Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 4/12/15

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Point Guards

Russell Westbrook - FD 12100 DK 11800 DFSTR
Real shocker to see him atop this, but never the less Westy projects as the top PG play on the board. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to re-word all the ways Westbrook is a fantasy gem. The guy does it and seems to play a step faster than those around him. The issue, as is always the case with him, the tag. The nightcap doesn’t offer a plethora of “comfortable” PG options so I’m more than okay locking up dollars to land a guy who is the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd option on his team.

George Hill - FD 7600 DK 7000 DFSTR 4200
Westbrook’s counterpart looks to be in line as one of the top Pts/$ PG options on the night. I like Hill more than Westy in terms of value and I will gladly pair them for cash games. The rub with Hill is he will randomly have his run cut short. I don’t see this as one of those games. The Pacers should give the Thunder everything they can handle and it will be led by Hill.

Rajon Rondo - FD 6000 DK 5400 DFSTR 7800
Devin Harris - FD 4000 DK 3500 DFSTR 3700
It gets pretty bleak after the two guys above, but not for a lack of potential. The Lakers get absolutely steam rolled by opposing PG’s. The issue here is who will play for the Mavs. Rondo received a night off last game so chances are he will start this game. Rondo is more than capable in dismantling the Lake Show, but he has been wildly inconsistent this since being traded to the Mavs. If Rondo sits Harris moves to the top of this list. If Rondo plays consider him a GPP play and nothing more.

Consider Jordan Clarkson  as I’m considerably more bullish on Clarkson than our projection system and Ty Lawson for all day leagues

Shooting Guards

Dion Waiters - FD 4900 DK 5000 DFSTR
Waiters continues to start and receive tons of minutes, but the price continues to remain on the discount shelf. Whatever, I’ll take it. Neon Dion is somewhat reliant on scoring, which never feels good, but the price is low enough that if he goes cold from the floor he likely won’t sink your ship. When the shot falls Waiters pays 7x this price. The upside on a relatively tough position is well worth the risk of a poor shooting night. Anthony Morrow can be considered as well.

James Harden - FD 11100 DK 10600 DFSTR
I know it’s easy to recommend the highest salaried guy at any position, but like Westbrook and Davis below, Harden still projects at a solid 4.4 Pts/$. That’s not the greatest of multipliers, but I’m more than willing to lock up 11k at a thin position for 4.5x his price. The Rockets are starting to get healthy, but Harden is still the main cog in the offense.

The rest of the field is pretty blah, but you can consider Kyle Korver and Bradley Beal

Small Forwards

*Small forward is by far the most difficult slot of the night. The goal here will be to get out cheap and get out quick.

Trevor Ariza - FD 6700 DK 6400 DFSTR 5700
I don’t love Ariza from a Pts/$ standpoint, but he is one of the safer options at the position. Ariza gets consistent minutes and does just enough of everything to offer a reasonable floor. Like most guys he needs to hit his shots to really payoff. The Pelicans don’t really have anyone that can get out on the wing and guard Ariza consistently. This should allow him to get some open looks and hopefully the bottom of the net. Being listed as the top play speaks more to the lack of better options.

Richard Jefferson - FD 3800 DK 3400 DFSTR 3100
This is obviously contingent on Chandler Parsons missing another game. And the fantasy gods know that Parsons sitting would do me and the entire DFS world a favor. This is simple; if Parsons is out Jefferson is the top play at SF. If Parsons plays then I’m not confident with either guy.
Consider Kawhi Leonard, although our projection system doesn’t love the value.

Power Forwards

Anthony Davis - FD 11700 DK 11000 DFSTR
I apologize once again for listing the top salary guy at the position, but it is what it is. Even at the current tag our projection system says Brow needs to be in your lineups. He came highly recommended last night and had it not been for the blowout it could have been a Browout. That was so terrible I couldn’t bring myself to deleting it. Browout yo. Seriously though, The Brow had 22 fantasy points at the end of the 1st quarter last night. I expect much of the same without the blowout. The Rockets have exactly zero players that stand a chance at even containing Davis. Of the three big money guys I prefer Brow over the others.

Dirk Nowitzki - FD 6400 DK 6000 DFSTR 7200
This recommendation comes with an asterisk. *It personally feels icky to recommend Dirk. The minutes are down, the production is down, but the talent is still alive and well. The story with Dirk this year hasn’t been about an aging star beginning to show his age, but more so a star willing to take a back seat to the young talent on the team. Look, there aren’t a ton of great options at any position tonight and the Mavs play at LA. As bad as the Lakers are they can score the basketball. Relatively safe dollars is what comes down too.

Ryan Kelly - FD 4800 DK 4600 DFSTR
Tarik Black - FD 4600 DK 4100 DFSTR 3000
On the cheaper side you have Kelly and Black. Black is more of the wild card as his minutes aren’t quite locked in like Kelly. Statistically this isn’t a great matchup, but I don’t see the Mavs truly giving 100% tonight. Regardless how the Mavs play the price is simply off considering the minutes Kelly is seeing right now. He won’t blow you away with talent, or athleticism for that matter, but he will give you a solid ROI (Return on Investment).

Center

Brandan Wright - FD 4900 DK 5500 DFSTR 4100
Wright comes in as the top play at Center and, quite frankly, is one of the easiest decisions of the night. With Len done for the season Wright has been filling in and typically has offered solid value. He doesn’t really compete with anyone for minutes so as long as he doesn’t get hurt or run into foul trouble he should see plenty of run. Wright is more than capable of a huge game, but the Suns have been pretty horrific of late, which has stymied Wright’s opportunity to really crush his price. Wright is an easy to slot in a cheap starter.

Enes Kanter - FD 7400 DK 7800 DFSTR
If you want to spend up look no further than Kanter. Enes has been one of the best (fantasy-wise) at his position since being traded to the Thunder. Westbrook seems to have developed nice chemistry with the big man and it has shown with Kanter’s offensive output. This game should be no different and Kanter should hover right around the 4-5x mark.

Dwight Howard - FD 7300 DK 6600 DFSTR 8700
I’m way more bullish on Howard than our projection system and as long as he plays I will look to squeeze him in where possible. The Rockets coach indicated he wanted to get Howard some extra minutes down the stretch to get him ready for the playoffs given how much time he missed. The Rockets have also announced Dwight will only play one of the games in their current B2B. I like Dwight as a top cash game play in whichever game he plays over the Rockets next two.

Consider Aron Baynes as a solid punt option.
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