It’s Friday, April 11th. It’s the final Friday of the regular season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as next week begins the NBA Play-In Tournament. We have all 30 teams in action today.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons meet at 7:00 p.m. ET to kick off an NBA TV doubleheader, while the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers meet at 10:30 p.m. ET in the second end of the NBA TV double dip. However, we’re going to focus on the players and games from the 7:00-9:00 p.m. block.
Here are our top NBA DFS lineup picks and advice for Friday’s full slate.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
Josh Giddey (PG – CHI)
- DraftKings: $10,300
- FanDuel: $10,300
Did you ever think we’d see the day where Josh Giddey is more expensive than the likes of Jayson Tatum, Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, etc.? Well, he might be a little overpriced after his impressive run of late, but he is still very much worth including in your lineup. Strike while the iron is hot.
The 22-year-old Aussie is coming off a banger against Miami, hitting 11-of-19 from the field, finishing with 28 points. He added 16 rebounds and 11 assists with three blocked shots and two steals, while hitting three three-pointers. He has a pair of triple-doubles in the past three outings, and at least five straight double-doubles. In four April outings, he is averaging a triple-double, going for 20.8 points, 13 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.
Against the Washington Wizards, he’ll face a team with an opponent rank of 30, which is dead last in the NBA.
Anthony Edwards (SG, SF – MIN)
- DraftKings: $9,700
- FanDuel: $9,400
Anthony Edwards is a strong play against the struggling and short-handed Brooklyn Nets. He exploded for 44 points last time out in Memphis, hitting 13-of-19 from the field, including 7-of-11 from downtown. He has at least 34 points in three of his past five outings and at least five three-pointers in four of his past five games.
In April, Edwards is averaging a robust 33.6 points per game, with 5.8 rebounds, four assists, 1.2 steals and five three-pointers made per game. The Nets are playing with a short bench, and the makeup of the team is NBA G League quality with several key members in street clothes. Edwards should go off.
Bam Adebayo (PF, C – MIA)
- DraftKings: $9,500
- FanDuel: $8,700
You’re going to need some frontcourt options, and Bam Adebayo is a tremendous value, especially on FanDuel.
Adebayo is facing a New Orleans Pelicans team with an opponent rank of 29, second-worst on the board. He is averaging a healthy 40.5 fantasy points per game, but he could easily exceed that against the Pelicans.
Adebayo had a big hiccup in Chicago last time out, scoring only 18 points with six rebounds and two three-pointers on a 6-for-15 shooting night. In four April games, he is averaging a healthy 24 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and one steal per game with 2.3 three-pointers made per outing.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
Coby White (SG, SF – CHI)
- DraftKings: $8,700
- FanDuel: $8,100
Like Bam Adebayo, Coby White struggled last time out against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, going for only 18 points on 5-of-14 shooting. He was 0-for-5 from downtown, going without a three-pointer for the first time since March 8th, ironically also against Miami, snapping a string of 14 straight games with at least one successful make from behind the arc.
However, before Wednesday, White had three straight games with at least 28 points. He is still averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 threes per game in four April outings. We like to pick on Washington, a team with an opponent rank of 30, so plan on adding White and a host of other Bulls to your lineup.
Nikola Vucevic (C – CHI)
- DraftKings: $8,500
- FanDuel: $8,000
You’ll also want a decent amount of exposure to Nikola Vucevic. Like teammates Josh Giddey and Coby White, this is an ultra-favorable matchup for the big man down low.
Vucevic has four consecutive double-doubles in April, averaging 22.3 points, 11 rebounds, 5.3 assists, one block and one steal per game, while hitting two threes per outing. The last time he faced Washington, January 10th, he posted 23 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, a block and four triples while hitting 9-of-12 from the field. Expect more of the same today.
Desmond Bane (SG – MEM)
- DraftKings: $8,300
- FanDuel: $8,200
Desmond Bane heads into this game on a heater, averaging 24.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.6 three-pointers in five April games. He has stepped up and seen added offensive responsibilities, and he is on a roll.
Bane has also gone a perfect 15-of-15 from the free-throw line recently, while having missed just one free-throw attempt in 13 games since March 15th. Bane is facing a Denver Nuggets defense with an opponent rank of 28.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
P.J. Washington (SF, PF – DAL)
- DraftKings: $7,000
- FanDuel: $6,500
P.J. Washington is a strong option against the Toronto Raptors, a team with an opponent rank of 23. Washington is averaging 32.2 fantasy points per game, as he continues to see a much larger role since the trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as injuries to other key personnel.
Washington has managed at least 12 points in eight of the past nine games, while going for at least five boards in four straight outings. He has hit 15 three-pointers in the past eight contests, too.
Jrue Holiday (PG, SG – BOS)
- DraftKings: $6,900
- FanDuel: $5,700
Jrue Holiday is a solid value against the defensively challenged Charlotte Hornets, especially at FanDuel. Holiday is good for just 25.7 fantasy points per game, which doesn’t look great on the surface.
There are other options in this price range with significantly more fantasy points per game numbers. However, the Hornets are 24th in opponent rank. Holiday averaged 13.5 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and three three-pointers in a back-to-back against Charlotte in early November. That is likely the kind of production you can expect here, if not a little more.
Christian Braun (SG, SF – DEN)
- DraftKings: $6,500
- FanDuel: $6,800
Christian Braun is on a heater in the past couple of games, stepping up with 27.5 points, six rebounds and three assists per game in his past two outings, with three three-pointers per game, too.
Braun has gone a very efficient 21-of-28 (75%) from the field in that span, too. The Nuggets recently switched streams at head coach and general manager. Braun appears to have had a fire lit under him.
NBA DFS Value Plays
Tidjane Salaun (PF – CHA)
- DraftKings: $4,800
- FanDuel: $4,300
The matchup isn’t particularly favorable for Tidjane Salaun against the Boston Celtics, but he is expected to make another start with Miles Bridges (hip) out. The 19-year-old is averaging a respectable 11 points and 7.5 rebounds in the past two games with four total three-pointers while averaging 30 minutes per outing.
Sam Hauser (SF, PF – BOS)
- DraftKings: $4,600
- FanDuel: $5,000
The 27-year-old former Virginia product Sam Hauser is likely to see a bump in run Friday against the Hornets with swingman Jaylen Brown (knee) sidelined. Hauser has shown some decent ability in the past three games, averaging 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds, and he has at least one successful three-pointer in 15 consecutive outings, including seven in the past three outings.
AJ Johnson (PG, SG – WAS)
- DraftKings: $4,900
- FanDuel: $5,000
AJ Johnson is expected to draw another start with Jordan Poole (elbow) sidelined. He is averaging a decent 11.4 points per game in five April outings, while chipping in with three assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 three-pointers per game while averaging 32 minutes per contest.
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