NBA Playoffs DFS Lineup Picks & Advice: Monday (4/21)

Well, we finally made it. The NBA playoffs are here. After some NBA Play-In Tournament fiascos, we have the first round going strong. If you’re going to play NBA DFS, you must keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That will be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and make money.

We have a simple two-game slate tonight, so you will have to get creative with your GPP lineups. In the end, it’s about making the right choices and picking your spots, which is why I’m here. Let’s break down the top plays for this 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

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN)

DraftKings: $11,500
FanDuel: $12,500

While this may be true for most slates, there’s no one with the ceiling of Nikola Jokic tonight. After an exciting first game where Jokic managed 67 fantasy points, it’s clear to see why he’s such a necessity in your lineups, cash or otherwise.

Maybe some extremely deep GPPs, bu,t otherwise, Jokic is a near lock. I don’t feel like I have to explain, but he’s averaging 68 fantasy points, and he’s gone over 60 in four of his last five games with an 89-point effort in the mix. That is why he’s needed, and I don’t feel I need much convincing.

James Harden (PG – LAC)

DraftKings: $9,500
FanDuel: $9,700

I haven’t been big on James Harden all year, but in four straight games, he’s managed 60+ fantasy points and 51+ in six straight. Denver is a pace-up spot in for Los Angeles, and Harden’s 30% usage rate is promising.

Harden will see the floor for 40 minutes, as he has in high-leverage games. The Denver-Los Angeles game will be the highest rostered option. I’m going with the two best options from the contest.

NBA DFS Cash Game Targets

Jalen Brunson (PG – NYK)

DraftKings: $8,300
FanDuel: $8,800

It helps that the Knicks play slowly, but they experience quite the pace-up spot against Detroit tonight. In Game 1 of the series, the Villanova product managed nearly 50 DraftKings points and he is still priced down for today’s slate.

Jalen Brunson doesn’t break the bank for your cash lineups and still offers a similar ceiling to the other popular guards. Brunson’s usage was at 34% to open the series, playing over 40 minutes. He might not score 34 points, but I project him for around 44 fantasy points and a fine return on investment for your DFS lineups.

Norman Powell (SG, SF – LAC)

DraftKings: $5,500
FanDuel: $6,700

Norman Powell lines up to be highly rostered tonight with his dual position eligibility and playing nearly 40 minutes a game in his last four matches. He’s averaged 32 fantasy points a night this season and is a much friendlier option on DraftKings with the price difference.

Powell is projected for around 30 fantasy points, and his salary continues to drop, so I’m happy to buy low on Powell in today’s two-game slate.

NBA DFS GPP Targets

Cade Cunningham (PG – DET)

DraftKings: $9,100
FanDuel: $10,300

It feels like Cade Cunningham has perpetually lived in GPP Land, and I feel that will be the case tonight, as his rostership percentage isn’t as high as I expected. After dropping Game 1, Cunningham and Co. hope to bounce back against a Knicks team ranked fifth-slowest in pace of play in the league.

Possession rate alone will be limited, and New York’s defense is a respectable 11th in the second half of the season. The Pistons guard managed 45 fantasy points in the series debut, but to end the season, Cunningham scored 66 DraftKings points. He’s capable of a ceiling output as Detroit needs a win tonight and is a full $1,200 cheaper on DraftKings.

Jalen Duren (C – DET)

DraftKings: $6,100
FanDuel: $7,000

A lot of the rostership will go to Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns in the center spot for obvious reasons, but don’t be afraid to fit Jalen Duren in your lineups if you can. He’s managed over 40 DraftKings points in two of his last four games, and one was against New York a few weeks ago.

I was between Duren and Ivica Zubac here as neither is expected to get too much respective rostership for such a small slate, but either makes a fine option for their minutes and lower price tag on the slate.

NBA DFS Value Plays

Christian Braun (SG, SF – DEN)

DraftKings: $5,100
FanDuel: $6,200

It’s harder to find pure value plays, but $5,100 is a fine baseline to say Christian Braun is a value play who might be your best shot at hitting 6X return tonight. Not only does he get guard-forward eligibility status that will help with roster construction flexibility, but he also played 45 minutes to open the series.

Yes, it went to overtime, but he still saw the floor plenty, as he will again tonight against the Clippers. Braun has averaged nearly 30 DraftKings points a night this year and gets a bump at home. He’s going to be highly rostered in the two-game slate, but I’m eating the chalk coming his way.

Kris Dunn (PG, SG – LAC)

DraftKings: $3,800
FanDuel: $4,700

This is a bit more of a risky value option with his low usage, but Kris Dunn still sees high minutes. In his last pair of games, he’s managed over 20 DraftKings points and has gone over 30 and even 40 a handful of times.

That may be a bit out of reach tonight, but he still should see around 30 minutes against the 23rd-ranked defense over their final 25 games of the season. It will continue to be a pace-up spot for Los Angeles, lining up to make Dunn a great value play.