NBA DFS Picks DraftKings + FanDuel Expert Lineup Building Strategy 4/21

We’ve got a 12-game slate on tap, so there’s no time for small talk up top. Let’s get right to the analysis and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel, preparing ourselves for what is shaping up to be one wild Wednesday.

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 21

Buckle Up!

Oh boy, do we have one insane day of NBA awaiting us. Before we begin, let’s put the potential hysteria of this slate into context:

12 total games, 24 total teams in action
Nine of the games lock between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EST
After a 90-minute gap in start times, three late-night hammers tip at 10 p.m. EST
13 total teams will be playing on back-to-backs
Teams playing on the first half of back-to-backs: PHX, CHI, PHI, DET, DAL, SAS
Teams playing on the second half of back-to-backs: BKN, ATL, NYK, MIN, SAC, POR, LAC

That last team listed is especially relevant to this slate because, you know, the Clippers tend to lie a lot. They also tend to do irrational, unpredictable stuff well after lock all of the time. And with Kawhi Leonard already ruled out, plus the team’s emphasis on rest for their top players, it wouldn’t shock me whatsoever if Paul George or any combination of Clippers ended up sitting. The only question is what time we might be fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to receive that news.

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Handling the Madness in GPP’s

So now that we’ve set the stage for what is sure to be one crazy evening, let’s formulate a game plan. Speaking of which, check out Awesemo’s Game Plan videos hosted by the likes of Alex Baker, Steve Buzzard and more of the top DFS players in the world. In these member-only livestreams, they’ll give you a crash course in their own process and study habits that have helped them win millions of dollars in the daily fantasy space. So stop by, ask questions, and get a sneak-peak behind the curtain to see what makes them such successful players.

Back to tomorrow’s slate. If you’ve ever read this column before, you know its strong emphasis of late swap. It is an absolute necessity to be a profitable NBA DFS player in 2021, and yet there are still so many out there unwilling to change their lineups to account for the most current news. So simply react to late-breaking news, make the appropriate changes to your lineups with the help of Awesemo’s projections as they update throughout the night, and you will automatically have a leg up on the field.

But something that has come in handy more times than not on these massive slates is keeping roster spots in your lineups open by having more players in the late games from the get-go. That way, when unpredictable news does hit like it has all too frequently this season, you have the flexibility to swap onto players and/or entire lineups that others simply cannot. One trick to make that easier if you’re using Fantasy Cruncher is adding minimums of players from the late games, like so:

NBA DFS Picks and strategy for daily fantasy basketball lineups on DraftKings & FanDuel Wednesday April 21

These settings would force one player from each of the six teams in those fast-paced late-night hammers into every lineup. If you only want 3 or 4 players from late games for sure, simply take away a few of the minimums. If by chance we’re anticipating some major news post-lock, such as the aforementioned George perhaps resting for the Clippers, you could change the Clippers minimum players to 2 or 3 and really ramp up your chances of rostering the main beneficiaries of his absence ahead of time.

There are simply so many ways to utilize the tools at Awesemo and Fantasy Cruncher to help you script lineups with tournament-winning upside. But without fail this season, post-lock news has led to a massive edge so long as you are capable of swapping to the under-owned pieces in bulk. And while this certainly doesn’t mean “fade the early games” or something outlandish like that, it does mean putting an emphasis on ensuring massive exposure to the 10 p.m. EST ones. That way we can make changes as the slate changes, giving us the best possible opportunity to make some life-changing money.

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Two Track Meets, Two Lock Times

This sort of goes hand-in-hand with everything we just covered, but it bares its own little section. There are only five totals currently out as of writing this the night before, but there are two eye-popping totals already that should be full of fantasy goodness. And with the help of Awesemo’s OddsShopper — the best place to find the best line for your bets — we can easily see which two those are:

With some elite studs in Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and Stephen Curry primed to go crazy in their game at 7 p.m. EST, that’s a lot of salary to be locking up early. And while Wednesday’s slate will almost certainly be extremely stars-and-scrubs heavy, at least be cognizant of the limitations that might have on your rosters going forward.

As for the Timberwolves — Kings rematch from Tuesday night, we’ll see if everyone suits up for what is, for all intents and purposes, a meaningless game for both teams. That should bode well for a number of plays on each side, as only Karl-Anthony Towns and De’Aaron Fox are priced next to the studs from Warriors — Wizards. Again, the lesson of the day is maximizing our potential to react to late-breaking news. So as great as this early game is, consider focusing on its near-identical twin total in the late-night window instead. And should nothing substantial come to fruition in the injury department, exposure to two defensively-inept teams that just put up 254 combined the night before makes for a nice consolation.

Final Thoughts for Your NBA DFS Lineups

Have a Heat plan in place throughout the afternoon, as they will once again be a pivotal team to get right tonight should they be short-handed once again.
Is it required by law that Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid have to be on the same slate together? Either way, both have proven to be matchup proof, making both priorities.
Just play P.J. Dozier.

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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.