Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 4/21:
Apr 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts after a basket during the second quarter against the New York Knicks in game two of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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!
Save $50 on a DFS Army NBA Season Pass with coupon code NBA2022
Before I get started, I need to shoutout a few huge VIP Member wins – “Phamacist” took 1st place in the $300k Fadeway contest which netted him $100k while “da_banditz” grabbed 1st place on FanDuel as well winning $10k- congrats guys!
Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks
Vegas Total: 228.0
Vegas Spread: Bos -5.0
We’ll start with the Eastern Conference where the Celtics head into Atlanta to try and grab a 3-0 series lead. Jayson Tatum bounced back in a big way last time out and is going to continue to play around 40 minutes unless the game turns into a massive blowout from what we’ve seen so far in this series. He’s under $10k on DraftKings which feels too low, he’s an elite option in all formats, firmly in play on FanDuel as well. I’m never a huge Jaylen Brown guy due to the scoring dependency he brings, but he’s too cheap as well and the matchup is elite. Derrick White has been a core play in our cheat sheets for me in each game of this series and he has back-to-back games with at least 45 DraftKings points, I love going right back to the well with him again in this one. I like Malcolm Brogdon as a leverage piece last time out as well and it turned out well, I like him even more as they go on the road as it helps mitigate the blowout chances. Marcus Smart has been solid in the mid-range as well and is probably the cash pivot off of Brogdon. Then Al Horford and Robert Williams are both solid secondary pieces at their respective price tags. From the Hawks, I think we’re in for a big Trae Young day… they need him if they want to get back into this series and I expect some positive regression in his shooting. He’s shot just 19% from three-point range over his last five games, he’s going to play big minutes and the price tag has come down. Dejounte Murray has been the better producer in the backcourt with at least 48 DraftKings points in each game in this series. Clint Capela’s biggest battle is going to be the minutes he sees, he got just 22 last time out, but he’s an elite per-minute producer which makes him a great GPP option… Onyeka Okongwu is in the same boat. Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter had big games last time out and are guys I like going right back to at their price tags while guys like Saddiq Bey and John Collins are more of tournament options than anything.
5-star play: Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Trae Young
4-star play: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Dejounte Murray, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter
Deeper Value: Onyeka Okongwu
GPP Sleeper: Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, John Collins, Saddiq Bey
Be sure to check out our BRAND NEW Proptimizer tool as well which provides our projection in relation to the PrizePicks line giving us max leverage to hammer home those best prop spots. Our props team has been killing it! CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks
Vegas Total: 211.5
Vegas Spread: Nyk -2.0
On to the Cavs who head into Madison Square Garden in hopes to steal home-court advantage back. Donovan Mitchell kept it rolling last time out but got it done more in the ancillary categories more than the scoring department. Darius Garland was the guy who got hot from the field, I have no issue going back to both of these guys in this one. Evan Mobley bounced back nicely last time out and looked much more physical than we saw in game one, he’s going to be a guy I like going back to at this price tag. Jarrett Allen is averaging 35.4 DraftKings points per game in four games against the Knicks this season, he’s another guy that I have no issue going right back to. They cut Isaac Okoro from the rotation and gave Caris LeVert a whopping 40 minutes and he looked great. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a change to the starting lineup with either LeVert, Cedi Osman or Danny Green in that starting spot over Okoro, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for an update as we get closer to lock. Regardless, these three guys are going to see good minutes, with LeVert obviously seeing the most. From the Knicks, Julius Randle has been fine in this series but isn’t playing the massive minutes we’re used to him seeing due to that ankle injury that seems to still be impacting him. It’s also a tough matchup against the trees down low, he’s more of a secondary option for me. I do like going back to Jalen Brunson, however, he shot terribly last time out but was still able to have a nice fantasy day, I expect some positive regression on his shooting numbers as they return home in this one. RJ Barrett and Josh Hart are both fine secondary GPP options on the wing, but not guys we need to go crazy on. I do still think Mitchell Robinson is an interesting tournament option to round out the team, we know he has a massive ceiling, but Isaiah Hartenstein has cut into his minutes and is a guy we can go right back to here as a value option.
5-star play: Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson
4-star play: Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Julius Randle
Deeper Value: Cedi Osman, Danny Green, Isaiah Hartenstein
GPP Sleeper: Caris LeVert, Cedi Osman, Danny Green, Isaiah Hartenstein, RJ Barrett, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson
Denver Nuggets @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total: 223.0
Vegas Spread: Den -2.5
Starting with the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic is going to look like a top raw option in all formats if we can find the salary to get up to him, he’s averaging 55.6 DraftKings points per game in five games against the Wolves this season. Jamal Murray has been great in this series as well, the Wolves are a bottom-five defense against opposing point guards on the season. Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon feel like similar options in their price ranges, both have nice upsides but can be volatile. Then guys like Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all make sense as MME flyers to round out the team. From the Wolves, Anthony Edwards had a huge bounce-back game last time out and is going to have to carry the load again if they want to get back into this series. I’ve been playing a ton of Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t been all that great in this series, especially from the field, he’s shooting a combined 8-25 from the field in both games in this series. That said, the price tag is great on him yet again. Kyle Anderson is never a sexy option, but he’s going to play all the minutes he can handle and is a guy I want to go right back to here. Rudy Gobert is too cheap as well and they’ll need his size against Gobert down low. Mike Conley will be the catalyst of setting the offense up and is in the same non-sexy boat as Anderson. Then we saw a change in the starting lineup last time out where Taurean Prince jumped in instead of Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Alexander-Walker still played more minutes and would be my preferred option even if he’s coming off of the bench again.
5-star play: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns
4-star play: Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson
Deeper Value: Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
GPP Sleeper: Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Taurean Prince, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
The only thing you are missing at this point is the key to unlock the next level of your game. Come inside and check us out!! We have experts sharing their secrets and experience on a daily basis. Combining that with the actual ability to ask them questions and get quick answers in return gives you a recipe for success that puts our army hats on leaderboards all over the face of DFS.
When you sign up, don’t forget to use promo code MADNESS to save 10% on your membership each and every month!
Editor’s Note – However, if you are more interested in simply betting the games, NBA is full of crazy action. And, our dynamic modeling over at SharpBets adjusts in real time to help identify Vegas inaccuracies you can exploit. Follow Ryan, Anthony, and Statsational for models and coaching advice that help you build any bankroll for any sport…
