DFS NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Monday 4/18

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Guards

Jalen Brunson FD - $7300 DK - $7200
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 40.24 DK - 43.26
Donovan Mitchell FD - $8600 DK - $8300
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 44.01 DK - 48.52

There are a ton of guards on this small slate and James Harden almost took the top spot but a more balanced approach is probably the key once again, so let's start with game two between the Jazz and Mavericks. First things first, Luka is doubtful and is likely to miss a second straight game and that should lead to another heavy workload for Jalen Brunson. With Luka off the floor this season, Brinson seen around a 5% boost up to 29% usage and that carried over in game one as he had a team-high 24 shots and ended with 39.8 DK/38 FD points. The price remains the same so let's lock in that PTS/$ value in all formats.

On the other side of that game one was Donovan Mitchell who led all players with 29 shot attempts finishing the game with 32 points and 12 rebounds+assists for 50+ fantasy points. It was a similar performance(fantasy points wise) to James harden but Mitchell comes at a discount of over $1,000 on both sites. This has him slightly ahead on my priority list tonight and safe in all formats.

Will Barton FD - $5700 DK - $5500
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 31.64 DK - 34.92

We have joked about Barton all season as the system always loves him but I truly agree here as he is sub $6K on both sites on a small slate loaded with top plays. He is also coming off one of his best games of the season in game one where he made 10 of 18 shots putting up 24-6-5 for 40.5 DK/38.7 FD points. This is still a tough matchup against the Warriors so I am not expecting a similar performance in game two but at these prices, at least in cash games, we don't need that ceiling game anyway.

Also Consider: James Harden(PHI) who dropped 50+ fantasy points in game one, has 14+ assists in four straight games overall, and is sub $10K on both sites

Small Forward

Bojan Bogdanovic FD - $6200 DK - $5700
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 26.59 DK - 30.3

Small forward is an already tough position and now we have just three games so let's continue our balanced lineup approach, at least for cash games, and lock in Bojan's solid fantasy floor. He looked great in game one playing 40 minutes, making 11 of 20 shots, and with the addition of five rebounds and four assists, topped 40 DK points. While this was one of his best games of the season, he has still been consistent and averaging over 30 fantasy points per game going back to the start of March. He is in play on both sites on this smaller slate but his best value comes on DraftKings in the sub $6K range.

Power Forward/Center

Tobias Harris FD - $6500 DK - $6800
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 34.21 DK - 37.03

The 76ers stomped the Raptors in game one and I really don't see that much changing as the series progresses so I will be once again looking to stack two of their big three in most of my lineups. With Embiid being the most expensive and this being a smaller slate, I lean towards Harden and Harris who fit my balanced lineup approach. Like Harden, Harris also had a very productive game one making 9 of 14 shots and while I don't see him duplicating 64% shooting, he also contributed six assists and six rebounds. I will have exposure in all formats.

Draymond Green FD - $6700 DK - $6500
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 34.93 DK - 35.93

Paying up for Jokic or Embiid is much tougher on these smaller playoff slates as finding scrubs to make it work is much tougher with teams having much tighter rotations. This has led me, throughout, the article to a balanced approach and that carries over to the center position. I would really like to see Draymond play 30+ minutes more consistently but I am totally fine with it as he has been an absolute fantasy point per minute beast(1.37 DK/1.44 FD) on the season and is a triple-double candidate almost every game. Lock and load in all formats.

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Chris Durell