DraftKings

NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/7

The clock continues to wind on the NBA season and we’re down to just a few games per team left. Thankfully, there are teams tonight that still have some wins to chase so there are options, and there are plenty of teams that have stopped caring. Let’s start getting a feel for who we want to chase after on this slate in the NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/7!

One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.

Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:

• Proprietary Projection Model
• Articles of the Day
• Cheat Sheet

The Studs 

Much like the MVP race, there is a choice to be made at the top of the grid between Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid. Both Jokic and Embiid have been just pouring it on lately and I like both for different reasons. While Jokic has a tougher road in the paint against Steven Adams and the Grizzlies are the best rebounding team in basketball, Jokic does have a 69 DK point game under his belt against Memphis this season. Access the past six games, Joker is averaging 72 DK, 35.8 points, 16.3 boards, and 7.7 assists. He understands the mission of getting into a playoff seed and avoiding the play-in game. Denver’s game also has a total of almost 20 points higher, which is at least part of the puzzle. 

This is not to dismiss Embiid who has been averaging 66 DK across his last six with 36.8 points scored and the undersized Toronto frontcourt is not something that should scare us. They are only 20th in points allowed in the paint compared to 11th for Memphis. The only slight concern here is the window to get to the one seed is just about closed. The Sixers may not have that much to play for and their motivation to get the second seed (and potentially a Brooklyn matchup) is questionable. The main reason for Embiid still being well in play is because he’s Cleary trying to win MVP with his remarks and play lately. If he can have his way against Toronto, I’m hard-pressed to see Philly taking him out early. 

As far as Giannis goes, the Bucks are tied for third with the Sixers after the Celtics won last night but Giannis could terrify this interior of Boston without Robert Williams. Boston still has a suffocating defense for the most part so Giannis is my clear third of the super studs although to total is 227 points. The Philly game is under 219 as of Wednesday night but that doesn’t worry me about Embiid. Giannis has had two down games in a row (foul trouble in one really hurt) and I’ll be curious to see ownership. 

Games That Matter 

Magic/Hornets – The Magic side of things will be where will pull some value like Markelle Fultz, Mo Wagner, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Chuma Okeke. These teams are both in the top 10 in pace so Orlando can keep up with Charlotte and neither team is above 19th in defensive rating. We’re on the usual suspects for the Hornets in LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Terry Rozier. Bridges especially has no defender on the wings to worry about and 1.07 FPPM. I can also get behind P.J. Washington as the Magic are in the bottom 10 in points and rebounds in the paint and that was with more of their starters active. 

Spurs/Timberwolves – Somewhat lost in Tuesday’s slate was Minnesota losing to the Washington Wizards and that helped the Nuggets in a big way. The Spurs are locked in their playoff matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans so Dejounte Murray will still be missing from the San Antonio lineup. Tre Jones is still not expensive enough as he’s playing 32-34 minutes and running the offense, flirting with 40 DK in the past two games despite taking just 22 shots in total. He could be about the only player I want from the Spurs as Keldon Johnson and Jakob Poeltl are about at the ceiling. If anyone, Poeltl gets the nod with Minnesota being 17th in points allowed in the paint and rebounds allowed. 

On the Minnesota side, knowing Karl-Anthony Towns is still under $10,000 has my eye. San Antonio has just been crushed by big men and in the paint, they are in the bottom five in both points and rebounds allowed. KAT still has 1.37 FPPM and the team lead in usage rate as well at 27.9%. Anthony Edwards is back up to a very scary salary because he’s so prone to duds, but there aren’t many players that have the same style of ceiling. Taking Murray off the court for the Spurs leaves them with a below-average defensive rating of 111.2 so that helps all the Wolves, including D’Angelo Russell. Center might be loaded but KAT is still the man I want from this side of things. 

Teams To Monitor 

Lakers – The full expectation tonight is that the main three players sit since the season is over, but Malik Monk is very interesting. He’ll be the only player capable of making a shot and could host near 25, and we know that he can get hot in a hurry. Golden State will win this game going away but Monk is still viable here. I’d much rather take value plays from Orlando against Charlotte than try and predict what soon-to-be-ex-coach Frank Vogel does with all these veteran bench players. 

You can find us on Twitter @BetsByGhost and @Bucn4life

NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/7

The clock continues to wind on the NBA season and we’re down to just a few games per team left. Thankfully, there are teams tonight that still have some wins to chase so there are options, and there are plenty of teams that have stopped caring. Let’s start getting a feel for who we want to chase after on this slate in the NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/7!

One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.

Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:

• Proprietary Projection Model
• Articles of the Day
• Cheat Sheet

The Studs 

Much like the MVP race, there is a choice to be made at the top of the grid between Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid. Both Jokic and Embiid have been just pouring it on lately and I like both for different reasons. While Jokic has a tougher road in the paint against Steven Adams and the Grizzlies are the best rebounding team in basketball, Jokic does have a 69 DK point game under his belt against Memphis this season. Access the past six games, Joker is averaging 72 DK, 35.8 points, 16.3 boards, and 7.7 assists. He understands the mission of getting into a playoff seed and avoiding the play-in game. Denver’s game also has a total of almost 20 points higher, which is at least part of the puzzle. 

This is not to dismiss Embiid who has been averaging 66 DK across his last six with 36.8 points scored and the undersized Toronto frontcourt is not something that should scare us. They are only 20th in points allowed in the paint compared to 11th for Memphis. The only slight concern here is the window to get to the one seed is just about closed. The Sixers may not have that much to play for and their motivation to get the second seed (and potentially a Brooklyn matchup) is questionable. The main reason for Embiid still being well in play is because he’s Cleary trying to win MVP with his remarks and play lately. If he can have his way against Toronto, I’m hard-pressed to see Philly taking him out early. 

As far as Giannis goes, the Bucks are tied for third with the Sixers after the Celtics won last night but Giannis could terrify this interior of Boston without Robert Williams. Boston still has a suffocating defense for the most part so Giannis is my clear third of the super studs although to total is 227 points. The Philly game is under 219 as of Wednesday night but that doesn’t worry me about Embiid. Giannis has had two down games in a row (foul trouble in one really hurt) and I’ll be curious to see ownership. 

Games That Matter 

Magic/Hornets – The Magic side of things will be where will pull some value like Markelle Fultz, Mo Wagner, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Chuma Okeke. These teams are both in the top 10 in pace so Orlando can keep up with Charlotte and neither team is above 19th in defensive rating. We’re on the usual suspects for the Hornets in LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Terry Rozier. Bridges especially has no defender on the wings to worry about and 1.07 FPPM. I can also get behind P.J. Washington as the Magic are in the bottom 10 in points and rebounds in the paint and that was with more of their starters active. 

Spurs/Timberwolves – Somewhat lost in Tuesday’s slate was Minnesota losing to the Washington Wizards and that helped the Nuggets in a big way. The Spurs are locked in their playoff matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans so Dejounte Murray will still be missing from the San Antonio lineup. Tre Jones is still not expensive enough as he’s playing 32-34 minutes and running the offense, flirting with 40 DK in the past two games despite taking just 22 shots in total. He could be about the only player I want from the Spurs as Keldon Johnson and Jakob Poeltl are about at the ceiling. If anyone, Poeltl gets the nod with Minnesota being 17th in points allowed in the paint and rebounds allowed. 

On the Minnesota side, knowing Karl-Anthony Towns is still under $10,000 has my eye. San Antonio has just been crushed by big men and in the paint, they are in the bottom five in both points and rebounds allowed. KAT still has 1.37 FPPM and the team lead in usage rate as well at 27.9%. Anthony Edwards is back up to a very scary salary because he’s so prone to duds, but there aren’t many players that have the same style of ceiling. Taking Murray off the court for the Spurs leaves them with a below-average defensive rating of 111.2 so that helps all the Wolves, including D’Angelo Russell. Center might be loaded but KAT is still the man I want from this side of things. 

Teams To Monitor 

Lakers – The full expectation tonight is that the main three players sit since the season is over, but Malik Monk is very interesting. He’ll be the only player capable of making a shot and could host near 25, and we know that he can get hot in a hurry. Golden State will win this game going away but Monk is still viable here. I’d much rather take value plays from Orlando against Charlotte than try and predict what soon-to-be-ex-coach Frank Vogel does with all these veteran bench players. 

You can find us on Twitter @BetsByGhost and @Bucn4life

NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/7

The clock continues to wind on the NBA season and we’re down to just a few games per team left. Thankfully, there are teams tonight that still have some wins to chase so there are options, and there are plenty of teams that have stopped caring. Let’s start getting a feel for who we want to chase after on this slate in the NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/7!

One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.

Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:

• Proprietary Projection Model
• Articles of the Day
• Cheat Sheet

The Studs 

Much like the MVP race, there is a choice to be made at the top of the grid between Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid. Both Jokic and Embiid have been just pouring it on lately and I like both for different reasons. While Jokic has a tougher road in the paint against Steven Adams and the Grizzlies are the best rebounding team in basketball, Jokic does have a 69 DK point game under his belt against Memphis this season. Access the past six games, Joker is averaging 72 DK, 35.8 points, 16.3 boards, and 7.7 assists. He understands the mission of getting into a playoff seed and avoiding the play-in game. Denver’s game also has a total of almost 20 points higher, which is at least part of the puzzle. 

This is not to dismiss Embiid who has been averaging 66 DK across his last six with 36.8 points scored and the undersized Toronto frontcourt is not something that should scare us. They are only 20th in points allowed in the paint compared to 11th for Memphis. The only slight concern here is the window to get to the one seed is just about closed. The Sixers may not have that much to play for and their motivation to get the second seed (and potentially a Brooklyn matchup) is questionable. The main reason for Embiid still being well in play is because he’s Cleary trying to win MVP with his remarks and play lately. If he can have his way against Toronto, I’m hard-pressed to see Philly taking him out early. 

As far as Giannis goes, the Bucks are tied for third with the Sixers after the Celtics won last night but Giannis could terrify this interior of Boston without Robert Williams. Boston still has a suffocating defense for the most part so Giannis is my clear third of the super studs although to total is 227 points. The Philly game is under 219 as of Wednesday night but that doesn’t worry me about Embiid. Giannis has had two down games in a row (foul trouble in one really hurt) and I’ll be curious to see ownership. 

Games That Matter 

Magic/Hornets – The Magic side of things will be where will pull some value like Markelle Fultz, Mo Wagner, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Chuma Okeke. These teams are both in the top 10 in pace so Orlando can keep up with Charlotte and neither team is above 19th in defensive rating. We’re on the usual suspects for the Hornets in LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Terry Rozier. Bridges especially has no defender on the wings to worry about and 1.07 FPPM. I can also get behind P.J. Washington as the Magic are in the bottom 10 in points and rebounds in the paint and that was with more of their starters active. 

Spurs/Timberwolves – Somewhat lost in Tuesday’s slate was Minnesota losing to the Washington Wizards and that helped the Nuggets in a big way. The Spurs are locked in their playoff matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans so Dejounte Murray will still be missing from the San Antonio lineup. Tre Jones is still not expensive enough as he’s playing 32-34 minutes and running the offense, flirting with 40 DK in the past two games despite taking just 22 shots in total. He could be about the only player I want from the Spurs as Keldon Johnson and Jakob Poeltl are about at the ceiling. If anyone, Poeltl gets the nod with Minnesota being 17th in points allowed in the paint and rebounds allowed. 

On the Minnesota side, knowing Karl-Anthony Towns is still under $10,000 has my eye. San Antonio has just been crushed by big men and in the paint, they are in the bottom five in both points and rebounds allowed. KAT still has 1.37 FPPM and the team lead in usage rate as well at 27.9%. Anthony Edwards is back up to a very scary salary because he’s so prone to duds, but there aren’t many players that have the same style of ceiling. Taking Murray off the court for the Spurs leaves them with a below-average defensive rating of 111.2 so that helps all the Wolves, including D’Angelo Russell. Center might be loaded but KAT is still the man I want from this side of things. 

Teams To Monitor 

Lakers – The full expectation tonight is that the main three players sit since the season is over, but Malik Monk is very interesting. He’ll be the only player capable of making a shot and could host near 25, and we know that he can get hot in a hurry. Golden State will win this game going away but Monk is still viable here. I’d much rather take value plays from Orlando against Charlotte than try and predict what soon-to-be-ex-coach Frank Vogel does with all these veteran bench players. 

You can find us on Twitter @BetsByGhost and @Bucn4life

NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/6

We’re back in action tonight with six games and plenty of teams on back-to-back situations along with some teams embracing the tank. I’m looking directly at you, Oklahoma City Thunder. Last night they threw a late wrench into things as they started a bunch of players they signed off the street, so they are a total wildcard. Let’s talk about the teams that we have a good feel for already and figure out who we need to focus on in the NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/6!

One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.

Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:

• Proprietary Projection Model
• Articles of the Day
• Cheat Sheet

Teams That Have to Play and the Studs 

Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and the Atlanta Hawks

Note – The Suns/Clippers game doesn’t fall into this category because they are both locked into their spots. We could have the Suns be the premier value team since they played last night and could elect to sit multiple starters in a game that means nothing. 

I would have to think Luka Doncic is going to be very popular tonight and that’s more than understandable. Dallas is still fighting to host a series in the first round and picking on the lowly Pistons is ripe for a big game from Luka. Since the trade deadline, Doncic has sported a 39.3% usage rate and 1.58 FPPM which are both very impressive marks. Detroit is both inside the top 14 in pace and the bottom eight in defensive rating so this isn’t the worst spot for Doncic to rack up the fantasy points. The Pistons also allow the fifth-highest FG% from deep, something Luka can exploit as he’s shooting 8-10 3-point attempts per game lately. 

We’ll see what happens with the Nets since they played last night as well and if they decide to sit anyone. The results of the night before could help dictate that so we’ll revisit them in the morning. It does look like Goran Dragic and Seth Curry could both be out once again, putting almost the entirety of the scoring burden on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. If they remain in range of moving up to the seven/eight slot in the East, I’ll bet both guys still play here and Durant will continue to be my favorite of the duo. His ceiling has generally been higher since he does a little more in the box score outside of scoring. Since the deadline, KD is at a 32.2% usage rate and 1.43 FPPM, both higher marks than Irving. 

Trae Young is in another phenomenal spot against the Wizards since he’s been the entire offense in the past month or so. John Collins last played on March 11th and since then, Young has posted a 1.52 FPPM with a 46.7% assist rate and 65.7% true shooting rate. Washington is 25th in points allowed in the paint and Young is fifth in drives per game at 17.4 and sixth in points scored from that play at 10.2 points per game. 

It looks like everyone is going to play in the Boston/Chicago matchup but the salaries aren’t exactly great for any player in this spot. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine are all at fair price points and this game could be on the slower side. Chicago is just 15th in pace and Boston is 24th so if everyone is active, I’m not going after anyone from the top of the pricing grid from this game. 

The Wild Card 

The Thunder hold some of the keys to this slate because they could give us two punt plays at the flat $3,000 minimum on DK. Both Georgios Kalaitzakis and Zavier Simpson were inserted into the starting lineup last night and OKC basically played a six-man rotation. Do I know who these players are? Not at all. Does it really matter how good they are if they’re getting 30+ minutes at the minimum? Not really, it doesn’t. Now, this game against the Jazz doesn’t start until 9:00 p.m. so we’ll need to hope for some clarity before lock but if these guys remain in the starting lineup, they’re going to be on the table even though the fantasy production wasn’t spectacular by any means. This whole team is up in the air and we’ll have to re-visit during the day but if Aleksej Pokusevski, Theo Maledon, Aaron Wiggins, and others remain out of the lineup, there’s certainly value to chase. 

Teams To Monitor 

Pistons – Cade Cunningham may not be on the injury report, but he is a frightening player right now after he left last game after just seven minutes to never return. Maybe it was a real injury, maybe it was a tanking injury but they are also without Hamidou Diallo, Kelly Olynyk, Marvin Bagley, Jerami Grant, and Cory Joseph. Depending on who’s active for them, players like Braxton Key and Killian Hayes could have some value but Dallas is a strong defensive squad at seventh in defensive rating. 

Knicks – They’ve packed it in for the season but Obi Toppin has seen the door open for a boatload of minutes with no Julius Randle down the stretch. He’s played 31 and 35 minutes in the past two games and is still at a very affordable salary against a defensively deficient Nets team that played last night. 

You can find us on Twitter @BetsByGhost and @Bucn4life

NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/6

We’re back in action tonight with six games and plenty of teams on back-to-back situations along with some teams embracing the tank. I’m looking directly at you, Oklahoma City Thunder. Last night they threw a late wrench into things as they started a bunch of players they signed off the street, so they are a total wildcard. Let’s talk about the teams that we have a good feel for already and figure out who we need to focus on in the NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/6!

One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.

Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:

• Proprietary Projection Model
• Articles of the Day
• Cheat Sheet

Teams That Have to Play and the Studs 

Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and the Atlanta Hawks

Note – The Suns/Clippers game doesn’t fall into this category because they are both locked into their spots. We could have the Suns be the premier value team since they played last night and could elect to sit multiple starters in a game that means nothing. 

I would have to think Luka Doncic is going to be very popular tonight and that’s more than understandable. Dallas is still fighting to host a series in the first round and picking on the lowly Pistons is ripe for a big game from Luka. Since the trade deadline, Doncic has sported a 39.3% usage rate and 1.58 FPPM which are both very impressive marks. Detroit is both inside the top 14 in pace and the bottom eight in defensive rating so this isn’t the worst spot for Doncic to rack up the fantasy points. The Pistons also allow the fifth-highest FG% from deep, something Luka can exploit as he’s shooting 8-10 3-point attempts per game lately. 

We’ll see what happens with the Nets since they played last night as well and if they decide to sit anyone. The results of the night before could help dictate that so we’ll revisit them in the morning. It does look like Goran Dragic and Seth Curry could both be out once again, putting almost the entirety of the scoring burden on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. If they remain in range of moving up to the seven/eight slot in the East, I’ll bet both guys still play here and Durant will continue to be my favorite of the duo. His ceiling has generally been higher since he does a little more in the box score outside of scoring. Since the deadline, KD is at a 32.2% usage rate and 1.43 FPPM, both higher marks than Irving. 

Trae Young is in another phenomenal spot against the Wizards since he’s been the entire offense in the past month or so. John Collins last played on March 11th and since then, Young has posted a 1.52 FPPM with a 46.7% assist rate and 65.7% true shooting rate. Washington is 25th in points allowed in the paint and Young is fifth in drives per game at 17.4 and sixth in points scored from that play at 10.2 points per game. 

It looks like everyone is going to play in the Boston/Chicago matchup but the salaries aren’t exactly great for any player in this spot. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine are all at fair price points and this game could be on the slower side. Chicago is just 15th in pace and Boston is 24th so if everyone is active, I’m not going after anyone from the top of the pricing grid from this game. 

The Wild Card 

The Thunder hold some of the keys to this slate because they could give us two punt plays at the flat $3,000 minimum on DK. Both Georgios Kalaitzakis and Zavier Simpson were inserted into the starting lineup last night and OKC basically played a six-man rotation. Do I know who these players are? Not at all. Does it really matter how good they are if they’re getting 30+ minutes at the minimum? Not really, it doesn’t. Now, this game against the Jazz doesn’t start until 9:00 p.m. so we’ll need to hope for some clarity before lock but if these guys remain in the starting lineup, they’re going to be on the table even though the fantasy production wasn’t spectacular by any means. This whole team is up in the air and we’ll have to re-visit during the day but if Aleksej Pokusevski, Theo Maledon, Aaron Wiggins, and others remain out of the lineup, there’s certainly value to chase. 

Teams To Monitor 

Pistons – Cade Cunningham may not be on the injury report, but he is a frightening player right now after he left last game after just seven minutes to never return. Maybe it was a real injury, maybe it was a tanking injury but they are also without Hamidou Diallo, Kelly Olynyk, Marvin Bagley, Jerami Grant, and Cory Joseph. Depending on who’s active for them, players like Braxton Key and Killian Hayes could have some value but Dallas is a strong defensive squad at seventh in defensive rating. 

Knicks – They’ve packed it in for the season but Obi Toppin has seen the door open for a boatload of minutes with no Julius Randle down the stretch. He’s played 31 and 35 minutes in the past two games and is still at a very affordable salary against a defensively deficient Nets team that played last night. 

You can find us on Twitter @BetsByGhost and @Bucn4life

NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/6

We’re back in action tonight with six games and plenty of teams on back-to-back situations along with some teams embracing the tank. I’m looking directly at you, Oklahoma City Thunder. Last night they threw a late wrench into things as they started a bunch of players they signed off the street, so they are a total wildcard. Let’s talk about the teams that we have a good feel for already and figure out who we need to focus on in the NBA DFS Today: Gems with Ghost & Adam 4/6!

One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.

Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:

• Proprietary Projection Model
• Articles of the Day
• Cheat Sheet

Teams That Have to Play and the Studs 

Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and the Atlanta Hawks

Note – The Suns/Clippers game doesn’t fall into this category because they are both locked into their spots. We could have the Suns be the premier value team since they played last night and could elect to sit multiple starters in a game that means nothing. 

I would have to think Luka Doncic is going to be very popular tonight and that’s more than understandable. Dallas is still fighting to host a series in the first round and picking on the lowly Pistons is ripe for a big game from Luka. Since the trade deadline, Doncic has sported a 39.3% usage rate and 1.58 FPPM which are both very impressive marks. Detroit is both inside the top 14 in pace and the bottom eight in defensive rating so this isn’t the worst spot for Doncic to rack up the fantasy points. The Pistons also allow the fifth-highest FG% from deep, something Luka can exploit as he’s shooting 8-10 3-point attempts per game lately. 

We’ll see what happens with the Nets since they played last night as well and if they decide to sit anyone. The results of the night before could help dictate that so we’ll revisit them in the morning. It does look like Goran Dragic and Seth Curry could both be out once again, putting almost the entirety of the scoring burden on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. If they remain in range of moving up to the seven/eight slot in the East, I’ll bet both guys still play here and Durant will continue to be my favorite of the duo. His ceiling has generally been higher since he does a little more in the box score outside of scoring. Since the deadline, KD is at a 32.2% usage rate and 1.43 FPPM, both higher marks than Irving. 

Trae Young is in another phenomenal spot against the Wizards since he’s been the entire offense in the past month or so. John Collins last played on March 11th and since then, Young has posted a 1.52 FPPM with a 46.7% assist rate and 65.7% true shooting rate. Washington is 25th in points allowed in the paint and Young is fifth in drives per game at 17.4 and sixth in points scored from that play at 10.2 points per game. 

It looks like everyone is going to play in the Boston/Chicago matchup but the salaries aren’t exactly great for any player in this spot. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine are all at fair price points and this game could be on the slower side. Chicago is just 15th in pace and Boston is 24th so if everyone is active, I’m not going after anyone from the top of the pricing grid from this game. 

The Wild Card 

The Thunder hold some of the keys to this slate because they could give us two punt plays at the flat $3,000 minimum on DK. Both Georgios Kalaitzakis and Zavier Simpson were inserted into the starting lineup last night and OKC basically played a six-man rotation. Do I know who these players are? Not at all. Does it really matter how good they are if they’re getting 30+ minutes at the minimum? Not really, it doesn’t. Now, this game against the Jazz doesn’t start until 9:00 p.m. so we’ll need to hope for some clarity before lock but if these guys remain in the starting lineup, they’re going to be on the table even though the fantasy production wasn’t spectacular by any means. This whole team is up in the air and we’ll have to re-visit during the day but if Aleksej Pokusevski, Theo Maledon, Aaron Wiggins, and others remain out of the lineup, there’s certainly value to chase. 

Teams To Monitor 

Pistons – Cade Cunningham may not be on the injury report, but he is a frightening player right now after he left last game after just seven minutes to never return. Maybe it was a real injury, maybe it was a tanking injury but they are also without Hamidou Diallo, Kelly Olynyk, Marvin Bagley, Jerami Grant, and Cory Joseph. Depending on who’s active for them, players like Braxton Key and Killian Hayes could have some value but Dallas is a strong defensive squad at seventh in defensive rating. 

Knicks – They’ve packed it in for the season but Obi Toppin has seen the door open for a boatload of minutes with no Julius Randle down the stretch. He’s played 31 and 35 minutes in the past two games and is still at a very affordable salary against a defensively deficient Nets team that played last night. 

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