RADIO
Thursday’s slate is the diametric opposite of Wednesday’s, as there are only four games on the ledger following a massive 12-game afternoon/night. There’s also the specter of big-name injuries, with the Lakers still missing their two big stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially out again Thursday and Trae Young a likely game-time decision due to his calf injury.
Some positions are thinner than others, but we have still have a solid amount of options at each point on the salary scale to work with. Additionally, each of the four contests does have at least a fighting chance of being competitive, always to our advantage as DFS players.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/15/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Chris Paul, PG – vs. SAC ($8,000)
Paul is an interesting pivot off of multiple expensive options, and he could ultimately offer a very rewarding return on investment in a matchup against a defensively suspect Kings team on the back end of a back-to-back set. More specifically, Paul should often find himself facing De'Aaron Fox, who just logged 40 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Wizards. Sacramento went into Wednesday’s game allowing a Western Conference-high 26.3 points per game to ones -- along with 49.2 FD points per contest to the position -- and then gave up a 25-point, 15-rebound, 11-assist triple-double to Russell Westbrook. Paul already has a 55-FD-point haul against the Kings this season as well, and because he’s turned in back-to-back underwhelming scoring efforts, he could be a bit less rostered than usual, even on the small slate.
Andrew Wiggins, SG – at CLE ($7,100)
Wiggins has eclipsed 40 FD points in two of his last four games, but with back-to-back tallies of under 30 FD points, he’s also likely to be in a few less lineups than he otherwise would have been Thursday. However, Wiggins draws a premium matchup versus a Cavaliers squad that’s allowed the fourth-highest offensive efficiency (25.7 percent) to two-guards, including NBA-high 47.7 percent shooting and 42.3 percent three-point shooting to the position. Cleveland is also yielding the fifth-most FD points per game (44.6) to SGs and ranks in the bottom 10 in points (25.7), made threes (4.0) and steals (1.7) surrendered per game to the position during that span. Then, despite his couple of aforementioned down games, Wiggins has averaged 36.1 FD points per contest over his last 10 while shooting an impressive 49.0 percent during that stretch.
Kevin Huerter, SG – vs. MIL ($5,400)
Huerter has logged seven straight starts at small forward with De'Andre Hunter still out with his knee injury, and he’s responded to the opportunity with averages of 14.6 points (on 49.4 percent shooting), 4.1 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 26.0 FD points over that span. Huerter is also playing a solid 31 minutes per game in that starting role, and Thursday, he’ll face a Bucks team that’s ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency (22.9 percent) given up to small forwards while also giving up the seventh-most FD points per game (43.4) to threes for the season. Milwaukee is allowing the third-most treys per game to the position as well, while Huerter is averaging 5.6 three-point attempts per contest and draining them at a 36.2 percent clip.
Also consider: Devin Booker ($9,000); Jrue Holiday ($8,400); Brandon Goodwin ($3,700)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Jayson Tatum, PF- at LAL ($9,400)
Tatum put up 47.3 FD points across 40 minutes in his first game against the Lakers this season, and he’s been on fire throughout the second half of the season while scoring the most points of any Eastern Conference player heading into Wednesday’s action and putting up averages of 27.4 points (on 49.5 percent, including 40.7 percent from distance), 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals and 43.5 FD points across that 18-game span. The star wing should have an even clearer path to fantasy success in his rematch with L.A. considering the absences of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Lakers come in giving up 42.9 FD points to threes over the last seven games. Tatum’s usage is essentially guaranteed to be through the roof, and with his career-high 20.4 shot attempts per game, he’ll be set up to offer a strong return on his salary in what should be a very competitive contest.
Draymond Green, PF – at CLE ($7.100)
Green continued on his tear Wednesday versus the Thunder, putting up an absurd 59 FD points on the strength of a 12-point, 16-assist, 10-rebound triple-double. That followed a haul of 46.9 FD points against the Nuggets on Sunday, his third tally of over 40 FD points in the last six games. Kelly Oubre Jr. projects to remain out Thursday, and Green was already averaging 35.4 FD points per 36 minutes without his teammate on the floor this season before Wednesday’s breakout effort. Green also put up 50.6 FD points on the Cavs the first time he saw them this season, and Cleveland is allowing 44.2 FD points per contest to power forwards over the last 15 games, adding to the versatile veteran’s appeal at his current salary.
Dario Saric, PF – vs. SAC ($3,700)
Saric is an interesting, likely low-rostered option for the small slate, and with a salary just $200 away from minimum, he could make for a very strong fantasy-point-per-dollar play for tournaments. Saric has delivered over 20 FD points in four of his last nine games, shooting 50.0 percent, including 43.5 percent from distance, over the entirety of that span. Playing time is admittedly a bit of a concern when it comes to Saric since he’s typically been logging under 20 minutes per contest recently, but Sacramento is allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency (27.0 percent) to power forwards, along with 43.5 FD points per game to the position. Just as important, the Kings give up the sixth-highest offensive efficiency (44.7 percent), as well as NBA-high 47.6 percent shooting and 40.4 percent three-point shooting, to second-unit players.
Also consider: Jaylen Brown ($8,100); Kevin Love ($6,300); Kent Bazemore ($5,000)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Clint Capela– vs. MIL ($9,000)
Capela is averaging 49.0 FD points per 36 minutes with Trae Young (calf) off the floor this season, and as mentioned earlier, the star guard is questionable for Thursday. Even if Young does play, Capela is averaging 42.4 FD points over 16 second-half games, and he’ll draw a solid matchup against a Bucks squad that’s giving up 58.9 FD points per game to centers over the last seven contests, a significant uptick from the 51.9 they yield per game for the season. Capela has already generated over 5x his current salary in 19 games, and he could be set up to deliver in similar fashion again whether or not Young suits up Thursday.
Robert Williams III – at LAL ($5,800)
Williams has become an integral component of the Celtics’ frontcourt rotation in the second half of the season, averaging 10.3 points, 8.7 rebounds 2.9 assists and 2.3 blocks across 18 post All-Star-break games. That’s led to an average of 33.1 FD points across just 23.4 minutes per contest over that span, and Thursday, he should be set for another workload in the low 20s at minimum. Williams should see plenty of Montrezl Harrell’s sub-par defense as well, and his ability to contribute across the stat sheet should give him a good chance of delivering at least a 5x return on his current salary for the 21st time this season.
Also consider: Jarrett Allen ($7,100); Hassan Whiteside ($5,000)
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