On Friday, April 1st, there are ten games scheduled in the NBA. And assuming you’ve had enough of April Fools’ Day by this point, we’ve put together our most confident picks for you when it comes to drafting your daily fantasy basketball team. Our emphasis here is on value—or, in other words, finding great fantasy point potential without paying too much for it.
Shooting Guard to Start
Shooting guards have the potential to score a lot of fantasy points in a supplementary manner. This often lets them fly under the radar without being too expensive in most leagues. DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors is definitely not an under the radar type player, but he’s likely to put up a lot of fantasy points for you without being too expensive. He has been averaging 23.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, leading the Raptors to one of their best seasons in recent memory. However, there are cheaper players with almost as impressive results. Klay Thompson is one of the leaders here. The Golden State Warriors player has been putting up 22.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He also has 0.8 steals, which helps his fantasy worth. He’s not quite at DeRozan level, but will be a lot cheaper, making him quite an attractive pick.
Point Guards on the Horizon
As good as Steph Curry is right now, it seems foolish not to draft the Golden State PG. However, if you do draft him, you will be spending a ton of your salary on him, and the rest of your lineup will suffer as a result. But this might not be a bad thing. He’s putting up more fantasy points than any other player in the NBA right now, and his 30.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game are unstoppable. He also has 2.2 steals per game, which is a nice little boost for a PG.
If you can’t justify spending so much on a player, then John Wall of the Washington Wizards is the next best thing in this position. He has 20.0 points per game, which is much weaker than Curry, but his other stats make him a good choice. He has been putting up 4.9 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, making him a bit cheaper than Curry, but a strong pick regardless. You may also want to consider Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. He’s a big step down in price, but still a contender at the position.
Forwards Grab the Boards
DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings is a strong choice here, but he might not be playing on Friday. The same is true of LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the amount that either of these players will cost you, you don’t want to risk someone that will see limited playing time.
As for backups, you should be looking to Carmelo Anthony as your go-to choice. The New York Knicks are playing the weak Brooklyn Nets, and Anthony is a strong player with a high likelihood of a great game against the Nets. He will be cheaper than what he’s capable of for this game, and we really like that. Plus, he’s been playing well lately, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t put up big numbers here.
Win with a Good Center
We just said that the Nets were weak, and that the Knicks would have a good game against them, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t draft Brook Lopez as your center. Lopez will be one of the cheapest players on your lineup, but he’s already faced a lot of teams much better than his own, and has shown he can still post good numbers. The 20.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game that he’s been averaging are all strong numbers, and they’ve mostly been accomplished against more talent than what he has on the Nets. He’s known for carrying his team, and that adds up to a pretty good fantasy showing for him, despite his teammates.
