Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 4/19:

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!

I want to give a quick shoutout to VIP Member “TheSoprano12” on their $100,000 win earlier this season!! Better go buy a Boban jersey after that one!

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons

Vegas Total: 213.0

Vegas Spread: Cle -2.5

We’ll kick the slate off with the Cavaliers,  it looks like they’re finally healthy for once. Jarrett Allen has been fine since returning from injury but just feels a bit overpriced in relation to his production here. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are the same price on both sites tonight, but I think they’re both in play yet again. They’ve both been pretty solid and we know they have some upside to them, we just Garland drop near 50 last time out in 40 minutes of play. Larry Nance will be out here, so it’s a bit of a boost to those other guys like Kevin Love, Taurean Prince, and Dean Wade. My favorite of that group would pretty easily be Kevin Love who got his minutes into the 30 range again last time out. From the Pistons, it looks like we’ll get the skeleton crew again tonight with Jerami Grant, Cory Joseph, Wayne Ellington, and Mason Plumlee all ruled out. We were all big on Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes when this happened last time it and seemed to work pretty well, so we can go right back to the well on them here. Stewart is still PF on FanDuel, so that’s really nice that you don’t need to burn your center spot. The other two guys I would have interest in here are Josh Jackson and Saddiq Bey, they looked good as well last time out.

5-star play: Isaiah Stewart, Killian Hayes

4-star play: Jarrett Allen, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Josh Jackson, Saddiq Bey

Deeper Value: Frank Jackson

GPP Sleeper: Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Love, Taurean Prince

Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics

Vegas Total: 221.0

Vegas Spread: Bos -5.5

Starting with the Bulls, Zach LaVine will continue to be out for them, so we can run some data with him off the court this season:

• Coby White – 25.4% usage rate; 0.93 fpm
• Nikola Vucevic – 27.7% usage rate; 1.54 fpm
• Lauri Markkanen – 21.3% usage rate; 0.87 fpm
• Patrick Williams – 18.0% usage rate; 0.78 fpm

These would be my favorite options on the Bulls, but you can make a case for guys like Daniel Theis, Thad Young, and Denzel Valentine for GPPs. We get a revenge game for Theis as well, I just wish DraftKings would make him a PF like FanDuel does so we don’t have to use a center spot on him. I do like the price on Thad Young much better on FanDuel at $4.6k. Vucevic looks like a top option at center on FanDuel as well, he and Coby White had a big game last night with LaVine out and should continue to do so here. From the Celtics, Robert Williams will be out again here which gives us a value center with some upside on both sites in Tristan Thompson. He played at least 25 minutes in back-to-back games now, but the price has come up on him. Jayson Tatum bounced back nicely last time out against the Warriors putting up 68 DraftKings points. Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker come into this one as questionable, so if one or both of them need to miss here, he stands to benefit. You can say the same thing for Marcus Smart, if both Walker and Brown play I don’t think I’ll have much interest in this team as a whole, so keep an eye on that Breaking News Feed for updates.

5-star play: Nikola Vucevic

4-star play: Coby White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Tristan Thompson

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Lauri Markkanen, Thad Young, Daniel Theis, Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker

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Golden State Warriors @ Philadelphia 76ers

Vegas Total: 225.5

Vegas Spread: Phi -8.5

Starting with the Warriors, both Steph Curry and Kelly Oubre will come into this one as questionable, so keep an eye on our Breaking News Feed for updates surrounding him. I’m going to operate under the assumption that Curry plays while Oubre sits. If that’s the case, I’m going to continue to go back to Curry here even in a tough matchup. He has at least 63 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and has a 36.1% usage rate to go along with 1.71 fantasy points per minute with Oubre off the court this season. Draymond Green is a solid option on both sites, you’ll have a good chance at the double-double/triple-double bonus on DraftKings while he gets a boost on those blocks and steals on FanDuel. I can never get Andrew Wiggins right, but he’s in play for tournaments at the very least. Outside of those guys there isn’t a whole lot to love, Kent Bazemore came down last game and it looks like Jordan Poole has started to steal some of his production, but if Oubre is back we can just ignore both of them. Lastly, Kevon Looney saw 27 minutes last game if you’re looking for a value option but not a guy I would go to on FanDuel since he’s a center over there. From the Sixers, we’ll need some injury news here as well as Tobias Harris comes into this one as questionable. That being said, it’s really just Joel Embiid from this team for me. You can beat the Warriors pretty easily down low especially with the size of Embiid, he’s a great spend-up option on both sites. Outside of him, I guess you can get to Ben Simmons on FanDuel, but the price on DraftKings just isn’t there for me yet. He’s looked a little better over his past two games, but it’s still hard for me to trust him in this one.

5-star play: Steph Curry, Joel Embiid

4-star play: Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Ben Simmons

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Washington Wizards

Vegas Total: 229.5

Vegas Spread: Was -10.5

When Washington is favored by double-digits, that should tell you everything you need to know here. Starting with the Thunder, Lu Dort has looked great over his past few games. He has at least 38.8 FanDuel points in three straight games and gives you a SF option that can look pretty ugly on this slate. The price tag is much better for him on FanDuel as well, but he’s a nice play on both sites considering the matchup. Moses Brown has been all over the place lately, he’s more of a GPP guy, but the Wizards have struggled with big men this season so I get it if you want to chase his ceiling. Darius Bazley is in a similar boat, his floor is incredibly low but we’ve seen flashes of him producing nicely this season. Lastly, Theo Maledon would really be the only other piece I would have any interest in here, he should continue to play nice minutes while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander works his way back. From the Wizards, it’s pretty easy, it’s Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, and that’s about it. Westbrook has at least 62 FanDuel points in three of his last four games, he’s one of the top raw options on the slate on both sites due to the consistent upside and floor he’s bringing to the table. The minutes on Beal have come up, he has at least 35 in four straight and a guy you can go back to here as well. Outside of them there really isn’t much I love here. There is one sleeper though, Daniel Gafford has at least 25 DraftKings points in two straight, he’s in play on both sites due to being a PF on FanDuel.

5-star play: Russell Westbrook

4-star play: Bradley Beal, Lu Dort, Daniel Gafford

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Moses Brown, Darius Bazley, Theo Maledon, Daniel Gafford

Houston Rockets @ Miami Heat

Vegas Total: 216.5

Vegas Spread: Mia -9.5

Starting with the Rockets, it sounds like John Wall will be back in for this one, killing some of that production we went to yesterday with Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr., but the matchup kills a lot of that as well. You can get to these guys as GPP targets but the Heat play really slow and they play pretty tough defense, so if you want to get to these guys you can, guys like Wood, Porter Jr., and John Wall all have nice upside but I’m just going to throw caution to the wind. We do also get a revenge game for Kelly Olynyk here if you want to take advantage of that, but center only on both sites makes that pretty difficult considering the price tag. From the Heat, Jimmy Butler ended up missing yesterday’s game and comes into this one as questionable with a sprained right knee, so we’ll want to keep an eye on him as we get closer to lock. Bam Adebayo is a guy that I’ll want to get some exposure to should Butler miss, this is an elite matchup for him as well, the Rockets interior is pretty dreadful on defense. Tyler Herro is in pretty bad form so I think we can go without him, maybe a GPP flyer if you’re looking to get more exposure here. I’d rather save the money and get to Goran Dragic but that can all change should Butler end up getting ruled out. Dragic had a nice game yesterday against the Nets. Then as always, Duncan Robinson rounds this team out as a GPP option in hopes he can get hot from three-point range.

5-star play: Bam Adebayo

4-star play: Jimmy Butler

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: John Wall, Kevin Porter Jr., Christian Wood, Kelly Olynyk, Goran Dragic, Duncan Robinson

San Antonio Spurs @ Indiana Pacers

Vegas Total: 232.0

Vegas Spread: Sas -1.0

Starting with the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan rested last game but played great the last time he played and gets a good matchup here. People don’t realize how fast and loose the Pacers have been playing as of late, hence the 230+ total here. The same can be said for Dejounte Murray, he’s shown a nice floor/ceiling combo this season and is a guy I’ll have some interest in here as well. Derrick White is a fine mid-range option on both sites if you need him, but he’s more of a filler piece. I do like getting to some Jakob Poeltl even on FanDuel if you’re looking to save a little off of the top guys, Poeltl scored 45.25 DraftKings points in this spot earlier this season. Then, as always, Keldon Johnson is your GPP special. His floor is extremely low, but we’ve seen him pop off for a 50 burger a few times and I would actually consider him in cash games over on FanDuel at a dirt-cheap price tag. From the Pacers, Myles Turner returned last game to play 34 minutes, so it’s pretty clear he won’t be in any sort of minutes restriction going forward. He looked fine in that game, but nothing that I’m prioritizing here, Poeltl is a surprisingly good defender. Domantas Sabonis will likely lose a little production with Turner now back, but we’ve seen him do it with Turner in there all season so I wouldn’t pay a whole lot of attention to it. Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon continue to produce well, I would consider Brogdon your cash game guy while LeVert is more of a tournament-style player. Lastly, TJ McConnell has been fine, but I like his price better on DraftKings, that being said, he’s a more valuable FanDuel player due to all the steals and blocks he racks up.

5-star play: DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis

4-star play: Dejounte Murray, Jakob Poeltl, Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Keldon Johnson (FanDuel)

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Keldon Johnson, Myles Turner, TJ McConnell

Phoenix Suns @ Milwaukee Bucks

Vegas Total: 233.5

Vegas Spread: Mil -3.0

Starting with the Suns, Devin Booker and Chris Paul kind of grade out similarly but I do like targeting guards against the Bucks, especially scoring guards like these two. They both had a big game in this matchup earlier this season so I think you can get to them in GPPs at the very least. DeAndre Ayton is a fine option, but he struggled in this matchup last time out, and the Bucks have been pretty good against opposing big men, especially big men that can’t shoot the three-ball, which is Ayton. Then you can round this team out at the wings with Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder as filler pieces… that being said, Crowder is a certified Buck killer. From the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo bounced back a bit last time out, but the minutes are still down a bit. This feels like a game the Bucks should get up for, so I like taking a shot on him here, he scored 70 fantasy points in this matchup earlier this season. I still think the prices on Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Bobby Portis are just a bit too high with Giannis back. You can make a case for the guards in tournaments but the matchup isn’t the greatest on a big slate, so I’ll likely go elsewhere. I do think you can make a strong case for Brooke Lopez. I mentioned it with Ayton, but he’s not a guy that will drag Lopez too far out of the paint, so he should hang in nicely here at this price tag.

5-star play: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chris Paul, Devin Booker

4-star play: DeAndre Ayton, Brook Lopez

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Donte DiVincenzo, Brook Lopez

Memphis Grizzlies @ Denver Nuggets

Vegas Total: 226.0

Vegas Spread: Den -7.0

Starting with the Grizzlies, Ja Morant has been struggling a bit lately, but we know that upside is somewhere in there, the price tag is nice considering the upside but the matchup kind of sucks. Jonas Valanciunas has been ruled out here, so let’s run some numbers with him off the court this season:

• Xavier Tillman – 14.9% usage rate; 0.91 fpm
• Brandon Clarke – 19.6% usage rate; 0.99 fpm
• Ja Morant – 30.0% usage rate; 1.18 fpm

As a whole, we’re going to need more news from this team as guys like Brandon Clarke, De’Anthony Melton, and Dillon Brooks all come in as questionable here, but this seems like a spot where we’ll get some value. From the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic should do whatever he wants here with Valanciunas out, he’s an elite center option on both sites if you can find the salary. Michael Porter Jr. continues to put up good numbers and makes sense in all formats especially on FanDuel where SF is ugly. Monte Morris will be out here as well as Jamal Murray who is done for the season, so we should see a healthy amount of Facundo Campazzo and PJ Dozier in this one. Then you can round this team out with tournament options in Aaron Gordon and Will Barton.

*** Going to leave the Grizzlies off the below as we wait for news, keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates on who is impacted by these injuries ***

5-star play: Nikola Jokic

4-star play: Michael Porter Jr., Facundo Campazzo

Deeper Value: PJ Dozier

GPP Sleeper: Aaron Gordon, Will Barton

Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers

Vegas Total: 214.0

Vegas Spread: Utah -6.5

Starting with the Jazz, they’ll be without Donovan Mitchell again here, so we can run some numbers with him off the court:

• Jordan Clarkson – 31.5% usage rate; 1.19 fpm
• Rudy Gobert – 18.8% usage rate; 1.36 fpm
• Mike Conley – 23.6% usage rate; 1.13 fpm
• Joe Ingles – 16.3% usage rate; 0.94 fpm

These would be the four main guys I have an interest in, you can throw Bojan Bogdanovic in there as well but he’s more of a DraftKings guy due to the three-point bonus. On FanDuel I like pivoting to Royce O’Neale to take advantage of the three-point block/steal scoring. From the Lakers, Andre Drummond seems to get hurt every time he’s out there, but he played 30 minutes last time out but will have a tougher matchup here as Rudy Gobert returns. I think he makes sense for tournaments, but that’s about as far as I’ll go with him. Dennis Schroder dropped 50 fantasy points in this one last time out as well, but again, they were playing the C team of the Jazz who should be back up and healthy, for the most part. You can round this team out with GPP guys like Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell, I don’t know that I’ll have a whole lot of interest in getting a ton of exposure to this one.

5-star play: Jordan Clarkson

4-star play: Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Rudy Gobert, Dennis Schroder

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale, Andre Drummond, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell

NBA Lock of the Day: Xavier Tillman (DK – $3.4k; FD – $3.5k)

We’re waiting on a bunch of news from the Grizzlies still, but one thing we do know is Jonas Valanciunas will be out here which will lead Tillman to additional minutes and opportunity. With Valanciunas off the court this season Tillman is at about 0.91 fantasy points per minute which is more than enough to pay off this salary. The nice thing about him on FanDuel is he’s PF eligible so he’s not taking up a center spot. The Domination Station currently has him projected to be one of the better point-per-dollar plays on both sites and is a guy I’ll get plenty of exposure to in this one. At this moment I would imagine they make 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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