It’s Friday, April 18th. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a pair of play-in games on the schedule. The Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks battle at 7:00 p.m. on TNT/truTV/Max in the front end of the national doubleheader, while the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies tangle at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Here are our top NBA DFS lineup picks and advice for tonight’s 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
Tyler Herro (PG – MIA)
- DraftKings: $9,100
- FanDuel: $9,100
Jack Harlow’s favorite sharpshooter, Herro, faces a favorable matchup in Atlanta. The Hawks have the 24th OPRK, and Herro was good for 41.5 Fantasy Points Per Game (FPPG) during the regular season. It’s a matchup made in heaven, especially just two games to choose players from.
Herro was good for 24.8 points (PPG), 6.8 assists (APG) and 4.5 rebounds (RPG) per game, with 1.8 steals (SPG) and 3.0 3PT per game in four regular-season matchups with the Hawks. If he can replicate those kind of numbers, you’ll be in good shape.
Bam Adebayo (PF, C – MIA)
- DraftKings: $9,200
- FanDuel: $8,800
Adebayo will face a little more resistance in the paint from the Hawks, who are 10th in OPRK against the big men. He is coming off a nice performance in the win in Chicago, going for 16 points, 12 boards, three assists and two steals in 36 minutes in the first play-in victory.
Adebayo went for 15.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.6 SPG in four regular-season meetings with Atlanta, while hitting a robust 51.0% from the field.
Desmond Bane (SG – MEM)
- DraftKings: $8,000
- FanDuel: $8,400
On most nights, Bane would be a solid cash game target if the matchup was favorable. But, we have just a two-game slate, and he is one of the top DFS options on the board in Friday’s play-in tournament.
The 26-year-old former TCU standout went off at Golden State in Tuesday’s play-in contest loss, dropping 30 points on 11-of-21 from the field, while cashing in on five of his eight 3-pointer attempts. He added six rebounds, four assists, a blocked shot and a steal in 39 minutes, too.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
Jaren Jackson Jr. (PF, C – MEM)
- DraftKings: $7,700
- FanDuel: $7,700
Jackson should find little resistance in the middle as the Grizzlies welcome the Dallas Mavericks to town Friday night. The Mavs are 23rd in OPRK, and Triple J managed 37.8 FPPG in the regular season. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Jackson go for north of 40 fantasy points on Friday.
Jackson was good for 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal, while stroking four 3-pointers on nine attempts in his 39 minutes against the Warriors Tuesday.
Andrew Wiggins (SF, PF – MIA)
- DraftKings: $7,600
- FanDuel: $6,800
It’s a favorable matchup for Wiggins, as, again, the Hawks have an OPRK of 27th, and Wiggins managed 31.8 FPPG during the regular season.
Wiggins was good for 20 points in Tuesday’s 109-90 victory at Chicago in the 9 vs. 10 game. While he misfired on 12 of his 20 field-goal attempts, he still managed a good point total with decent counting stats, adding nine rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
PJ Washington (SF, PF – DAL)
- DraftKings: $7,000
- FanDuel: $6,600
Among the Mavericks players available, Washington is the best of the lot. He is a tremendous value at FanDuel, especially.
Wash was good for 17 points in the 120-106 win in Sacramento in the 9 vs. 10 game on Tuesday. While he misfired on 10 of his 15 field-goal attempts, he managed a solid 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, he hit a 3-pointer, and he grabbed nine rebounds with four assists, two steals and just two turnovers in his 37 minutes.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
Ja Morant (PG – MEM)
- DraftKings: $8,400
- FanDuel: $8,900
Morant is a high-risk, high-reward play for Friday. He suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter of Tuesday’s win in Sactown. While he was able to finish the game, hobbling through the fourth quarter en route to 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, he is considered a game-time decision.
It’s hard to envision a scenario where Morant doesn’t play, with the season on the line. While he has had some silly behavior recently, he is still an amazing talent on the court, and he has been on fire lately. In the final five regular-season games in April, he went for 30.2 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.2 RPG and 3.8 3PT per game. That’s a nice grenade to throw at your DFS opponent!
Just be ready to make a switch in the event his GTD turns into a DNP.
Zach Edey (C – MEM)
- DraftKings: $6,200
- FanDuel: $6,500
Did you ever think you’d see so many Grizzlies in one DFS column? The rookie out of Purdue should have plenty of unfettered access to the basket against a Mavericks team playing with house money. Nobody expected the Mavs to even get to this point after foolishly trading Luka Doncic, Quentin Grimes, etc., while losing Kyrie Irving for the season.
Edey was a beast against the Warriors on Tuesday, posting 14 points with 17 rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. He has 13 or more rebounds in six of his previous seven games since April 1.
Naji Marshall (PF, SF – DAL)
- DraftKings: $5,300
- FanDuel: $5,600
Marshall was one of a handful of younger players thrust into larger roles during the roster upheaval by the Mavs. He has popped at times, including a 23-point explosion against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 9, where he also added eight assists and a couple of 3-pointers. He is a boom-or-bust candidate who can lead you to a giant GPP win if he is on.
NBA DFS Value Plays
Santi Aldama (PF, C – MEM)
- DraftKings: $4,700
- FanDuel: $5,400
This is like finding gold in California in 1950. It’s a day late and a dollar short, but we’ll roll the dice on Aldama and hope he can replicate his results from Tuesday.
Aldama was good for 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with a 3-pointer, eight rebounds, a 3-of-3 night from the free-throw line and two assists with just one turnover in 27 minutes.
Zaccharie Risacher (SF, PF – ATL)
- DraftKings: $4,100
- FanDuel: $4,900
Risacher is an especially solid value on DraftKings against the Heat. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was a no-show against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, hitting just 2-of-10 from the field to end up with seven points and just three rebounds.
It isn’t long ago he dropped 38 points on the Brooklyn Nets, doing so on April 10. He did struggle against the Heat in the regular season, though, averaging just 6.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 2.3 APG in four matchups, so tread lightly. Still, at this price, there is just too much upside.
Duncan Robinson (SG, SF – MIA)
- DraftKings: $4,000
- FanDuel: $4,100
There is just something about this time of year that agrees with Duncan Robinson. He went for eight points with a pair of 3-pointers in Chicago, while adding two boards, an assist and a blocked shot. Sure, it’s a modest stat line, but he has shown in the past couple of weeks that he is capable of much more. He has 16 or more points in three of his past six games, and he banged in six triples in a game in New Orleans as recently as April 11.
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