NBA Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks April 9

Feb 24, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (right) and forward Draymond Green (left) celebrate during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

NBA Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Picks for April 9

Welcome to the Saturday 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!

As the NBA season wears down, be sure to follow my MLB FanDuel Picks and Pivots column posted each day on Fantasy CPR!

Tonight’s slate kicks off with 6 games at 7PM EST and as we wind down the final days of the NBA Season we can continue to expect significant fluctuations in lineups which will require us to be diligent about checking the late breaking news prior to tip-off. Now on to the picks…

Next: Top Point Guards

Mar 30, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; New Orleans Pelicans point guard Tim Frazier (2) shoots the ball past San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Point Guard

Stephen Curry ($10,500) – The Warriors head to Memphis as they continue their pursuit of history and we can continue to lock in the Warriors stars with their guaranteed playing time. Over his last 5 games, Curry is averaging an absurd 38.48 MPG which shows he is not slowing down ahead of the playoffs. Curry is averaging 1.48 fantasy points per minute over his last 3 games (which is also his season average) – so simply taking his fantasy points per minutes times his minutes per game we can project him for 56.95 points. On a 6 game slate with so much value, there is no way I am fading Steph tonight.
Tim Frazier ($6,600) – The Pelicans and Suns square off Saturday night featuring two games that play minimal defense and we can expect significant fantasy points to be scored. The Suns present one of the best matchups on the season to opposing PG (29^th DvP) and Frazier continues to be locked into major minutes averaging 32 a game over his last 5. At this price point, 5x value seems like a lock based off his minutes and the fact he is putting up over 1 fantasy point per minute and with the matchup 6x value is certainly on the table.

Next: Top Shooting Guard/Small Forward

Apr 7, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns forward P.J. Tucker (17) celebrates after scoring during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Shooting Guard/Small Forward

Devin Booker ($6,700) – Over the last 5 games, the Suns rookie has been on the court for massive minutes averaging 38 minutes per game and putting up the most shots per game of any SG (18 per!). The matchup against NO is a favorable one and the usage right now for Booker is through the roof. Booker is getting similar run and similar shot attempts to Jimmy Butler but is priced almost $2,000 less – I am happy to take the savings here so I can afford to play the Warriors studs!
PJ Tucker ($5,500) – I am lumping these players into the same category because I want as much exposure to this Phoenix/New Orleans game as possible as their price points fit in nicely when stacking the Warriors big 3. Again looking at minutes played, which at this point in the year is where I am focused to make sure I am getting the most bang for my buck, no SF over the last 5 days has played more MPG than Tucker – not Lebron or Durant….PJ Tucker! The opportunity remains there for Tucker and his last game out with 43.9 points he flashed the kind of upside we want when the matchup is favorable as it is against the Pelicans.

Next: Top Power Forwards/Center

April 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dunks the basketball against the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Power Forward

Draymond Green ($8,900) – Just as I stated with Curry, Green continues to play major minutes and he is putting up 1.2 FPM in those minutes which gives us the ability to lock in a very safe floor with Draymond’s constant triple double upside. The Grizzlies are vulnerable against opposing PF’s and no Power Forward on the slate has the ceiling that Green does so for as long as the Warriors continue to chase the record, I want as much exposure to him as I can get.
Mirza Teletovic ($5,500) – In case you were wondering, I like the Suns tonight. As the season winds down, Teletovic has cemented a big time role in the Suns offense averaging almost 18 shots per game. He is averaging 32 fantasy points over his last 4 games which is close to 6x value. I am happy to lock in the safety of a 5x value player that is teetering on 6x value consistently with his expanded offensive role.

Center

Tyson Chandler ($5,600) – Ok by now you are sick of me talking about the Suns. So instead of listening to me, I will refer you to fellow FantasyCPR writer @MattyMcMatt17 who profiled Chandler in his latest FanDuel Economics column on Thursday. I frankly had not realized that Chandler was consistently hitting 6x value since his return and locked him into 2 lineups Thursday night that returned a profit and I am happy to go back to the well again!

Next: FanDuel Economics For April 9

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!