Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 4/11:

Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides last season, so we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Michael aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!

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Early Slate:

Atlanta Hawks @ Charlotte Hornets

Vegas Total: 220.5

Vegas Spread: Atl -3.0

We’ll kick this slate off with the Hawks, Trae Young comes into this one as questionable but is coming off a 64 point fantasy game in which he shot just 1-6 from three-point range… and still put up 42 real points. If he plays you can go right back to him at this price tag. Clint Capela returned last game against the Bulls and played 37 minutes, clearly, he’s not on any sort of restriction and should be able to dominate the paint against this Hornets defense. Bogdan Bogdanovic had a dud last game going for just 19 DraftKings points, I think I would want Danilo Gallinari out again for me to go to Bogdan at that price tag. Lastly, guys like Kevin Huerter and Lou Williams are fine GPP options but nobody I’m prioritizing. From the Hornets, Terry Rozier hasn’t been all that great over his last couple of games. With Malik Monk, LaMelo Ball, and Gordon Hayward all off the court there is going to be some extra usage and opportunity to go around for the rest of these starters, so I don’t hate going back to him at hopefully lower ownership due to the game logs. Devonte’ Graham has two straight games with at least 32 DraftKings points and looks like a solid option here. PJ Washington has looked good over his last two games as well, and the price tag has fallen to a really nice place where he’s playable in all formats. Lastly, Miles Bridges and Jalen McDaniels looked great last game, they should continue to see huge minutes and the price tags, particularly on McDaniels, are awesome.

5-star play: Trae Young, Jalen McDaniels

4-star play: Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, PJ Washington, Terry Rozier, Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges

Deeper Value: Jalen McDaniels

GPP Sleeper: Kevin Huerter, Lou Williams, Bogdan Bogdanovic

Boston Celtics @ Denver Nuggets

Vegas Total: 221.5

Vegas Spread: Den -7.0

Starting with the Celtics, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both come into this game as questionable, so we will need news on these two guys before we can go much deeper into this team. I’m going to operate under the assumption that they’re playing for the sake of this article, but keep an eye on that Breaking News Feed for updates. Tatum is coming off his best game of the season where he put up 75.5 DraftKings points, it’s a much tougher matchup here but it’s tough not to like the price tag. Brown took a back seat in that game but was still able to get over the 40 point mark, you can beat this Nuggets team with opposing power forwards. The Nuggets did upgrade their defense a bit by acquiring Aaron Gordon, but Michael Porter Jr. is a turnstile on defense. Kemba Walker looked good in that game as well going for 42.75 DraftKings points, I would like him much more if one of those wings were to sit. Robert Williams has been pretty average as of late. The one thing that hurts him a bit is Tristan Thompson being back, so he’s more of a GPP guy than a hybrid play. Lastly, Marcus Smart is a solid last piece for all formats at this price tag, he has at least 40 DraftKings points in two straight games. From the Nuggets, scored 64 DraftKings points in this matchup earlier in the season, and attacking the Celtics down low generally turns out to work pretty well, he’s the top spend-up option on the early slate. Jamal Murray is questionable yet again here after being out for the past week, keep an eye on his status/minutes restriction. Michael Porter Jr. continues to be a very consistent option, ever since the all-star break you can basically pencil him in for 30+ DraftKings points. Aaron Gordon came down to Earth yesterday, he’s going to be volatile due to the other pieces around him, so more of a GPP guy. Lastly, Will Barton is in that same GPP boat, no issue with getting to him here.

5-star play: Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic

4-star play: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker, Michael Porter Jr.

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Robert Williams, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Will Barton

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Main Slate:

New Orleans Pelicans @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Vegas Total: 228.0

Vegas Spread: Nop -6.5

Starting with the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram returned to play 35 minutes last time out, so it doesn’t appear he’ll be limited going forward. Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker will continue to be out here, however. Let’s run some data with these three guys off the court this season:

• Zion Williamson – 34.6% usage rate; 1.73 fpm
• Brandon Ingram – 24.7% usage rate; 0.88 fpm
• Eric Bledsoe – 21.1% usage rate; 0.89 fpm

It’s pretty clear that Zion is going to be the guy you want here, he should run this offense and is coming off a 68.25 DraftKings point night last time out against the Sixers. Eric Bledsoe is a fine GPP option, but I don’t think we’ll need to get to him on this slate. One guy I would have some interest in GPPs would be Kira Lewis Jr. at $4.2k on DraftKings, they’ll need him to soak up some of those backcourt minutes, and has been over a point per minute with these three off the court this season. From the Cavs, it appears Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr. will be out again here leaving minutes for Kevin Love, Isaiah Hartenstein, Taurean Prince, and Dean Wade. Wade and Love should continue to start and make for solid options here while the other two are more tournament guys than anything. I do wish Love’s minutes were a bit more secure, they’ve been all over the place lately, but still has nice upside. I do like Darius Garland and Collin Sexton as well, this Pelicans defense has struggled big-time this season, so they should take advantage.

5-star play: Zion Williamson

4-star play: Brandon Ingram, Darius Garland, Collin Sexton

Deeper Value: Kira Lewis Jr.

GPP Sleeper: Eric Bledsoe, Kevin Love, Isaiah Hartenstein, Taurean Prince, Dean Wade

Milwaukee Bucks @ Orlando Magic

Vegas Total: 224.5

Vegas Spread: Mil -8.5

Starting with the Bucks, it sounds like the starters should be back for this one after being held out last game, the one man they’ll be missing is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Let’s run some data with Giannis off the court this season:

• Bobby Portis – 22.2% usage rate; 1.13 fpm
• Jrue Holiday – 27.9% usage rate; 1.31 fpm
• Khris Middleton – 31.8% usage rate; 1.29 fpm
• Donte DiVincenzo – 19.2% usage rate; 1.03 fpm

These would be the four guys I have the most interest in here, they’re priced up, but the opportunity will be there for them in a matchup against a terrible Magic defense. From the Magic, Michael Carter-Williams and Cole Anthony have both returned to action and look pretty solid. I’ll want the minutes on Anthony to get up to that 30 range before I go too crazy on him, however. Terrence Ross has seen his price come down to a more playable range, he’s scoring dependent which makes him hard to trust for cash games, but I’m good with him for GPPs. Wendell Carter Jr. has come down to Earth over his past two games, his price has come down as well, but he’s more of a GPP guy due to his volatility. Chuma Okeke comes into this one as questionable so you’ll want to keep an eye on his availability, if he does play he’s a fine secondary tournament option. Then you can round this team out with wing GPP guys like James Ennis and Dwayne Bacon, but not a whole lot of interest there. I would rather save some money and go down to RJ Hampton who has some upside against a Milwaukee team that will hand you three-pointers in bunches.

5-star play: Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis

4-star play: Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Ross, Wendell Carter Jr.

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Brook Lopez, Michael Carter-Williams, Wendell Carter Jr., Chuma Okeke, RJ Hampton, Mo Bamba

San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks

Vegas Total: 220.5

Vegas Spread: Dal -6.0

Starting with the Spurs, Dejounte Murray has at least 32 DraftKings points in eight straight games showing some consistency as of late, the Mavericks aren’t exactly a defense I’m all that worried about so he’s a solid option here. DeMar DeRozan finally bounced back last game going for 47.75 DraftKings points, he’s another guy I’m good with getting to here in a solid matchup. Jakob Poeltl bounced back as well in a tough matchup with Jokic, this is a much better matchup for him, but one he’s struggled in this season, so we’ll call him a GPP guy for now. Derrick White is a fine option but I think we can do better in this price range. Lastly, we know the floor and ceiling that Keldon Johnson brings to the table, but he’s not a guy I would touch in a cash game. From the Mavericks, Luka Doncic hasn’t been all that great lately in relation to his price tag. He’s been held under 55 DraftKings points in eight of his last ten games but isn’t priced as so. That said, he is averaging 61.9 DraftKings points per game in two games against the Spurs this season, he’s a great raw option as always, but his recent performance raises an eyebrow. Kristaps Porzingis has looked good in this matchup as well and is coming off a 55 point fantasy game last time out. Other than Kristaps and Luka I never really get too much from the Mavs, but you can make a case for Tim Hardaway, Josh Richardson, and Jalen Brunson as deep GPP guys.

5-star play: Luka Doncic

4-star play: Dejounte Murray, DeMar DeRozan, Kristaps Porzingis

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Jakob Poeltl, Derrick White, Tim Hardaway, Josh Richardson, Jalen Brunson

Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks

Vegas Total: 216.0

Vegas Spread: Nyk -3.0

Is it just me or does it feel like the Raptors are on every slate lately? We’ll start with them, it sounds like Kyle Lowry is going to return to action here while Fred VanVleet is still questionable. Lowry has been out for close to two weeks so I would expect he has some sort of minutes limit in this one, I’ll likely go elsewhere. Lowry being back will take the shine off Malachi Flynn at his price tag, while I think you can still get to some DeAndre’ Bembry at sub-$4k on DraftKings. Pascal Siakam missed the last game but has at least 42 DraftKings points in three of his last four games, the price is getting pretty substantial on him, however. The same can be said for OG Anunoby who is now $7k on DraftKings, I don’t think the spot is good enough for me to pay that price tag on a nice-sized slate. Gary Trent Jr. went bananas last night going for 63.75 DraftKings points, let other people chase those points… he’s not going to shoot 17-19 from the field again. Lastly, I’m fine with going right back to Chris Boucher, he should continue to start but the price is getting up there on him as well. From the Knicks, Julius Randle has at least 49 DraftKings points in three straight games and the Raptors have struggled with opposing power forwards on the season. RJ Barrett has looked good over his past two games as well, I don’t love the price tag on him, but he’s solid for GPPs. Alec Burks has lost his minutes with most of these guys coming back from injury, his price did come down, but I just don’t see the upside on him. Reggie Bullock has been held under 15 DraftKings points in two straight games and his minutes are all over the place, he’s a no-go for me here as well. Derrick Rose and Elfrid Payton continue to split this backcourt pretty evenly, if it were a smaller slate I would have interest, but again, I think we can do better.

5-star play: None

4-star play: Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher, DeAndre Bembry, Julius Randle

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Kyle Lowry, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., RJ Barrett, Derrick Rose

Indiana Pacers @ Memphis Grizzlies

Vegas Total: 232.5

Vegas Spread: Mem -3.0

Starting with the Pacers, the only injury to note for them is Myles Turner, who will be out for this one. Domantas Sabonis put up 60.75 DraftKings points in this spot earlier this season and coming off a solid game last time out. He does see a slight boost with Turner off the court as well, he’ll likely start at the five and is a great option here. I don’t love the price tag on Caris LeVert, more of a GPP guy, he just never gets there for me especially as this team begins to get healthy. Malcolm Brogdon looked below average last game but was still able to get 28 minutes after being out for nearly 10 days, I don’t see a reason to get too much else from this team outside of Sabonis. From the Grizzlies, Ja Morant has looked pretty good over his past two games and I do like the price tag here, he’s a great option for GPPs due to the ceiling he’ll bring. Jonas Valanciunas has at least 42 DraftKings points in two straight games and is similar to Morant in that we know the upside he brings to the table. Dillon Brooks has at least 37 DraftKings points in two of his last three games and should continue to see a few extra minutes with De’Anthony Melton out and Brandon Clarke coming in as questionable. The same can be said for Kyle Andreson, he has at least 30 DraftKings points in seven of his last eight games.

5-star play: Domantas Sabonis, Ja Morant

4-star play: Jonas Valanciunas, Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Caris LeVert

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Chicago Bulls @ Minnesota Timberwolves

Vegas Total: 231.0

Vegas Spread: Chi -4.0

Starting with the Bulls, Zach LaVine was cookin’ out there last game, he went for 69.5 DraftKings points and gets another great matchup here. The price has come up, but for good reason. Nikola Vucevic looked solid last time out as well and the Wolves are one of the worst teams in the league against opposing big men. The one thing I would try to avoid here would be pairing these two guys together, however. Thad Young had a down game last time out, but he’s been really solid as of late and as mentioned, the Wolves are not so great on defense. Lastly, I do like the price discounts we’re getting on Lauri Markkanen and Coby White, they bring nice upsides to the table and will play solid minutes for this Bulls team. From the Timberwolves,  D’Angelo Russell looked good last time out going for 43.5 DraftKings points. I can never get the guy right, but the price seems fair in a solid matchup. Karl-Anthony Towns continues to crush, you can beat the Bulls in the frontcourt as well. He has at least 52 DraftKings points in nine straight games, it’s tough not to like him here. Anthony Edwards should continue to see big minutes and a ton of shot attempts even with Russell, but they just may not be AS big, he’s a solid GPP option but that price is getting to the point where I’m less on him. Lastly, Ricky Rubio is just kind of meh for me, on a big slate like this one we can find better options.

5-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns

4-star play: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, D’Angelo Russell

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Thad Young, Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, Anthony Edwards, Ricky Rubio

Detroit Pistons @ Los Angeles Clippers

Vegas Total: 216.0

Vegas Spread: Lac -12.0

Starting with the Pistons, the only injury news we have for them is Jerami Grant coming in as questionable, so keep an eye on his status. Mason Plumlee returned last night to play just 18 minutes… which you’ll see a trend in low minutes for a lot of these Pistons guys. Josh Jackson looked solid in 30 minutes of action going for 29.75 DraftKings points, he’s more of a GPP guy, however. Saddiq Bey looked solid as well and his minutes are trending in the right direction, these will be the two guys I’ll have interest in if Grant ends up missing. The last guy that should see big minutes is Cory Joseph, he’s been getting good run lately and a guy they seem like they want to get a good look at. The rest of this team is more of a stay away than anything really, they went 13 guys deep yesterday which is just going to be tough to secure minutes and fantasy production when guys aren’t getting solid minutes. From the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard will be out here, so let’s run some data with him, Lou Williams, Beverley, and Ibaka off the court this season:

• Paul George – 36.3% usage rate; 1.62 fpm
• Terance Mann – 19.0% usage rate; 0.90 fpm
• Luke Kennard – 22.8% usage rate; 1.05 fpm
• Reggie Jackson – 22.7% usage rate; 0.92 fpm
• Marcus Morris – 25.9% usage rate; 1.16 fpm

Paul George is the clear guy you’ll want here, but I will say… I never trust these damn Clippers on Sundays. They’re clearly gearing up for the playoffs, so they do some frustrating things with their rotation guys.

5-star play: Paul George

4-star play: Josh Jackson, Saddiq Bey, Terance Mann, Reggie Jackson, Ivica Zubac

Deeper Value: Cory Joseph

GPP Sleeper: Josh Jackson, Mason Plumlee, Luke Kennard, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris

Miami Heat @ Portland Trailblazers

Vegas Total: 222.0

Vegas Spread: Mia -1.0

Starting with the Heat, they’ll be without Victor Oladipo here while Tyler Herro is questionable. Jimmy Butler has at least 43 DraftKings points in four straight games and gets a great matchup with the Blazers here. I like him quite a bit in this spot especially if Herro ends up sitting. Bam Adebayo gets a solid matchup as well, although it does sound like Jusuf Nurkic will play tonight, he’s always a tough defender down low. Lastly, you can get to guys like Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn if Herro ends up sitting, otherwise, it’s probably just Dragic for GPPs for me while Duncan Robinson is always a GPP guy due to how scoring dependent he is. From the Blazers, Enes Kanter went absolutely nuclear last night grabbing 30 rebounds… 30. However, he likely isn’t in play here with Jusuf Nurkic active, he’ll cut into his minutes enough to kill his value. Damian Lillard is a fine option, I just don’t love the price tag in this matchup. He scored 41 DraftKings points in this matchup earlier this season. CJ McCollum scored 51.25 in that game and is a solid option for tournaments and a secondary guy for cash games. Lastly, Norman Powell and Robert Covington are fine filler pieces but not anyone I’m prioritizing.

5-star play: Jimmy Butler

4-star play: Bam Adebayo, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Goran Dragic, Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Norman Powell, Robert Covington

NBA Lock of the Day: Zion Williamson (DK – $9.4k; FD – $9.7k)

I touched on Zion in that Pelicans breakdown, but he’s a guy I’m going to like a lot tonight against the Cavs. With Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker off the court this season he has a 34.6% usage rate and 1.73 fantasy points per minute. The Research Station currently has him projected for 53.42 DraftKings points which would put him at 5.68x his DraftKings price tag. At this moment I would imagine he makes my Core on our Cheat Sheets/Coaches Notes for tonight, come check out the other core plays as well! These notes include Core plays, player ranks, and tiers notes, so come check them out! Tweet me (@MadnessDFS) your lock predictions and if your player gets over 5x tonight I’ll give you a shoutout on Twitter, let’s have some fun with this!

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