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NBA Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks April 7

By Brian Tulloch

April 5, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) commits an offensive foul charging into Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at Oracle Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 124-117. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 5, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) commits an offensive foul charging into Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at Oracle Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 124-117. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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April 5, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) commits an offensive foul charging into Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at Oracle Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 124-117. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 5, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) commits an offensive foul charging into Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at Oracle Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 124-117. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

NBA Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks for April 7

Welcome to the Thursday 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 8:00PM EST with an abbreviated 5 game slate. The marquee matchup on the night will pit the Golden State Warrior at the San Antonio Spurs on TNT at 10:30PM EST and it will be fascinating to see if the Spurs rest their players so as to not show their hand for the playoffs. The Bulls and Rockets are also in action as they continue their push for the final seeds in their respective conferences and will make for very attractive plays with the guaranteed minutes. Now on to the picks!

Next: Top Point Guards

Apr 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) jumps on the back of center Dwight Howard (12) before a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) jumps on the back of center Dwight Howard (12) before a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Point Guard

  • Darren Collison ($5,800) – Collison sat out last game but we can expect him to return to the lineup against Minnesota on Thursday night. Collison is averaging 29.7 points over his last 4 games which is solid 5x value and will allow us to pay up at other positions with the elite stars in action.
  • Patrick Beverley ($5,200) – Attacking the Phoenix Suns backcourt has been profitable all year and although Beverley can be inconsistent, he has topped 30 points in 3 of his last 5 games prior to Wednesday night. With the Rockets needing every single win, we can lock Beverley into major minutes in a very favorable matchup.

Next: Top Shooting Guards

Apr 1, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) handles the ball against Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple (17) in the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) handles the ball against Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple (17) in the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

Shooting Guard

  • James Harden ($10,900) – Best player on the slate in a must win against the Phoenix back court? Yes please. He is going to be massively owned tonight as he was on Wednesday night as one of the few superstar “locks” to play, but I cannot see fading a man who can put 60-70 points on the ledger.
  • Jimmy Butler ($8,500) – The Bulls are still clinging to their playoff lives and although the matchup against Miami is not ideal, Butler has been doing everything in his power to carry Chicago. Last game out, Butler flopped big time putting up only 12.8 points so I will hope to get him tonight at lower than expected ownership.
  • Devin Booker ($6,900) – One potential pivot off Butler is to go with Devin Booker as the rookie sees a solid matchup against the Rockets and is carrying the entire offensive load for the Suns. Booker put up 45 points his last game out and has the ability to match Butler in output with a $1,600 savings.

Next: Top Small Forwards

Mar 31, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) controls the ball as Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) controls the ball as Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Small Forward

  • Nikola Mirotic ($5,300) – An overlooked Bull trying to carry his team to the playoffs is Mirotic who has put up games of 36.1, 29.7, 38.3 and 41 over his last 5 games. At this price point, Mirotic allows us a shot at 6x value while saving salary – always a winning combination.
  • Kawhi Leonard ($8,600) – I have no idea if the Spurs will actually suit up for this one but if they do, I want to get Kawhi in my lineup at this price point. Kawhi is an elite talent and multi category contributor who can easily put up 40-50 points on any night. I love targeting elite players at depressed price points and in this marquee matchup, if the Spurs allow him to play, I am happy to roll the dice with Leonard.

Next: Top Power Forward/Center

Apr 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots in the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. The Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 88-78. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots in the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. The Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 88-78. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Power Forward

  • Mirza Teletovic ($5,100) – Mirza is averaging 30 points per game over his last 5 games and with an expanded role in a favorable matchup against Houston, I expect his run at near 6x value to continue.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein ($5,000) – Even with Demarcus Cousins back in the lineup, WCS slid over to center and put up 23 points last game out. With the big men in Minnesota, I expect the rookie to get plenty of court time in a game that should feature tons of fantasy points.

 

Next: Chicago White Sox Fantasy Preview

Center

  • Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,900) – I know Boogie is on the schedule and expected to play but man, how can you fade the rookie right now. He is a walking double double, playing massive minutes and gets a favorable matchup against the Kings. There is going to come a time where we will never see the rookie’s price under $10k so while I still can, let me take the lower price and bank on another 40-50 point outing.