NBA Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks for April 6
Welcome to the Wednesday 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!
Tonight’s slate kicks off at 7:00PM EST with 8 games on tap. Many of the games tonight have double digit spreads but there are a few games with playoff implications including Houston at Dallas which should be a highly targeted affair for gamers tonight. Keep an eye on the Cavaliers tonight as they play on the second night of a back to back and if any of LeBron James, Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving sit, the other players see a huge uptick in usage. Also keep an eye on OKC as they may look to give either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook a night off. If that happens, the other star becomes a must play so keep that in mind when looking to lock in rosters later today. Now on to the picks…
Next: Top Point Guards
Point Guard
- Shane Larkin ($4,500) – The Nets have shut down Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young for the season and locked their young players into major minutes. Larkin is playing over 30 minutes a game and gets a favorable matchup tonight against the Wizards. Larkin is averaging 25.3 ppg over his last 7 games which gives us 5x value at a bargain basement price.
- Tim Frazier ($5,000) – Frazier has been a popular value pick lately, but last night’s news that he would enter the starting lineup solidified his value and because he plays on a back to back, FanDuel has not yet adjusted his price. Frazier put up 37.7 points last night in his start and the Pelicans see the biggest pace advantage tonight going against the Celtics so I will lock in Frazier in all formats and bank on the 6x value allowing me to spend up elsewhere.
- JJ Barea ($5,900) – Barea continues to excel as the starting PG of the Mavs and although he gets a tough matchup against Patrick Beverly tonight, he has averaged 37 ppg over his last 4 games and sits at a price point giving you a tremendous return.
Next: Top Shooting Guards
Shooting Guard
- James Harden ($10,900) – The bottom of the Western Conference standings is incredibly tight as the Rockets sit in 9th place right now but are only a game back of the 7th place Mavericks. Tonight these teams square off in Dallas, and I want all the exposure I can get to this game including the highest priced star. There is enough value on the slate and even though I expect Harden to be massively owned, fading him in a must win game is a strategy I don’t intend to employ.
- Wes Matthews ($5,100) – On the other side of this matchup, Matthews gets the benefit of playing against the favorable Houston defense who present the best matchup on the season to opposing SF. Matthews price has settled in at this $5k level and he continues to flash 20 point games playing 35+ minutes. Matthews does not flash has much upside as others, but if he can hit 25 points, which he has done in 4 of his last 7 games, it makes for a very solid play with the potential for much more upside.
Next: Top Small Forwards
Small Forward
- Paul George ($8,900) – With all the value on the slate and no clear cut options to spend up at other than Harden, SF is a great spot to target some of the elite players. The Pacers right now sit in the 7th spot, 2.5 games up on the 9th place Bulls so I expect the Pacers to continue to ride PG until a playoff spot is assured. A matchup against the Cavs is not ideal, but with Cleveland on the second night of a back to back, we may seem them rest some players which would benefit the Pacers and George.
- Maurice Harkless ($4,400) – Harkless has been on a tear lately playing over 30+ MPG in his last 3 games and averaging 32.5 fantasy points. At this price point, the upside of 6-7x value is too good to pass up and will allow us to spend up elsewhere.
Next: Top Power Forward/Center
Power Forward
- Dirk Nowitzki ($7,100) – Houston presents one of the best matchups to opposing PF on the season and as I have discussed, this is a must win game for both teams so I expect a big time game from Dirk. The PF spot is ugly tonight, so I will look to spend up and get Nowitzki in all lineups in this featured game.
- Thomas Robinson ($6,000) – With Lopez and Young now out of the lineup, it has given a major bump to Robinson and although his price has climbed to its highest level on the season, Robinson has put up a double double in all of his last 4 games and with the Nets mailing it in, I expect Robinson to continue to get major run.
Center
- Marcin Gortat ($6,300) – Center lacks a true must play tonight, so I will look to pivot to the mid-range/bargain range tonight depending on what studs I want to fit in. However, Gortat makes for a safe play going up against a depleted Nets team that will have no answer for him. My only concern is the likely blowout here, so for $100 more you can pivot to Dwight Howard and stack the Houston-Dallas game with its top stars.
Next: Minnesota Twins 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!