NBA DFS Playbook April 9: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Plays
Published: Apr 09, 2023
We have a seven-game main slate on this beautiful Easter Sunday, April 9th. It is the final day of the regular season for the NBA and we still have some Western Conference teams who are still playing for playoff seeding. The Pelicans who are the 8-seed are taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves who are the 10-seed. Both of those teams can jump out of the play-in with a win and some help.
We also have the 7-seeded Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Utah Jazz and if the Lakers win they could move out of the play-in tournament and to the sixth seed with some help. The Golden State Warriors who are the 6-seed take on the Portland Trail Blazers, and they need to win to most likely stay out of the play-in tournament. Then finally we have the Los Angeles Clippers taking on the Phoenix Suns, if the Clippers win they are locked into the 5-seed if they lose they can fall to the 7th.
Be sure to check out our NBA DFS projections, powered by FanJections, NBA DFS Lineup Generator, and all of the rest of our NBA DFS content and tools! Let's break down Dylans' top plays of the day for DraftKings and FanDuel!
Teams Playing for Something Today
- Clippers
- Timberwolves
- Warriors
- Lakers
- Pelicans
Notable NBA Injury Updates
LeBron James (foot) — Questionable
Stephen Curry (hip) — Probable
Anthony Davis (foot) — Questionable
Ja Morant (hand) — Doubtful
Lauri Markkanen (hand) — TBD
Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) — Questionable
Rudy Gobert (back) — Questionable
Jaren Jackson Jr. (elbow) — Doubtful
Talen Horton-Tucker (ankle) — TBD
Keldon Johnson (foot) — TBD
Desmond Bane (knee) — Doubtful
D'Angelo Russell (foot) — Probable
Highest NBA Game Totals
- Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers - 234
- Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers - 233.5
Best Pace Matchups
- Utah Jazz (12th) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (4th)
- New Orleans Pelicans (16th) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7th)
Best DRtg Matchups
- Dallas Mavericks (24th) vs. San Antonio Spurs (30th)
- Golden State Warriors (18th) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (27th)
- Los Angeles Lakers (11th) vs. Utah Jazz (24th)
Favorite Players to Use for DFS Lineups
Anthony Davis, C, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis is in a smash spot against an awful Utah Jazz defense that ranks 24th in defensive rating. Utah is without their elite rim-protector in Walker Kessler, and Anthony Davis will look to exploit that. These two teams met up just five days ago and AD finished with 21 points 16 rebounds and six assists for 56 fantasy points. He also got to the free throw line 12 times in that contest, and that game was close as well, as the Lakers pulled out a 135-133 victory.
Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors
The Warriors need to win this game to do everything they can to stay out of the play-in game. This matchup is a great one for Curry against a banged-up and bad Blazers team that struggles defensively. I expect Curry to play over 30 minutes in this one as long as it stays somewhat close, and he could have a huge afternoon if he gets cooking early.
LeBron James, SF, Los Angeles Lakers
As Davis did five days ago, LeBron had a great game as well against this Jazz team. He finished with 37 points, six assists, and six rebounds for 55 fantasy points. I like stacking LeBron and AD together tonight in this great matchup, and you should be able to with all the value on the board today.
Brandon Ingram, SF, New Orleans Pelicans
Ingram has been an absolute stud over his past five games averaging just over 50 fantasy points per game. This game only has a 227-game total that's why I have the three guys above him today because of the game script. With both teams playing for something today however I expect this one to be a great competitive game. It's just scary with both teams ranking in the top five in defensive rating.
Anthony Edwards, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves
Looking at that same game with Anthony Edwards, and I really like his price of $8,600. I just question his ceiling on any given night with KAT back in the lineup and the team is fully healthy. What we do like is his showing us that he can still go over 30 game points in any game as he had against Portland and the Spurs. The only difference is those were great matchups, this one isn't.
Shaedon Sharpe PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers
It's been absolutely awesome seeing Shaeson Sharpe play with the ball in his hands over the past five games. Over that span, he has a 30% usage rate and he has scored at least 20 game points in each of those games as well. With his price under $8,000 today, I am all over him.
Favorite Value Players for DFS Lineups
- Shaquille Harrison PG, Portland Trail Blazers
- Justin Holiday SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks
- Aaron Wiggins, SG/SF, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Luka Samanic, PF/C, Utah Jazz
- Jock Landale, C, Phoenix Suns
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Player Pool
| $ Tier | PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Stephen Curry  $10,400 |  Anthony Edwards $9,300 |  LeBron James $10,800 |  Kawhi Leonard $10,600 |  Anthony Davis $11,500 |
 Russell Westbrook $8,300 |  Brandon Ingram $9,800 | ||||
| Medium |  Shaedon Sharpe $8,200 | Austin Reaves $5,800 |  Trendon Watford $6,000 | Christian Wood $6,200 | |
| Jaden Hardy $6,000 | |||||
| Ochai Agbaji $5,700 | |||||
 Aaron Wiggins $5,700 | |||||
| Justin Holiday $5,500 | |||||
| Low |  Shaquille Harrison $5,200 |  Josh Okogie $5,300 | Christian Braun $5,200 |  Luka Samanic $5,200 |  Jock Landale $5,200 |
Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.