NBA Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks for April 5
Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy column focused on providing analysis for the upcoming NBA FanDuel slate. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big pay day!
As always, thank you for reading and continuing to provide great feedback on how Picks and Pivots can better serve you each day while building your roster. Follow me on Twitter @2lockSports and feel free to pose questions each day as you work to construct your DFS roster on FanDuel!
After a day off Monday, the NBA returns with an 11 game slate kicking off at 7PM EST with the Pelicans visiting the Sixers. With the season’s end just a week away and only 6 playoff spots still up for grabs, writing this column any earlier than 30 seconds before tip-off becomes a challenge as we can continue to expect many of the games stars to sit out in advance of the playoffs or risk being shut down if they are already eliminated. What this chaos does allow for however is the ability to strike it big using last minute value plays across our lineups so keep an eye on the late breaking news! Now on to the picks…
Next: Top Guard Plays
Point Guard
- Ish Smith (6,400) – At this point in the season, I have been looking to build my rosters using players fighting for playoff spots to ensure some “safety” in my roster construction. Needless to say the Pelicans and Sixers are not in that boat, but there is some relative safety in this matchup as we have two teams giving a core group of player’s major consistent minutes. Smith is playing over 30 minutes a night and gets a very favorable matchup against New Orleans who gives up the 4th most points to opposing PG’s over the last 10 games. A potential pivot in this same matchup at $5,600 is Toney Douglas who not only is getting major minutes but also gets the best matchup for PG’s over the last 10 days facing the Sixers. Both players are volatile, but make an interesting low cost stack for GPP purposes.
- Kemba Walker ($8,100) – The Hornets have clinched a playoff spot in the East and currently sit in the 6th spot however only .5 game separates the 3rd seed from the 6th seed so I continue to expect the Hornets stars to play big minutes for seeding purposes. I tend to believe that Damian Lillard at only $100 cheaper will be a more popular target, but I will look to pivot to Walker going against the Raptors for a few reasons. First, I believe many will be scared away by the thought this is a difficult matchup but the Raptors have actually been a middle of the road matchup to opposing PG’s lately with a 6% spike in points allowed over the last 5 games. Second, Nicolas Batum left Sunday’s game with an injury and is questionable to play Tuesday. If Batum is out, we see Walker’s usage rate spike to 31% and he averages 1.01 fantasy points per minute.
Shooting Guard
- Jimmy Butler ($8,700) – After 3 consecutive stellar performances including a massive triple double, we have seen Butler’s price increase to $8,700 however with the Bulls 2 games out of the playoffs and Derrick Rose still questionable to play, I will continue to roster Butler as a key building block. Butler has put up 45, 73 and 42 points over his last 3 games and he is single handidly trying to will the Bulls to the playoffs. When Rose is off the floor, Butler’s usage goes from 22% to 31% – that is Russell Westbrook level usage! Not only does his usage spike, but his fantasy points per minute jumps from .91 to 1.1. With all the value on the slate, paying up for Butler is a no-brainer.
Next: Top Small Forwards
Small Forward
- Luke Babbitt ($5,000) – Honestly, at first glance I glossed right over this price point for Babbitt but over his last two games, he has put up 30.2 and 41.5 points and continues to play major minutes. The Sixers present one of the most favorable matchups to opposing SF’s so I have no issue utilizing a mini Pelicans stack in GPP lineups including the next guy.
- Jordan Hamilton ($4,600) – No team over the last 10 games offers up more points to opposing SG and with Hamilton locked into the starting role, I have no problem using both Pelicans players at SF which will allow me to spend up at PF/Center tonight. Hamilton is averaging 24.6 points per game since he joined the Pelicans which gives us over 5x value in a great matchup.
Next: Top Power Forwards/Center
Power Forward
- Draymond Green ($9,100) – The Warriors continue to push towards history and Draymond is a nightly triple double threat at a sub 10k price. In his last game out against his Tuesday opponent, Green put up 51.8 points against the Timberwolves. With the game at home, where Green has statistically played better all year, I will look to utilize the Warriors big man across multiple lineups in hopes for another triple double.
- Cody Zeller ($4,800) – Over his last 3 games, Zeller is averaging 29.9 points which is good for over 6x value. Zeller is never an overly popular player, but I am happy to take the consistency he is displaying and grab the potential for 6x value at a lower than expected ownership percentage.
Center
- Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,900) – What rookie wall? KAT just keeps posting double doubles each night out and was one assist shy of a triple double last game out against Golden State. Over the last 10 games, the Warriors are allowing the second most points to opposing centers and Towns has consistently flashed 40-50 point games during March while blowing through the rookie wall and staking his claim to the Rookie of the Year award.
Next: Washington Nationals 2016 Fantasy Preview
Best of luck tonight gamers! As always keep an eye out on the late breaking news throughout the day as the season winds down and players start to take games off!
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