Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 4/14:
Mar 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) controls the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-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!
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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!
Chicago Bulls @ Miami Heat
Vegas Total: 208.5
Vegas Spread: Mia -5.5
We’ll start with the Eastern Conference where the Bulls made a comeback to beat the Raptors in the 9/10 game and now have a shot to play the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs with a win. Starting with those Bulls, DeMar DeRozan salvaged his fantasy game last time out with a big fourth quarter. I have no issue going right back to him here, his price tag didn’t move and he’s going to play all the minutes he can handle. The matchup is tough, but on a short slate, we’re going to have to get exposure to this game. Zach LaVine had a massive second half and was a big part of the Bulls’ comeback, he did see a small price bump, but his multi-position eligibility is going to keep him firmly in play. Nikola Vucevic is averaging 42.9 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Heat this season and will look great again in this one at a nice price tag. Coby White ended the season in great form and will make sense as a GPP mid-range option in this one, but minutes may prove to be a problem as the rotations tighten for the playoffs. The Patricks (Williams and Beverley) should play around 25 minutes again in this one and are fine mid-range options. Lastly, I would expect Alex Caruso to continue to play big minutes, he saw a price boost but for good reason, if he’s going to play around 30 minutes he’s going to look like a nice option in all formats. Moving onto the Heat who were never really in the game against the Hawks, it felt like they were getting boat raced from the jump. Jimmy Butler isn’t going to go down without a fight however, especially against his old team, he’s going to look like a top option on this slate. Bam Adebayo had a nice game last time out due to five blocks/steals but was absent on the offensive end. That said, he’s going to look like a nice option at this price tag. Tyler Herro is generally more of a tournament option for me due to the volatility in his production, but the matchup and price tag look great, he’s going to play close to 40 minutes here. Guys like Caleb Martin and Max Strus will likely both see good minutes and make sense in all formats while Gabe Vincent is probably more of a tournament-value option. Kyle Lowry was the leader of the Miami offense against the Hawks and did see a substantial price jump, that said, he’s likely going to see 30+ minutes again here. Finally, Kevin Love played three minutes against the Hawks… his defense just isn’t there, I wouldn’t expect he’s part of the rotation moving forward.
5-star play: DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro
4-star play: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Patrick Williams, Patrick Beverley, Coby White, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent
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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total: 228.5
Vegas Spread: Min -5.5
Moving onto the Western Conference where the winner will move on to play the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. Starting with the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to look like the top raw option on the slate, he’s averaged 53.0 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Wolves this season and will do everything for this team. Josh Giddey is a fine secondary option, but the price tag is tough to stomach… it’s hard to overlook his massive game against the Pels though. Jalen Williams might be my favorite option on the Thunder due to the price tag and he sees a boost in the matchup with Jaden McDaniels still out with that hand injury. Lu Dort had a vintage Lu Dort game where he hit four threes in the first half and played lockdown defense. He’s going to play big minutes due to the defense he provides, I have no issue going right back to the well with him in this one. The frontcourt is going to be handled by Jaylin Williams to start, they’ll need his size against Gobert and Towns in the paint, I did like getting some Dario Saric last time out, but he’s more of a GPP value due to the volatility in his minutes. From the Wolves, the big question mark is whether or not Rudy Gobert will play, he’s currently questionable with an injury designation to his “back”… but honestly, I don’t think the team likes him, and is just a virus to their locker room chemistry. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was out again, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if he plays… it is a win or go home after all. I’ll operate under the assumption that he plays and will look like a fine secondary option in all formats. They’ll need Anthony Edwards to be a hell of a lot better than he was against the Lakers where he shot 3-17 from the field and 0-9 from three-point land, I have no problem going back to him especially if people are down on him. I love going right back to Karl-Anthony Towns regardless of if Gobert plays or not, he has at least 43 FanDuel points in four straight games. 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 after dropping a 50-burger on the Lake Show. Mike Conley will be the catalyst of setting the offense up and is in the same non-sexy boat as Anderson. Then guys like Taurean Prince and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are fine secondary tournament options to round out the team.
5-star play: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards
4-star play: Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson
Deeper Value: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dario Saric
GPP Sleeper: Jaylin Williams, Dario Saric, Taurean Prince, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
NBA Lock of the Day: Cheat Sheats/Coaches Notes
Another 2-game slate so I’m going to keep the lock of the day behind the paywall until tomorrow, so come get signed up and take advantage of our discord and freshly launched PrizePicks tool! 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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