Monday has a short two-game featured slate locking at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including Cade Cunningham, Domantas Sabonis and Bam Adebayo as the stalwarts, with plenty of pending news that could turn things upside down.
These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page!
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Monday, April 7
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Cade Cunningham: Pistons vs. Kings
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 47.27 | FanDuel: 44.77
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 47.27 | FanDuel: 44.77
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,500 | FanDuel: $10,300
On Saturday, Cade Cunningham returned from a six-game absence, logging 27:50 in a 109-103 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He was solid in the abbreviated outing, posting 25 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a block. Expectations are that he will get back above 30 minutes tonight with the calf issue behind him.
The Stokastic projections have Cunningham for 32.8 minutes, which is below his season average of 35.1. There is motivation for Detroit to win this game, plus it is a 7.5-point home favorite. Milwaukee is one game ahead in the standings with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference. That slot is shaping up to face the Indiana Pacers in the first round, which would be a more desirable matchup than taking on the New York Knicks.
Tobias Harris (Achilles) missed the last two games and four of the last five, currently holding a questionable designation for tonight. Jalen Duran (calf) missed the last game too, and he is also questionable for tonight.
If Duran is out again, then Isaiah Stewart will be the punt du jour, slotting in with the first five. That would also elevate Paul Reed, though he continues to be a frustratingly foul-prone frontcourt option.
The expectation is that Dennis Schroder will remain in the starting lineup if Harris is out, but the Pistons could always throw a curveball (hey, it’s baseball season) by starting Malik Beasley. The nomadic NBA scorer has lived up to his “Threesley” nickname, ranking second in the league with 301 made 3-pointers, trailing Anthony Edwards by only two.
Ausar Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. are tournament pivots, with each getting a boost if Harris remains out.
Tonight is a back-to-back for Sacramento as the Kings are coming off a solid 120-113 victory in Cleveland last night. There is strong motivation for Sactown to go for broke since it is only half a game ahead of Dallas, with the better record earning homecourt advantage in the Play-In Tournament.
Jake LaRavia (thumb) remains out, and Keegan Murray (back) missed Sunday’s matchup. The starters all played 40 minutes, with Zach LaVine leading the team at 42. Former Piston Trey Lyles received the spot start for Murray, and he could reprise that role tonight. Malik Monk saw just 20 minutes off the bench, and the other reserves combined for only 18 minutes. Keon Ellis continues to play ahead of him, though that feels more tenuous than a sticky trend.
Domantas Sabonis continues to be the rebound king, leading the league for a third consecutive season, corralling a personal-best 13.9 caroms per game. He also is first with 57 double-doubles, while his nine triple-doubles are evidence of his DFS upside. He has the second-highest median fantasy point projection, trailing only Cunningham in the four-team player pool.
Stokastic’s NBA DFS Single Lineup Simulator is a groundbreaking tool that revolutionizes lineup building by providing data-driven simulations, making it a must-have for serious players. Check out how the Simulator evaluates this single lineup for today’s slate:
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Bam Adebayo: Heat vs. 76ers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 42.32 | FanDuel: 41.3
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 36.6% | FanDuel: 45.3%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,200 | FanDuel: $9,000
Miami has serious motivation tonight as the Heat host the Philadelphia 76ers. While it would be a longshot to catch the Orlando Magic for the top spot in the Play-In Tournament, both the Chicago Bulls (one game) and Atlanta Hawks (two games) could be reeled in.
Tyler Herro missed the last game with a thigh bruise, and he is questionable for tonight. Andrew Wiggins has missed the last five games with a hamstring injury, though he is closing in on a return.
Expect coach Spoelstra to play things safe since Bam Adebayo and the understudies should be able to handle the 76ers, who have lost the last 11 games and 13 of the last 14 tilts. The lone victory in this stretch was back in the middle of March when Quentin Grimes powered Philly to a 130-125 win in Dallas, showing out with 28 points against the team that traded him to purgatory. Grimes is going to be a restricted free agent, so at some point it would make sense for him to be shut down. However, as long as he is starting, something along the lines of his last three game averages is a reasonable baseline. He has logged a whopping 36.7 minutes, 26 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals, so even knocking 10% off his minutes would still keep him in the tournament mix with Monday’s short slate.
Per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page, it looks like Lonnie Walker IV and Adem Bona will be in the starting lineup with Justin Edwards’ status in the air, as he suffered a rib injury in Saturday’s contest. Bona is a solid tournament target, though he has a high propensity for foul trouble and an increasing salary. Walker is a reasonable fantasy point-per-dollar option, with Grimes and Jared Butler the key Sixers keeping the patchwork offense together.
Rookie Kel’el Ware is always live for a double-double, particularly against an injured frontcourt like Philadelphia’s current pivot situation. The rest of the Heat are hard to get a read on, depending on the availability of Herro, Wiggins, and also Haywood Highsmith (Achilles) and Alec Burks (back) on the injury report.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
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Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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