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Happy Tuesday, Rotoballers! Tonight serves up three games on the DFS schedule, with three of the four highest-seeded teams taking the court. Miami and Phoenix will look to stretch their series advantage to two games against Atlanta and New Orleans, respectively. Meanwhile, Memphis must recapture what made them such a formidable regular-season team to avoid a 0-2 hole against Minnesota.
| AWAY | HOME | O/U | SPREAD | TOT (A) | TOT (H) | PACE (A) | PACE (H) | PROJ. PACE |
| ATL | MIA | 216.5 | MIA -7 | 104.75 | 111.75 | 97 | 97 | 97.83 |
| MIN | MEM | 241.5 | MEM -7 | 117.25 | 124.25 | 106 | 106 | 118.04 |
| NOP | PHX | 222.5 | PHX -10.5 | 106.00 | 116.50 | 94 | 94 | 91.91 |
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/19/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineup lock at 7:30 pm ET tonight. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Ja Morant - PG, MEM vs. MIN ($9,600 DraftKings; $9,700 FanDuel)
After playing one game since Mar. 18, Ja Morant returned to the court for the Grizzlies in a Game 1 loss to the Timberwolves. However, it wasn't on the budding superstar at all. Instead, the third-year guard racked up 49.5 DraftKings points in 35 minutes while shooting 8-for-18 from the field and getting to the charity stripe 20 times. If that is what Morant can do while knocking off the rust, I can't wait to see what he pulls off in Game 2. Minnesota finished the season as the second-best matchup for point guards in terms of DraftKings scoring. I don't think Ja is letting his team fall into a two-game hole and will do everything to tie this Western Conference series at one game apiece.
Devin Booker - PG/SG, PHX vs. NOP ($8,800 DK; $9,200 FD)
While Chris Paul stole the show with a fourth-quarter blitz to put the game away, I was really impressed with Booker's consistency. This year, the seventh-year guard will likely finish as a top-five MVP vote-getter, and he showed us why he deserves that accolade in Game 1. The former Kentucky star attempted 18 shots in Game 1, the first time he shot less than 20 times since Mar. 23. I expect that volume to jump back up and the fantasy points to follow. Book still added eight assists, four rebounds, four triples, and a steal in his 41 minutes despite the lower offensive volume. I'm not a massive fan of Trae Young against the Heat tonight, so Booker comes in as my favorite pivot if you're looking to get away from Ja Morant.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Anthony Edwards - SG/SF, MIN at MEM ($8,200 DK; $9,300 FD)
With only three games on the slate, it'll be hard to differentiate your lineups that much. However, getting the correct pieces from this Memphis-Minnesota battle will be a huge key to your DFS success. It comes in with the highest over/under (241.5 points) among the trio of play contests, with both teams implied totals coming in above 117 points.
Edwards is taking the NBA Twitterverse by storm as he makes a name for himself on the national stage. First, he dragged the Timberwolves past the Clippers in the play-in tournament. Then showed up again in Memphis with 36 points, six assists, four three-pointers, and 54.5 DK points. That'll do nicely any day of the week, and the Wolves will need him again if they hope to take a 2-0 lead back to Minnesota.
John Collins - PF/C, ATL at MIA ($5,100 DK; $6,100 FD)
The Hawks need something to change as soon as possible if they want to make this a long series with Miami. While John Collins won't be the answer to all their problems, he can certainly get them part of the way there. Game 1 was Collins' first on-court action since Mar. 11, and it showed. Across 21 minutes, the former Wake Forest standout made minimal contributions with 10 points on 60 percent shooting, along with four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Miami is a formidable defense all over the court, but their one weak link is versus power forwards. Over the final 15 games of the season, the Heat allowed 50.1 DraftKings points per game to power forwards, the second-worst mark in the league. With some Game 1 rust knocked off, Collins should be back in the starting lineup and see his role within the offense grow as the Hawks look to even the series.
Jaden McDaniels - SF/PF, MIN at MEM ($4,000 DK; $4,600 FD)
After 34.75 DraftKings points in Game 1, it's surprising to see Jaden McDaniels' price remain so low for tonight's matchup. Still, I won't complain too much before DK changes their minds and will take the savings and run. In 25 minutes, the 21-year-old dropped 15 points, seven rebounds, a couple of assists and threes, plus three blocks and a steal. Of course, as DFS players, we can't rely on that contribution every game, but it's worth a shot with the second-year forwards Tuesday-night discount.
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Deandre Ayton - C, PHX vs. NOP ($7,200 DK; $8,100 FD)
In the 2021 playoffs, with Chris Paul as his teacher, Deandre Ayton broke out and became one of the fastest-rising talents in the league. As Paul and Devin Booker became the media darlings of that Finals run, Aytondidg all the right things and churned out excellent performances, round after round. It looks like he's on track for another prolific playoff run after a great Game 1 against New Orleans.
In 34 minutes, the fourth-year center produced 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting, along with nine rebounds, two assists, four blocks, and a three-pointer for 43.35 DK points. The Pelicans' defense was suspect over the final few weeks of the regular season, and if they try to key in on Paul and Booker, Ayton will have no problem punishing them at the basket.
Jaren Jackson Jr. - PF/C, MEM vs. MIN ($6,500 DK; $6,600 FD)
Please, please, please, please, pleaseeeeee stay out of foul trouble, Triple J. This matchup with Minnesota is right there for the taking and can be exploited by a dominant force like he has shown us he can be. It was a breakout year for the DPOY-finalist as he averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game across a career-high 78 games. Additionally, in Game 1 versus the Timberwolves, Jackson swatted seven shots and was still able to put up 31.5 DK points despite five fouls limiting him to 24 minutes. If he can cut out the fouls in Game 2, I'm expecting a massive evening for the 22-year-old against the team, allowing the most fantasy points to power forwards over the season's final 15 games.
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