DFS NBA Full Court Press: FanDuel & DraftKings Main Slate - Apr. 5th, 2022

Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 04/5:

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 Mike 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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Philadelphia 76ers @ Indiana Pacers

Vegas Total: NA

Vegas Spread: Phi -12.0

We’ll kick this massive slate off starting with the Sixers, Joel Embiid will look to fight back into the MVP race a bit as it seems like he took a fall behind Jokic and Giannis over the weekend. That being said, he should be able to do whatever he wants against this Pacers team that is in full tank mode. The same can be said for James Harden who has been a bit more volatile with the Sixers than we originally thought. I still think he’s a great option against this Pacers team that hasn’t stopped anyone as of late. Tobias Harris has actually been in fairly good form as of late, but both he and Tyrese Maxey would be more of secondary GPP options than anything on this slate. From the Pacers, Malcolm Brogdon comes into this one as questionable but it’s pretty clear the team isn’t going to rush him back, so I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s out again here. Tyrese Haliburton has been really good with Brogdon off of the court as of late. Over the past two weeks, he has a 19.2% usage rate and 1.32 fantasy points per minute with Brogdon off of the court and will be a guy I have no issue going right back to here. The minutes have come back up for Buddy Hield as of late but I just feel like he’s priced right where he should be here. Then we get to this frontcourt where Oshae Brissett has been very consistent as of late with at least 31 DraftKings points in three straight. I have no issue going right back to him in this spot as they’ll need the size on him against Embiid down low. Goga Bitadze and Jalen Smith would be more of GPP options than anything, but I don’t think we’ll need either of them on a big slate this late in the season especially with Isaiah Jackson back in there to soak up some minutes.

5-star play: Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Haliburton

4-star play: Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Oshae Brissett, Buddy Hield

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Jackson

Quick shoutout to VIP member “Cenzamatic” on a massive $20k win on Tuesday night! Sometimes paying up for double studs works, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant brought it home for him with the help of some Stanley Johnson and Pistons value. Good work and congrats man!

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic

Vegas Total: NA

Vegas Spread: Cle -9.0

Starting with the Cavaliers, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are both expected to miss this game again meaning we should see Moses Brown get the start. His price tag has come up, but for good reason, he has an 18.6% usage rate and 1.19 fantasy points per minute with these guys out over the past two weeks. I like the matchup with the Magic with Carter Jr. out as well. It will be hard for me to get to Kevin Love in anything other than GPPs due to the volatility he’s shown even with Allen/Mobley out as of late, the minutes have just been hard to come by. The price on Darius Garland has come down on DraftKings and up on FanDuel to where it’s evened out a bit. He’s playing a ton of minutes and is a guy I have no issue going right back to in this matchup. The minutes have come up on Caris LeVert and have been consistent ever since he had his restriction taken off. He has at least 34 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and gets a great matchup here. Then we can round this team out with Lauri Markkanen as a secondary filler piece, should you land on him. Speaking of the Magic, they’ll be without Wendell Carter Jr. at the very least, as Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs come in as questionable. I’ll operate under the assumption that they’re in, but keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates surrounding their status. Mo Bamba has been in good form over his last couple of games and they’ll need his size against a big Cavs team with Carter Jr. out. I’m going to continue to leave Cole Anthony for GPPs, he’s just been extremely volatile as of late and I think we can do better in this price range. Chuma Okeke has been less than impressive as of late and I would assume we get better value option on this slate. Markelle Fultz has been solid as of late, but on a 12-game slate, I just don’t love the minutes ceiling at his current price tag. Lastly, Mo Wagner and RJ Hampton would be GPP value options if some of these Magic guys end up missing.

5-star play: Moses Brown, Darius Garland

4-star play: Caris LeVert, Kevin Love, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba

Deeper Value: Mo Wagner, RJ Hampton

GPP Sleeper: Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, Cole Anthony, Chuma Okeke, Markelle Fultz, Mo Wagner, RJ Hampton

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Houston Rockets @ Brooklyn Nets

Vegas Total: 242.5

Vegas Spread: Bkn -17.5

Starting with the Rockets, it looks like Alperen Sengun will be good to go here and will start the rest of the season with Christian Wood being shut down. This is a nice matchup against this Nets frontcourt and will be a guy I like going right back to here as his price has come down a hair. Kevin Porter Jr. kept the ball rolling last time out and now has at least 42 DraftKings points in four straight games and will be a guy I like in all formats again here even at an elevated price tag. Porter Jr. has a 26.9% usage rate and 1.48 fantasy points per minute with Wood, Gordon, and Schroder off of the court over the past two weeks. The same thing can be said for Jalen Green who has at least 40 DraftKings points in five straight. Jae’Sean Tate isn’t a sexy option by any means but will look like a fine secondary option here if you happened to land on him. From the Nets, Kevin Durant had a massive game against Atlanta last time out and gets an equally great matchup here. I do worry a bit about the spread, but the matchup is good enough for me to like him as a spend-up option here. I’ll probably be off of Kyrie Irving at this price tag, as he’s cooled off since he’s done getting 7+ days of rest between games where he’s active. The price has come way up on Andre Drummond to a point where I’ll be off of him even in a great matchup. Then the rest of this team is full of GPP flyers at best on a full slate as they fight to compete for usage with Durant and Irving.

5-star play: Alperen Sengun, Kevin Porter Jr., Kevin Durant

4-star play: Jalen Green

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Jae’Sean Tate, Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry

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Charlotte Hornets @ Miami Heat

Vegas Total: 224.5

Vegas Spread: Mia -5.5

Starting with the Hornets, LaMelo Ball has been a lot better as of late with at least 52 DraftKings points in three of his last four games. That being said, I hate the matchup and he’s coming off of a down game last time out, I’ll likely leave him for GPPs in this one. They got Gordon Hayward back in that Philly game as well, but played just 17 minutes and would expect he’s around that 20-minute range in this one again making him a fade until those minutes are back up to his normal range. Miles Bridges has been a consistent fantasy producer all season long and I don’t think Hayward being back kills him, but probably more of a secondary option due to the matchup similar to the rest of this team. The price tag has finally come down to a more playable range on Terry Rozier but hasn’t been in that 50 fantasy point range as often now that Ball has picked up his production and will be another GPP guy on this team. Then we can round this team out with PJ Washington as a GPP option as well, but I don’t know how much I’ll end up getting to him on a slate that should get a decent amount of value opening up. From the Heat, Jimmy Butler should return here in a great matchup against a Hornets team that he’s averaged 47.7 DraftKings points per game against in three games on the season. I do like the price tag on Bam Adebayo as well, and is another guy that’s performed well against Charlotte on the season with 50.7 DraftKings points per game in three games. This Charlotte frontcourt isn’t one to be afraid of. Tyler Herro continues to play great basketball as well and is a guy I have no issue going right back to in this one. The same can be said for Kyle Lowry as he comes in in good form and has at least 35 minutes in two of his last three games. Lastly, Max Strus has been getting the start for them as of late and has looked pretty solid. I would imagine we get better value that opens up, but he’s a nice GPP guy nonetheless due to the form he’s been in as of late.

5-star play: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo

4-star play: LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Max Strus

Deeper Value: Max Strus

GPP Sleeper: Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, Kyle Lowry, Max Strus

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Atlanta Hawks @ Toronto Raptors

Vegas Total: 226.5

Vegas Spread: Tor -4.5

Starting with the Hawks, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari come in as questionable here, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates, but I’ll operate under the assumption that they’re good to go here. Bogdanovic has struggled over his last couple of games and would be more of a tournament guy for me while Gallinari will look like a solid option with John Collins out yet for Atlanta. I have no issue going right back to Trae Young here, he’s averaging 58.3 DraftKings points per game in two games against the Raptors this season and is a guy I’ll like in all formats. Clint Capela has been in great form as of late, but he’s the type of guy that as soon as you start to trust him he’ll pull the chair on you making him more of a tournament-type guy. Then we can round this team out with Kevin Huerter and De’Andre Hunter as secondary filler pieces, but both would receive a boost if either Bogdanovic or Gallinari needs to miss. From the Raptors, Pascal Siakam bounced back nicely against Miami last time out and gets an elite matchup against a bad Hawks defense. The minutes look like they’re back to being fully back for Fred VanVleet who is averaging 46.6 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Hawks on the season. That being said, I do like the FanDuel price tag better where he’s almost $1k cheaper. I’ll have no issue with Scottie Barnes as well, he should continue to play big minutes as well. The price tag is starting to come back down to a more playable range as this team begins to get healthier. OG Anunoby seems to have found his footing and has gotten his minutes back. I like the price tag on him and will look like a nice mid-range option assuming he plays as he comes in as questionable. Gary Trent Jr. will be more of a GPP guy with these guys mostly back, but the minutes will be there for him, and can light it up in a hurry but is very scoring dependent. Lastly, Precious Achiuwa is a fine GPP guy as well, the minutes have been volatile, but he’s been good on a per-minute basis.

5-star play: Trae Young, Pascal Siakam

4-star play: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Clint Capela, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa

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Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls

Vegas Total: 228.5

Vegas Spread: Mil -4.5

Starting with the Bucks, it sounds like Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a go in this one and looks like one of the better spend-up options on the slate. The Bulls aren’t playing a ton of defense right now and Giannis is averaging 60.6 DraftKings points per game in three games against them on the season. Jrue Holiday has been in great form as of late as well, but probably more of a secondary option at this price tag. The same can be said for Khris Middleton, I have no issue getting to them, but their ceilings are somewhat capped as long as Giannis is out there and active. Brook Lopez bounced back nicely last time out and I would imagine he’ll continue to be around the 25-minute range until playoffs at the very least, so more of a GPP value guy than anything. Then we can leave guys like Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and Grayson Allen as deeper GPP plays if you’re max entering and want to get funky. From the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan has been in great form as of late and has the type of skill-set that performs well against the Bucks. The same can be said for Zach LaVine who is averaging 45.1 DraftKings points per game in two games against the Bucks on the year. Nikola Vucevic has never missed a shot against the Bucks (at least from all the games I’ve watched)… jokes aside, he’s a guy that performs well in this matchup due to the open threes he sees off of screens at the top of the key and is a guy I like getting to here again. Alex Caruso will look like a fine mid-range option, but I’m not sure how much we’ll need him here. Finally, Patrick Williams has at least 30 FanDuel points in back-to-back games and is a guy they want to get going before the playoffs start and is a very interesting value option tonight.

5-star play: Giannis Antetokounmpo

4-star play: Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams

Deeper Value: Patrick Williams, Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton

GPP Sleeper: Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, Alex Caruso

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Washington Wizards @ Minnesota Timberwolves

Vegas Total: 234.0

Vegas Spread: Min -11.5

Starting with the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma will continue to be out for Washington here, below is how this team operates with him off of the court this season:

• Kristaps Porzingis – 33.3% usage rate; 1.50 fpm
• Deni Avdija – 18.5% usage rate; 0.92 fpm
• Rui Hachimura – 21.2% usage rate; 0.89 fpm
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – 22.6% usage rate; 0.89 fpm

These would be my favorite options from the Wizards, but it is a great matchup with the Wolves. Porzingis had a rough game last time out in a blowout against Boston but gets an elite bounce-back spot against a team that I’ll continue to target big men against. Avdija has cooled off a bit as of late but is still averaging 27.9 DraftKings points per game in his last ten games and will be a guy I have no issue going right back to. Tomas Satoransky will continue to start and look like a solid enough mid-to-low range option. Then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is never really a guy I love getting to and feels more like a glorified Danny Green than anything, but he’s a fine option for GPPs due to his upside. From Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns was a core play for me last time out and will look like a great option again here. The price tag looks really nice and he scored 53 DraftKings points in this matchup earlier in the season. Anthony Edwards has found a groove as of late with at least 41 DraftKings points in four straight games and will be a guy I have no issue going right back to either. I’ll probably continue to get my D’Angelo Russell exposure on FanDuel where he’s $1.1k cheaper and coming off of a nice game last time out. If you want to go to Patrick Beverley here I won’t talk you off of him, but I have a feeling we’ll be able to find guys with higher ceilings than him on this slate.

5-star play: Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns

4-star play: Deni Avdija, Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell (FanDuel)

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Rui Hachimura, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tomas Satoransky, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt

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Portland Trailblazers @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Vegas Total: 223.5

Vegas Spread: Okc -3.5

Don’t adjust your settings… yes the Thunder are favored tonight which should tell you everything you need to know about this game. We’ve seen this matchup a few times over the past couple of weeks and will continue to be a battle of tanking teams here as a lot of the guys are going to continue to be rested. That said, we’ll get started with the Blazers, Brandon Williams is another fine option here, however, he doesn’t produce consistently enough for me to love him at this price tag. Drew Eubanks will look like a great option here, he’s averaging 37.7 DraftKings points in three games against the Thunder this season. CJ Elleby and Keon Johnson will look like solid secondary pieces as well, I just don’t think either of them are great DFS players. Greg Brown should continue to start and play around 30 minutes with Trendon Watford out and will look like a solid value option again here. Lastly, I have no issue going back to Kris Dunn again here either, he should be around the 25-minute range and has been a good per minute guy with the Blazers this season. From the Thunder, they’ll be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tre Mann again here. We’ll probably end up having to roster a couple of these Thunder guys again with them having just nine active bodies tonight. We did get Aleksej Pokusevski back last time out and he returned to drop a 50 burger against the Suns, he’ll look like a great option again here. Guys like Theo Maledon, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Isaiah Roby are the options I feel most comfortable with on the team. That said, Aaron Wiggins and these ancillary pieces performed well relative to their salaries as well. My favorite of those ancillary pieces is Lindy Waters who continues to look great with at least 31 DraftKings points in three of his last five games.

5-star play: Drew Eubanks, Aleksej Pokusevski

4-star play: Greg Brown, Brandon Williams, Theo Maledon, Isaiah Roby, Lindy Waters

Deeper Value: Olivier Sarr

GPP Sleeper: CJ Elleby, Keon Johnson, Bit Krejci, Olivier Sarr, Jaylen Hoard

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Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz

Vegas Total: 221.0

Vegas Spread: Utah -5.0

Starting with the Grizzlies, they’ll continue to be without Ja Morant here, and sounds like Dillon Brooks will miss this one as well. Below is how this team operates with these two off of the court this season:

• Tyus Jones – 19.4% usage rate; 1.03 fpm
• Desmond Bane – 26.5% usage rate; 1.17 fpm
• Jaren Jackson – 32.4% usage rate; 1.3 fpm
• De’Anthony Melton – 24.4% usage rate; 1.21 fpm

These are my favorite options from Memphis tonight and holy man look at the production from Jackson with these usage monsters off of the court. I want to really like him here however, we know he can be handy and against a big team like the Jazz it does worry me… that said, the numbers will look great on him. Utah can struggle to guard opposing wings as well setting up nicely for Bane here too. Speaking of Utah, both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have been in good form as of late and will look like solid options in all formats again here. Mike Conley has been in much better form over the past two weeks and will look like a solid option here. Jordan Clarkson is the GPP pivot off of him if you’re looking to get some leverage, but Conley won’t be popular enough for it to make sense unless you just want to save a couple hundred bucks. Lastly, Bojan Bogdanovic got his minutes back up over 30 last time out and should be lifted from his minutes restriction going forward.

5-star play: Jaren Jackson, Desmond Bane

4-star play: Tyus Jones, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley

Deeper Value: John Konchar

GPP Sleeper: De’Anthony Melton, Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic

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New Orleans Pelicans @ Sacramento Kings

Vegas Total: 226.0

Vegas Spread: Nop -8.5

Starting with the Pelicans, Jonas Valanciunas had a down game last time out and is dealing with a bit of a foot issue here, so keep an eye on his status in this one, I may just fade him until we know he’s fully healthy and it’s not impacting his production. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram will look like nice secondary options here in a great matchup with a Kings team that hasn’t been able to stop anyone this season. Then guys like Jaxson Hayes and Herb Jones are more filler pieces than anything on a big slate, but I highly doubt I get anywhere near them. They would both see a boost if Joe Val ends up sitting, however. From the Kings, Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox will be out again for this one meaning we should see guys like Davion Mitchell and Damian Jones again. Below is how this team operates with these two off of the court over the past four weeks:

• Davion Mitchell – 23.8% usage rate; 0.95 fpm
• Damian Jones – 18.4% usage rate; 1.14 fpm
• Donte DiVincenzo – 20.0% usage rate; 1.10 fpm
• Harrison Barnes – 20.1% usage rate; 0.81 fpm
• Chimezie Metu – 23.3% usage rate; 0.97 fpm
• Trey Lyles – 19.1% usage rate; 0.89 fpm

These would be my main options from Sacramento, I don’t really have a ton of interest in guys like Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb who either aren’t great per minute guys or will see volatile minutes. Damian Jones came back down to Earth last time out after back-to-back 50 burgers against Houston, but I’m fine going back to him at this price tag if you happened to land on him. Mitchell is a guy that’s cooled off as well after getting a bit of a price boost, that said, I still think he’s a good enough producer to warrant it, especially for GPPs.

5-star play: None

4-star play: CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Davion Mitchell, Damian Jones, Donte DiVincenzo

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Jonas Valanciunas, Jaxson Hayes, Harrison Barnes, Chimezie Metu, Trey Lyles

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Los Angeles Lakers @ Phoenix Suns

Vegas Total: NA

Vegas Spread: NA

Starting with the Lakers, both Anthony Davis and LeBron James come into this one as questionable after returning to the lineup last time out. We’ll need news on them before we can really break this team down, but I’ll operate under the assumption that they play due to the Lakers needing to win. Davis has played more minutes in his first two games returning from injury than I had thought he would with at least 35 minutes in each game and will look like a nice option here. LeBron will lose some usage with Davis in there but still is a guy that is going to play around 40 minutes in a competitive game and someone that I think we can get to as a spend-up option. Russell Westbrook didn’t seem to be impacted by these guys returning either with a 50 burger last time out after just 25 fantasy points in the first game with these guys back. I’ll leave him for GPPs due to the volatility we get with him, the same can be said for Malik Monk who will lose a good deal of production with these guys back. From the Suns, Devin Booker is averaging 46.5 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Lakers this season and will look like a solid option again here. Chris Paul has looked solid since returning from injury and the Lakers haven’t been able to stop guards this season making him look like a great option again here as well. They’ll need Deandre Ayton’s size is Davis is good to go so he’ll look like a good secondary option as well. Then the trio of Cam Johnson, Mikal Brides, and Jae Crowder will look like fine GPP options, but I’m not sure we’ll need them on this slate.

5-star play: Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Devin Booker, Chris Paul

4-star play: Deandre Ayton

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk, Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder

NBA Lock of the Day: Tre Jones (DK – $4.0k; FD – $3.7k)

I’ll go right back to the well with Tre Jones here with Dejounte Murray already ruled out for this one. Jones has at least 34 FanDuel points in back-to-back games and will get the start again here. He’s about a 0.93 fantasy point per minute guy on the season with Murray and Derrick White off of the cour this season and looks like a great value option on this slate. At this point in the day, I would think he makes my core, but check out our VIP Cheat Sheets as we get closer to lock for staff picks on Core plays, 8x locks of the day, and tiers notes as well!

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