FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 4/4/23

Since it's much simpler to predict than baseball or football, daily fantasy basketball would get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right?

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also come at you with this primer daily, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

Yesterday's men's college title game created an off day for the NBA. As a result, we've got 13 games and an official injury report bursting at the seams today.

We'll see if Nikola Jokic (calf) returns for the Nuggets today as a sizable favorite in Houston. He's the biggest name in doubt.

The Lakers might actually climb all the way to a playoff spot, and LeBron James (foot) has played three straight through a questionable tag to help them get there. They're in Utah, and the Jazz have Lauri Markkanen (hand) and Collin Sexton (hamstring) upgraded to questionable to face them. Walker Kessler (concussion) will sit.

Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Monte Morris (ankle) will join Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal in street clothes tonight against Milwaukee. The Bucks are choosing to rest Khris Middleton (knee) and Grayson Allen (ankle) in Washington D.C. tonight.

A flu bug must be in the air with Trae Young (illness) questionable for a pivotal game for the Hawks in Chicago. De'Andre Hunter (knee) is already out.

Jaylen Brown (knee) is questionable for the Celtics tonight in Philadelphia. Boston has already chosen to rest Robert Williams (knee) for this one.

Charlotte's injury disaster of a season -- most of them legitimate -- continues. PJ Washington (foot) will join Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre, and Gordon Hayward on the sidelines tonight against Toronto. Center Mark Williams (thumb) is doubtful, and Dennis Smith Jr. (toe) is questionable. The Raps might be down OG Anunoby (ankle), Gary Trent Jr. (back), and/or Precious Achiuwa (illness).

The Spurs' injury games will continue into Tuesday, as well. With Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan out, Keldon Johnson (foot) is doubtful to play, and Zach Collins (elbow) is questionable. We likely won't get clarity from Phoenix before lock.

Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) is a question mark for Minnesota tonight as they visit Brooklyn.

Miami is expecting Bam Adebayo (hip) back from a one-game absence via his probable status. Kyle Lowry (knee) is questionable. The hosting Pistons added Marvin Bagley III (concussion) to their list of season-ending injuries on Sunday.

Yes, the "Portland Circus" is on this slate, too. In addition to the four key starters out for weeks, Nassir Little (ankle) won't play on Tuesday. They're a mess with Trendon Watford (ankle), Cam Reddish (back), Kevin Knox (knee), Matisse Thybulle (knee), and John Butler Jr. (ankle) all listed as questionable, and frankly, they're playing such a dumb rotation that it might not matter. Dillon Brooks (hip) is questionable on the other side for Memphis.

Though potentially back soon, Andrew Wiggins (personal) remains out for Golden State on Tuesday. They're hosting Oklahoma City with playoff ramifications on the line.

Finally, Malik Monk (leg) is questionable for Sacramento's fun showdown with New Orleans tonight.

Guards

Urgency isn't a bad strategy in daily fantasy these days, which might explain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,600) at the top of our projections in a playoff push against the Warriors.

Golden State has allowed the seventh-most FanDuel points per game to point guards this year, and SGA's floor is pretty sturdy when topping 30 points in all but one game since the break. Stephen Curry ($10,200) hit 10 threes when these teams met last month in OKC, too.

If the Raptors are indeed shorthanded, Fred VanVleet ($8,600) could sport a monstrous effort if the score stays close in Charlotte. He's seen a team-best 3.4 percentage-point increase in usage with Anunoby off the floor this season. He's a similar choice to Jrue Holiday ($7,800) without Middleton of balancing increased usage with a large spread.

The Spurs' injury situation hasn't changed, and neither has the salary of Tre Jones ($5,800). He flirted with a triple-double in Sunday's shocking win over the Kings, but he'd also be one of the first off the floor if the 19-point spread against Phoenix got out of hand.

Some of these teams are shells of themselves, so we've got no shortage of value. Dennis Smith Jr. ($6,500) is probably the safest and best option if he plays, but Jordan Goodwin ($5,800) and Johnny Davis ($4,200) of the Wizards should have full roles, and Smith's teammate James Bouknight ($4,600) works with or without DSJ, too.

Others projecting well on this slate include C.J. McCollum ($7,900), Killian Hayes ($6,000), Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk ($5,400), and Portland's duo of Skylar Mays ($5,000) and Shaquille Harrison ($4,300).

Don't forget Dejounte Murray ($8,800) if Trae sits.

Wings

All of this salary has to go somewhere, and Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,900) is a high-risk, high-reward choice to use it.

The 13-point spread in D.C. is large, but it's not unmanageable. Giannis posted 38 points, 17 boards, and 12 assists in a full night of work last week with Middleton out, so you know he can stuff the stat sheet for as long as he's permitted to play.

The playmaking progression of Brandon Ingram ($9,900) is quietly turning the Pels into a contender. He's dished at least seven assists in six of his past seven games, and he's exceeded 50 FanDuel points in four of his last six. This salary feels large, but it's fair in a projected shootout with Sacramento.

It would help Anthony Edwards ($8,500) quite a bit if Towns sits. He's eclipsed 45 FanDuel points just once since Towns returned but is averaging 43.5 per 36 with KAT off the floor this season.

In a must-win game for both teams, Zach LaVine ($8,000) stays at this peculiar salary mark when he's eclipsed 40 FanDuel points eight times since March 1st. Atlanta cedes the seventh-most FanDuel points to shooting guards, too.

Tanking clubs are a factor here, too. It turns out Corey Kispert ($5,000) is a bucket after all, surpassing 27 real-life points in back-to-back contests without Porzingis. Doug McDermott ($4,400) and Julian Champagnie ($3,800) both eclipsed that mark in the Spurs' last game, too.

Trey Murphy III ($6,400), Saddiq Bey ($5,600), Jonathan Kuminga ($5,300), and Eugene Omoruyi ($4,500) are others projecting well on the slate.

Bigs

If you're wondering how the Lakers turned it around so quickly, it's pretty much on the back of Anthony Davis ($11,400) and his return to MVP-level play.

Davis has been on a scoring binge with at least 37 points in four of his last five games, and the matchup doesn't get much better than tonight. With Walker Kessler, the Jazz have allowed the seventh-most FanDuel points to centers. Without him, they may not have a prayer to stop A.D.

In a potential shootout, Domantas Sabonis ($10,000) has a fair salary. He's eclipsed 50 FanDuel points just once since March 18th, but blowouts and matchups have played a factor with his role largely unchanged. The Pels are another bottom-10 team against centers.

Like VanVleet, Pascal Siakam ($9,200) should dominate for as long as Toronto's game with the wounded Hornets stays close. Considering the Raptors' -1.7 net rating away from home this year, it's not a guarantee they blow Charlotte out.

Rudy Gobert ($7,700) and Alperen Sengun ($7,400) are the two best center plugs above the value tier in our projections, and Gobert's value rises considerably if Towns sits. Sengun's blowout risk would lessen substantially if Denver rests Nikola Jokic once more.

On the other side of Siakam, the Hornets have played Nick Richards ($5,200) and Kai Jones ($4,500) in tandem, and Siakam and Jakob Poeltl are a matchup of bigs they could log substantial minutes against once more. JT Thor ($4,800) should play as much as possible in PJ Washington's spot, too.

Daniel Gafford ($6,000) and Anthony Gill ($3,600) should man plenty of minutes in the Wizards' depleted frontcourt. They and the Charlotte options are the best picks at the position today, but Kelly Olynyk ($6,600), John Collins ($5,400), and Juan Toscano-Anderson ($4,200) also deserve a shout.