in the NBA, eight in the NHL and a whopping 12 in MLB, it’s going to be one action-packed evening here at Awesemo. If you have the Fantasy Cruncher add-on along with your Awesemo+ membership, get ready for a gigantic edge over the competition in every DFS sport these next few weeks. Combined that with the hours of content on our YouTube channel, the Premium slack to talk with experts and fellow members alike, as well as updates around the clock by the one and only NewzGod, there are lots of edges to be had by being a part of the team. Anyways, this is a basketball article, so let’s get to work finding some NBA DFS picks to help us take down some tournaments over on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Be sure to check out the Slate Starter podcast, featuring yours truly and Rynpak, to get the first look at the slate and make NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel!

NBA DFS Slate Starter: Picks & Strategy | April 12

The Broke-lyn Nets

This weekend was a rough one for Nets backers, as they were completely clobbered by a LeBron James-less, Anthony Davis-less Lakers team 126-101 on Saturday. Considering they are the two favorites from their respective conferences to clash in the NBA Finals, the Nets were out-hustled and outclassed despite two-thirds of their superstar ensemble actually being in action. Sure, Kevin Durant is still getting back up to speed after a near two-month hiatus, but that’s a pretty outrageous result regardless.

Enter tonight, where Durant will truly be called upon to be the man versus the Timberwolves. His team will be without James Harden (hamstring) and Kyrie Irving (personal), making the Nets most likely the value du jour. Additionally, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tyler Johnson will also be out, creating even more frontcourt and backcourt opportunities for others with their absences.

Before taking a look at anyone else, let’s talk Durant. He got up to 24 minutes in that absolute shellacking on Saturday, which presumably should give him access to at least 26 minutes or so in his third game back from injury tonight. Projecting court time for Durant is going to be of utmost importance tomorrow, so check-in with Alex Baker’s projections before lock. Maybe Steve Nash will provide a quote or a distinct minutes limit for Durant. But if not, default to whatever the top NBA DFS player in the world thinks about the situation.

Determining minutes for Durant isn’t necessarily about rostering Durant himself, but to figure out how much Durant-less opportunity could potentially exist for everyone else. While his 37.7% usage and 1.64 DraftKings points per minute in 151 minutes with Irving and Harden off the floor are certainly outrageous numbers, so are his $9,000 DraftKings and $9,400 FanDuel salaries. And 30 minutes multiplied by his 1.65 rate still does not lead to 50 fantasy points. Can he still get there against a creampuff Timberwolves team that is playing on a back-to-back? Absolutely, but discretion is the better part of valor.

So let’s hone in on these other Nets, using Saturday’s box score as a point of reference:

NBA DFS picks daily fantasy basketball for DraftKings and FanDUel on April 12 Kevin Durant

Obviously Irving would’ve played more than 21 minutes in a more competitive game, but what really sticks out is Bruce Brown playing backup point guard in the first quarter and Chris Chiozza not playing whatsoever until the game was well out of reach towards the end of the third quarter. Rynpak brought Chiozza up on the Slate Starter podcast tonight, and his logic for that play is certainly sound since they’re short on guard bodies. But if he doesn’t crack the starting lineup, this box score seems to signify it being a stretch for him to get extended run in a close game. Check on ownership projections on both backup point guards throughout the day, but whoever starts should be the priority.

Next up, starters Joe Harris and Jeff Green will certainly garner some attention, but they’re hardly the same play. Harris sports a decent 0.92 DraftKings points per minute in his 291 minutes without Irving and Harden off the floor. Green in his 309 minutes without them averages 0.69. At $4,600 on DraftKings it’s still an acceptable play given his perceived minutes, but not at $5,600 on FanDuel.

And lastly, who can forget Blake Griffin, who has been producing a fantasy point per minute since debuting with the Nets on March 21. Unfortunately, he is yet another man whose minutes haven’t been extended into the mid-20s as of late. So at mid-$4,000 tags on both sites, it is not required to take shots on him unless value is scarce. Instead, consider making Nicolas Claxton the guy to roster in bulk instead; at just $3,100 on DraftKings and $4,000 at power forward on FanDuel, he makes for a fantastic piece of value so long as he’s not super popular.

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Holy Center Plays, Batman

There are now three guarantees in life: Death, taxes, and you better get center right on DraftKings tonight. There are three $10,000-plus studs with super-ceilings in Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic up top. Plays right underneath them have had fantastic games as well, namely Nikola Vucevic, Rudy Gobert and Jonas Valanciunas. There are even cheapies in Mohamed Bamba and the aforementioned Claxton that gamers should have exposure to, meaning there isn’t a price range to scoff at at the position on this slate.

It really is a who’s who of crazy upside at the center position tomorrow. So rather than beating your head against a wall deciding which of the 50 viable center plays to land on, be sure to utilize the Boom/Bust tool like crazy. The optimal-lineup rates and leverage scores for each play update as news comes in, so keep refreshing it like crazy all afternoon. There is no better tool in the entire industry to aid in the lineup-building process.

Final Thoughts on Your NBA DFS Lineups

Every game on this slate opened with over a 220 besides one: Lakers – Knicks. It is all the way down at 205, so use discretion rostering any piece not named Andre Drummond, who makes yet another center play to add to the collection.
Zion Williamson hit the $10,000 mark for the first time on FanDuel, which is insane. And crazier yet, he deserves it.
Just play De’Aaron Fox.

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Author

Eric Lindquist

Eric Lindquist hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota (yes, that’s the one with Mount Rushmore). A steady diet of three SportsCenters a day at an early age led to his obsession with sports, one that 30 years later is paying dividends for him as a successful DFS player and sports bettor. Despite over half a million dollars in net career earnings, he’s most passionate about helping others achieve their financial goals, an energy you can witness on the daily in his current role as a host and analyst at Stokastic. He’s a former Division I golfer at Iowa State, wishes he was a former Minnesota sports fan, and is a proud father to a 100-pound Bernese Mountain dog named Duke that wishes he could just eat people food instead of the crap he and his wife feed him on the daily.