Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic shoots free throws during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Dallas, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 55.81 DK - 61.28
Luka got a game off last time out but will be back for this one and he could be set to put up a monster line. Minnesota is playing the fastest pace in the league this season and have been more than willing to get out and run. That should leave plenty of volume for Doncic here which is great news considering the dude can really pile it on. For the season, he is averaging 28 points, nine rebounds, and 8.6 assists, the former two representing career highs. It’s a great spot and Dallas is for sure still fighting for seeding the Western Conference. Beating the Timberwolves here would go a long way to staving off the play-in game on that front. Luka’s price is too low on FanDuel especially.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 44.26 DK - 48.03
The Jazz have the second-highest implied total on this slate and the game against the Hornets doesn’t project to be a blowout. That’s good news for Mitchell who is coming at a value on both sites. Charlotte is playing the third-fastest pace in the NBA this season with a 23rd-ranked defensive efficiency, having this matchup line up really well from a DFS perspective. Mitchell has put up 36 or more points in three of his last four games, and over the last month is averaging 27 points and six assists. The Jazz are still fighting for seeding here and Mitchell’s minutes should be in the 35-37 range as long as the game stays close.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 30.31 DK - 29.33
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 34.98 DK - 37.1
The Blazers are fully in the tank. We know this for certain and they will be operating in the mode of “lose every game” from here on out. That can make for something of a tricky proposition in daily fantasy because we need to weigh just how much certain players are going to stay on the court in a given game. For tanking teams, that might not be much. But I do think Williams and Dunn are on the “safer” side here considering Justise Winslow has already been ruled out and the guard spots are all at the deep on this team to begin with. Dunn is coming cheap enough as a starter that I don’t think he totally kills you. And Williams should rejoin the starting lineup after putting up 20+ point games in five of his last ten. The play the Rockets which is the other gift here and this game has the highest point total on the slate.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 46.97 DK - 51.42
FanDuel continues to list him as a small forward for some reason so we can put him here in the writeup. I think that works under the rules. Harden will be tough to fit into lineups with the likes of Luka, and I would definitely prioritize the latter, but I could be talked into running The Beard as well. He isn’t as prolific in the fantasy department as when he first came over to Philly, but the price has dropped some as well. He’s still a triple-double threat, coming close a couple of times recently and there is a world where it all comes together and he piles on a major game. We know the Clippers are dialing it back with their starters now meaning this is a softer landing zone for Harden.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 32.83 DK - 36.59
While I don’t love watching the Rockets play, there is still some value to be had on this team in the right matchup. The Blazers are now one of the few teams in the NBA worse than Houston which gives us a nice landing spot for some DFS value in the game. Porter’s usage rate in this offense is still fine enough all things considered and the Rockets will run him mid-30s minutes if the games stay on the closer side. He’s averaged more than 15 points a game over the last month one just about 14 attempts from the field. And he will add rebounds and assists as well. With the team relatively healthy I don’t think there is tremendous upside, but the floor is there at these prices.
I think you can consider Andrew Wiggins (FD 6400 DK 7200) here on FanDuel with Stephen Curry out.
If Julius Randle is out again then RJ Barrett (FD 7800 DK 8400) looks like a good play even though it is against Miami.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 43.29 DK - 44.9
Rudy Gobert has had a couple of of rough games in a row now so I wouldn’t blame you for being a bit worried about running him in cash here. But the matchup is such that he should be able to play major minutes as long as things are close and the pace of the game should really favor his ability to pile on points and rebounds. Before this latest three-game slide, the dude had double-doubled in 11 straight games and has averaged 14 points and 13 rebounds per game over the last month. He’s added in more than two steals+blocks as well and the recent play has dropped the price some. The dude is now a fantastic value and I think he makes for an easy play on DraftKings especially.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 56.89 DK - 59.74
I would definitely prioritize Embiid over Harden, especially on DraftKings though I’m still ranking Doncic as the go-to guy on both sites. But Embiid is in a good spot as well and could pile on points against this Clippers team. He still remains a force, putting up 30 points and 12 rebounds per game over the last month. He’s taking slightly fewer shots now that Harden is around, but it hasn’t led to all that much of a dip in production. The dude is still among the very best fantasy performers out there. Again, the price is getting up there, but the nature of these slates will likely have some cheaper value in the punt tier so I don’t think fitting the salary will be that heavy a lift.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 30.63 DK - 31.59
His price is a little too steep on DraftKings, but I like him as a FanDuel play sitting at $6K. Even though the Blazers are in the tank, he’s still been getting minutes and the fantasy production has been solid. Watford is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds per game over the last month and has played around 30 minutes consistently almost no matter the game script. Meaning, even when Portland has been getting waxed, the run for this guy has been there. Things could be changing some if they are going to tank even harder, but I think he’s an ok FD play.
Consider Drew Eubanks (FD 6100 DK 6300) as well with the same premise.
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