Let's just be honest, we've hit a pretty brutal stretch of the NBA season. There are about 1/3 of the teams in the league with any motivation to play their best lineups in a normal rotation, making it difficult to fill a lineup with players you feel confident in.
The good news is, we're still here to try to guide you to a winning lineup. The usual caveat is definitely applicable to watch news and make adjustments as needed.
Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/3/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options, to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel.
FanDuel DFS Guards
Tyler Ulis- PG, vs. SAC ($4,900)
Ulis has played big minutes over the past four games, and has produced really nicely. He’s gotten 30 minutes in five of his past six games and has scored at least 30 FD points in each of those five games. There is an outside chance that both Devin Booker and Elfrid Payton return from injury, but it’s unclear exactly why the Suns would choose to do that at this point. If only Payton returns to the floor, I wouldn’t automatically dismiss Ulis. However, if Booker is back, it’s time to look elsewhere at the position.
Also Consider: Ricky Rubio- PG vs LAL ($8,000)
James Harden-SG, vs. WAS ($11,000)
The Rockets have clinched the number one seed in the Western Conference but Harden has played heavy minutes in two games since then. Watch news throughout the day, as it’s always possible he starts a resting schedule. Assuming he’s in action, I’m willing to pay up for his safety despite a relatively tough matchup. The rest of the position is weak, and paying up won’t hurt because there are so many cheap options available on the slate.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Mario Hezonja-SF @NY ($5,700)
Like the Suns, the Magic also have a depleted rotation, regardless of whether it’s by design or due to players wearing down. Luckily for us, it doesn’t matter why because what we do know is that Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, and Jonathan Simmons will definitely be out with the potential for Jonathan Isaac to also be out. That’ll open up plenty of minutes for Hezonja in a plus-plus matchup against the Knicks who have simply given up at this point in the season, as they have surrendered a 111.3 defensive rating over their last 10 games.
Also Consider: LeBron James vs. TOR ($12,500); Torrey Craig vs. IND ($3,600) (if Wilson Chandler remains out)
PF- Ersan Ilyasova vs. BKN ($5,400)
The price tag is a bit jarring on on ilyasova, but suddenly the Sixers only have four healthy bigs. That means minutes will be there for Ilyasova, who showed against Atlanta two games ago that he still has plenty of upside at this price tag. On that night, 16 rebounds propelled Ilyasova to 9X value at this price and the Nets are among the worst rebounding teams in the league.
Also Consider: Derrick Favors vs. LAL ($5,800)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Kyle O’Quinn vs. ORL ($5,500)
The Knicks are yet another injury situation that must be monitored throughout the day as their rotation could be completely depleted come game time. Troy Williams has already been ruled out for the season, but Michael Beasley and Enes Kanter may both be out as well. When both Kristaps Porzingis (who has obviously been out a while) and Troy Williams have been off the floor this season, O’Quinn has scored 1.18 FD points per minute. That said, if Kanter remains out, O’Quinn will be in a good position to be both efficient and have locked in minutes. In a similar scenario, he put up 31.5 FD points against the Pistons on Saturday night.