DFS NBA Lineups for April 5, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com

On days that there’s a nice slate of DFS NBA games, we’ll give you the game totals, point spreads, and pertinent injury news to follow for NBA daily fantasy, as well as some players that we’re considering for our lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Looking at the tournament slate for 4/5/17, DraftKings has a Crazy 8 GPP with $250k in the prize pool and, you guessed it, an $8 buy-in. At FanDuel, they’ve got a $4 Shot contest with $250k up for grabs. The winner of of that one takes home $50k.

As always, be sure and monitor any of the injury news that breaks throughout the day, as value plays and player upgrades can arise in a moments notice. As we enter the final weeks of the season, this is more important than ever. We cannot possibly stress this enough!

PLAYERS RULED OUT

Kevin Durant (knee)
Reggie Jackson (knee)
Will Barton (foot),
Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles)
Dion Waiters (ankle)
Danny Green (thigh)
Austin Rivers (hamstring)
Leandro Barbosa (hamstring)
Brandon Knight (back)
Eric Bledsoe (knee)
Andre Iguodala (rest)
Draymond Green (rest)

INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR

Mike Conley (eye)
Tony Allen (eye)
Kyle Lowry (wrist)
T.J. Warren (illness)
Jae Crowder (elbow)
Seth Curry (shoulder)
Jameer Nelson (calf)
Kenneth Faried (back)
Brandon Ingram (knee)
Ryan Anderson (ankle)
Manu Ginobili (quad)

DFS NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES

Heat @ Hornets -2 (7:00p): 208
Raptors @ Pistons -1.5 (7:30p): 198
Thunder @ Grizzlies (8:00p): TBD
Nuggets @ Rockets (8:00p): TBD
Cavaliers @ Celtics (8:00p): TBD
Lakers @ Spurs (8:30p): TBD
Warriors @ Suns (10:00p): TBD
Mavericks @ Clippers (10:30p): TBD

Best DFS NBA Picks for April 5, 2017

LeBron James ($10.2k DraftKings, $10.7k FanDuel)
There are a couple of obvious games to target tonight including the traditional shootout between three-happy Houston and a Nuggets offense that’s been on fire since The Joker took over as point center, but I’ll personally be eyeing the battle for East supremacy. LeBron will look to make a literal and mental statement by leading his Cavs to victory in Boston, which would give them an edge if these teams wind up meeting in the conference finals. He’s averaging 27 PPG, 11 APG and 9.3 RPG over three meetings with the Celtics this season and always seems to turn up against the historic franchise, as he’s averaging more PPG (29.5) against Boston than any other opponent throughout his career.

Nikola Jokic ($9.4k DraftKings, $10k FanDuel)
That’s not to say you can’t roll with an under priced stud in a Rockets-Nuggets tilt with what will likely be the highest Over/Under on this full slate. After a lackluster performance against Houston, Jokic torched the Rockets mediocre interior defense for 22 points, 13 rebounds and 8 dimes while playing a whopping 40 minutes in a road game last month. He’s a nightly triple-double threat and a great bet for lofty production tonight against a Rockets team that gives up the third-most FPPG (50.71) and fourth-most APG (3.51) to opposing centers this year in part due to their blinding pace of play.

Isaiah Thomas ($8.5k DraftKings, $8.5k FanDuel)
On the Celtics side of the ball, Thomas will be asked to lead his team down the stretch and prove that he deserves to be mentioned amongst the NBA’s elite offensive players. He was quiet in a blowout win at MSG on Sunday but was averaging 28.75 PPG over his previous eight appearances. Thomas is averaging 30.7 PPG and 6.7 APG over 3 meetings with a Cavs team that gives up the eighth-most FPPG (44.29) and APG (9.03) to opposing PGs this season. Cleveland has shored up some defensive issues but still coughs up the ninth-most PPG (109.21) over the last month and has a notably poor perimeter defender at PG in Kyrie Irving.

Mid Tier DFS NBA Plays

Kevin Love ($7.4k DraftKings, $7.3k FanDuel)
Perhaps you’ve also been waiting for Love to appear to be back to full speed to deploy him with high exposure, as tonight should be the right night to do just that. The elite rebounder faces a Celtics team that ranks 27th in total rebounding and gives up the sixth-most RPG (12.47) to opposing PFs this season. Love also holds a healthy hatred for the Celtics since Kelly Olynyk may or may not have intentionally injured him during the playoffs a couple of years ago and as a result, he’s averaging 28 PPG and 11.5 RPG over two meetings with Boston this season.

Ish Smith ($5.9k DraftKings, $5.5k FanDuel)
His production has normalized to a degree but so has Smith’s price tag while Reggie Jackson looks quite unlikely to return at any point this season. When R-Jax is off the floor, Ish sports a 21.5% Usage Rate while averaging 0.21 assists and 0.89 FPs per minute this season and Jackson’s absence is a main reason for Smith’s excellent production (17.8 PPG, 5.3 APG, 33 DK PPG) over his last 4 appearances. Tonight he’ll face a Raptors team that’s become much more vulnerable against opposing PGs with Kyle Lowry on the shelf and might have a rusty Lowry back in the lineup for his first game in months.

Josh Richardson ($5.4k DraftKings, $4.7k FanDuel)
With Dion Waiters still not ready to return, Richardson should remain a solid mid-tier option with a relatively high floor in this matchup. Charlotte has become vulnerable on the perimeter and gives up the eighth-most FPPG (38.54) along with the tenth-most PPG (22.07) to opposing SGs on the season. With averages of 10.8 PPG, 3.2 APG and 3.8 STL/BLK per game while playing 34.1 MPG over his last five appearances, Richardson is worth using in cash games.

Value DFS NBA Plays

Jamal Murray ($4.5k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel)
He could take a hit in terms of playing time if Jameer Nelson (calf) returns to action tonight, but Murray is still a great value to target in a potential shootout. The rookie dropped 16 points with 5 rebounds and 5 dimes in a spot start at PG last night and draws a great matchup tonight against a Rockets team that gives up the most FPPG (50.42) to opposing PGs over the last month. He’s been sporadically productive even when Nelson is active and should retain a role with slashing scorer Will Barton already ruled out.

Blowout Targets
There are a few games tonight that could get ugly quick including the Spurs hosting the lowly Lakers. Danny Green, Dejounte Murray and Manu Ginobili are expected to sit with injuries and LaMarcus Aldridge (thumb) is a candidate for rest. That leaves Jonathon Simmons ($3.6k DK, $3.5k FD) as an appealing value with some upside during garbage time, while Patty Mills ($4.2k DK, $4.2k FD) could also light it up against a horrible defensive team. Speaking of which, the Warriors should continue to steamroll the opposition in Phoenix, so reserves such as Derrick Jones Jr. ($3.5k DK, $3.5k FD) might see extra run especially if T.J. Warren is still under the weather. Alex Len ($4.5k DK, $4.9k FD) remains under priced even though he’s a bit more dangerous to use in a fast-paced matchup. On the Warriors side, you could roll Ian Clark ($3k DK, $3.5k FD) or JaVale McGee ($3k DK, $3.8k FD) with Durant out a couple more games and Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green resting tonight. Matt Barnes and even Kevon Looney (if he plays on the back to back) could also provide nice point per dollar return.

If, Then Player

If Mike Conley sits out tonight after sustaining an eye injury last night, then Wade Baldwin IV could become a viable punt play while Troy Daniels would become an appealing GPP option.