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FanDuel daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup – April 15, 2018

By Jeremy Lambert

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 3: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets congratulates James Harden #13 after a three point shot in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center on April 3, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 3: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets congratulates James Harden #13 after a three point shot in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center on April 3, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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Karl-Anthony Towns
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 11: celebrate in the final minute of overtime of the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 11, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Timberwolves-Rockets (Game 1)

High Salary (Timberwolves)

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,500): The Rockets had no answer for Towns in the regular season. When he’s at his best, few teams have an answer for him. The Rockets defensive strength is one the perimeter, and while Clint Capela is a good defender, his value is on rotating and rim protecting, not as a one-on-one defender in the post. This is the one matchup advantage Minnesota has and they should take advantage of it as much as possible. *****

Jimmy Butler ($8,700): There is a lot of playoff inexperience on the Timberwolves, but Butler is a guy who has been here before. He looked healthy in the final game of the season, which is good news for his value heading into the playoffs. The Rockets bottled him up in the regular season, but he’s the best perimeter option. ****

Jeff Teague ($7,300): Teague is another guy with playoff experience, but I don’t like this matchup. Chris Paul is going to give him fits and the Minnesota offense isn’t good enough to bail him out. With Butler back, Teague’s usage rate is going to shrink. At this salary, he’s too much of a risk for my taste. **

High Salary (Rockets)

James Harden ($11,700): Harden will be guarded by Butler for the majority of the series, but that won’t matter. The Rockets are the best team in the league at getting switches and exploiting mismatches. Harden will get plenty of points and assists to go with a handful of rebounds. *****

Chris Paul ($9,000): Paul and Harden are likely to run wild on the Minnesota defense. If Harden is too rich for your taste because you’ve grabbed LeBron James or Russell Westbrook, Paul is a nice fallback option. His ceiling isn’t as high on a night-to-night basis as Harden, but he’s still going to have a hand in the Rockets offense. *****

Clint Capela ($7,700): While Towns put up big numbers on the Rockets defense, Capela returned the favor. He averaged 38.4 fantasy points in four regular season games against Houston. The Rockets are going to force Towns to defend the pick-and-roll and that’s going to lead to easy baskets for Capela. ****

High Value (Timberwolves)

Andrew Wiggins ($6,300): I don’t have much faith in Wiggins heading into the playoffs. Best case scenario is he does just enough to hit value. Worst case scenario is he doesn’t show up at all. Too many things working against him on Sunday. **

Taj Gibson ($5,500): Gibson’s experience is beneficial, but his tough defense doesn’t show up in the fantasy boxscore. He’ll play big minutes, the Timberwolves don’t run enough of their offense through him and Towns takes away most of his rebounding contributions. **

High Value (Rockets)

Eric Gordon ($5,900): Gordon was disappointing from a fantasy perspective coming off the bench this season. The Timberwolves defense presents him with a great matchup, but at this salary, with the way he struggled off the bench, he’s a tough option to sell. That said, some role player will get hot for Houston and Gordon certainly has his opportunities. **

Trevor Ariza ($4,700): Ariza ws inconsistent in the second half of the season and had a rough start to end the year. But he gets big minutes alongside the starters and is a proven playoff contributor. He also played well against the Timberwolves this season. Of all the role players on Houston, I feel best about him stepping up and contributing. ***

Role Players

Minnesota: Tom Thibodeau is going to play the starters all 48 minutes.

Houston: P.J. Tucker ($4,500) gets minutes next to the starters, which helps. Gerald Green ($4,600) should get minutes and shots off the bench.