DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy Basketball Advice 4-2-16

Apr 12, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky rides into the Pepsi Center on a motorcycle prior to the game against the Sacramento Kings. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy Basketball Advice 4-2-16

Saturday has the potential to be an extremely competitive day in Basketball as a majority of the teams slated are fighting to maintain and advance their playoff positions. The games kick off with what should be a rout as the East’s 8^th seeded Pacers travel to Philadelphia in a match with the lowly 76ers, at 4:30. Shortly after, at 5:00 pm, things start to get interesting; the #9 seeded Bulls host the #7 seeded Pistons in an exciting Eastern Conference showdown. With the Pacers almost guaranteed a win versus the league’s worst team, both Detroit and Chicago need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. (The Pistons sit a ½ game ahead of the Pacers and the Pacers sit 1 game ahead of the Bulls for the 7, 8, and 9 spots in the East). With all that excitement happening so early it could be easy to overlook a matchup between the #2 seeds in the East and West; however, this may not be the worst thing. Despite the fact that this should be an entertaining game, I do not believe this will be a good game for Daily Fantasy purposes.

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Shortly after they tipoff the only non-playoff relevant game gets underway between the Kings @ Nuggets. Despite both teams being eliminated, this matchup offers numerous enticing Daily Fantasy Options as it should easily be a high scoring and fast paced game. The last game of the night, which begins at 7:00, returns to the trend of must-win games as both teams are fighting to not only maintain but improve their playoff rankings. This should be an entertaining game as Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat travel to Portland to take on Damien Lillard and the Trail Blazers.

Overall, Saturday should be an interesting fantasy day as several of the top defenses in the league are scheduled to play. With this in mind, my predictions will majorly come from a few of the games as I believe they have the best potential at being competitive, high scoring affairs (the perfect mix for Daily Fantasy). Each day I analyze matchups, I make a Draftkings lineup based on my recommendations; last Thursday proved quite successful as my lineup earned 324.25 Draftking fantasy points. In the end, I hope my picks can be as accurate as before and as always, I wish you luck on your quest for the perfect fantasy line-up:

Next: Point Guards

"Nov /

Point Guards

The point guard position is full of options tonight and although there are quite a few high salary players I believe Rondo is the only one worth paying up for. In my opinion, Damian Lillard and Kyle Lowry could struggle to produce against two of the best point guard defenses in the league. With that in mind, I have laid out some alternative options who should be able to garner enough fantasy points to be worth their prices.

$7,800-Rajon Rondo- (Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets)

Rondo is one of my favorite options tonight as he has recorded over 11 assists in his last 5 games and is looking more and more like an elite point guard. Going along with his recently good play is the fact that in his last two matchups versus the Nuggets he has averaged roughly 46 Draftkings fantasy points. Finally, Denver has struggled all year to contain opposing point guards, ranking 24^th on Draftkings and 23^rd in their last ten games in Draftkings points/average stats allowed.

$6,700-Goran Dragic- (Miami Heat @ Portland Trail Blazers)

Dragic has been playing out of his mind lately and will look to continue his success against a beatable Portland defense. On Draftkings the Trail Blazers are positioned as the 13^th best team against opposing point guards, however in their last ten games they have been much worse, ranking 23^rd in average stats allowed. With such a good matchup, coupled with Dwayne Wades health being called into question, Dragic should be in for a productive day. Last time they faced, Dragic recorded 8 points, 8 assists, 2 boards, and 2 steals in only 27 minutes. In my opinion, with the added time he has been receiving lately (usually 30+ minute’s) he is a lock for a strong performance.

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$5,700-Reggie Jackson– (Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls)

Reggie Jackson has been playing well lately and gets a good matchup this Saturday against a beatable Chicago defense. The Pistons and Bulls have faced three times this year and Jackson has produced an average of 46 fantasy points in each of those games. Coupled with Jacksons success versus the Bulls, is the fact that this game should be competitive all the way through and each starter will get plenty of opportunity to succeed.

$5,400-Darren Collison– (Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets)

If you do look towards cheaper options at point guard, I would highly recommend Darren Collison. He has been heating up lately with roughly 31 fantasy points in his last three contests and gets a juicy matchup against a weak Denver defense (Collison is often played at shooting guard by the Kings and Denver has been ranked 27^th against shooting guards in their last ten games). If that wasn’t enough to justify picking Collison, he has earned an average of 25 points on Draftkings the last two times the Kings have faced the Nuggets.

Next: Shooting Guards

"Nov /

Shooting Guards

There are several different options at shooting guard tonight who are all across the board in price. In my opinion, it may not be worth it to pay up for one of the high salary shooting guards in tonight’s slate. Although Butler and Wade both have potential for big nights, there are several other cheaper options who I believe will be able to get similar if not more fantasy points.

$5,200-Will Barton- (Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets)

Will Barton let me down last Thursday, however I believe he has an opportunity to blow up tonight against the Kings. Sacramento allows the most three point attempts out of any team and Barton is one of Denver’s primary three point shooters. Along with this upside, Sacramento has had difficulty containing opposing shooting guards all year as is evident in their last two meeting where Barton earned 33.75 and 32.5 fantasy points.

$4,300-Hollis Thompson– (Indiana Pacers @ Philadelphia 76ers)

Thompson has been a very productive bargain player the last few weeks and should continue his prolific play against a beatable Pacers defense. In my opinion the 76ers will be playing from behind, which should mean a productive night for many of their starters. Thompson is one of my favorite options as he has received 21+ fantasy points in both his previous outings versus the Pacers.

$4,200-Josh Richardson– (Miami Heat @ Portland Trail Blazers)

Richardson has been productive since receiving more minutes and I believe he could continue his success against a weak Portland defense. This play is more reliant on Dwayne Wade’s health as Richardson should see more minutes if Miami looks to ensure their main weapon is healthy for the playoffs.

Next: Small Forwards

"Jan /

Small Forwards

There are several different options at small forward tonight that are worthy of consideration. I have listed quite a few players at a variety of different prices, who I believe all have the potential to excel. Besides Paul George there are a few other high salary options, however I believe that Kawhi Leonard and Robert Covington may be risky plays. Leonard, in my opinion, is not the best option for tonight partially due to his matchup history and also due to the fact that he may not play enough minutes to justify his price. As for Covington, his matchup history coupled with the trouble he has had against Indiana in the past is too concerning to warrant his cost at $6,500.

$8,700-Paul George- (Indiana Pacers @ Philadelphia 76ers)

George has been playing at a very high level lately (averaging just over 49 fantasy points in his last three games), and after being shut down by the 76ers last time they faced I believe he will come into tonight’s game seeking retribution. He has shown an ability to beat Philadelphia as he accumulated 34 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 4 steals the first time they played way back in November. Coupled with his potential to go off is the fact that Philadelphia’s defense has been very poor the last few weeks, for example in the last ten games they rank dead last against point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards. Overall, Paul George may seem like a risky play at such a high price, however I feel as though he has the potential for a monstrous game.

$5,300-Marcus Morris- (Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls)

Marcus Morris has been playing extremely well lately, and at $5,300 he is a steal. In his three games versus the Bulls this year Morris has earned an average of 33 Draftkings Points and should continue to find success. Not only should this be a competitive and high scoring game, but Morris has slowly become an integral part of the Pistons offense and defense; so he should see plenty of minutes and thus have plenty of opportunity to succeed.

$4,500-Omri Casspri- (Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets)

Casspri has been playing very well lately and should be able to continue his success against one of the league’s worst defenses. In their last ten games Denver ranks 28^th in Draftking points/average stats allowed to opposing small forwards. On top of having a good matchup Casspri has scored 20 or more fantasy points in the past 10 games and should be a solid cheap option that will guarantee you 20+ points on any given night (if not more tonight, due to this beneficial matchup).

Next: Power Forwards

"Jan /

Power Forwards

The power forward position is lacking tonight and it’s hard to recommend anyone other than Demarcus Cousins, due to his potential to garner enough points to be the only power forward worth selecting.

$10,100-Demarcus Cousins- (Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets)

Cousins is a must play tonight (but I mean, when isn’t he!) In his last two games against the Nuggets, Cousins has received an average of 66 fantasy points and should continue his stellar play; especially after missing a game last night due to a suspension.

****Overall, like I mentioned above he is definitely worth the cost and may be the only power forward worth selecting tonight, unless you want to pick another in the utility slot on Draftkings****

$5,200-Nikola Miritoc- (Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls)

The only other option I believe has potential to even get close to the numbers Cousin puts up is Mirotic, since his return from injury he has been amazing. His only downside is his sporadic allotment of minutes; however, with Taj Gibson questionable to play, Mirotic should get plenty of opportunity to succeed. Coupled with the fact that Mirotic should see plenty of court-time, he also gets a good matchup versus a recently weak Detroit defense. On Draftkings Detroit is ranked 4^th overall versus power forwards, however in their last 10 games they have fallen all the way to 22^nd in Draftking points/average stats allowed to opposing power forwards. (making this a plus matchup for Miritoc).

Next: Centers

"Oct /

Centers

The center position is stacked tonight and I would highly recommend paying up for one of the elite centers as they all have very juicy matchups. The only center besides the three I listed below who I would even consider is Nikola Jokic, at $5,600 he is slightly cheaper than the other options; however, his minutes are a little concerning. That being said he does have a very good matchup versus a recently terrible Sacramento defense. Overall, Jokic has potential to get close to the amount of fantasy points the three high salary centers should earn, however they all have far more potential for big days.

$8,800-Hassan Whiteside– (Miami Heat @ Portland Trail Blazers)

Whiteside has been killing it off the bench all year, as an honorary starter I believe he should continue to produce against a Portland defense who have allowed the 18^th most fantasy points to opposing centers in the last 10 games. In their sole matchup this year Whiteside was able to pull down 11 boards and put up 22 points for a total of 51.75 Draftkings fantasy points. Going along with his matchup and history versus Portland, Whiteside has also been on fire lately scoring an average of 50 fantasy points in three of his last four outings. Overall, as the highest priced center it may be hard to fit him into your lineup; but I believe he will be worth his price.

$7,500-Andre Drummond- (Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls)

Drummond has been a monster this year; he leads the league in rebounds averaging 14.9 per game, and should be able to find plenty of success even despite the Bulls recently good play against opposing centers. In three games against the Bulls, Drummond is averaging 56 Draftkings points and should definately be able to match that in what should be a hard fought battle between the #7 and #9 teams in the East.

$7,400-Pau Gasol- (Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls)

Gasol should have some extra incentive as his team sits just outside the cusp of the playoffs, and despite the fact that he will be going head to head with Drummond, he should be able to get plenty of Draftkings fantasy points. In his three games against the Pistons, Gasol is actually averaging slightly more points than Drummond…which is absolutely crazy! (his average against Detroit is at 58 Draftkings points). In the end, in what should be a hard fought battle between the Pistons and Bulls, I highly recommend picking either Gasol or Drummond; if not both.