The NBA is back with a full slate of games on Tuesday, and the action gets underway at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including Paolo Banchero, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley as the foundational plays, with plenty of pending news to shake things up.
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: Tuesday, April 8
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Darius Garland: Cavaliers vs. Bulls
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 40.87 | FanDuel: 38.81
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 40.5% | FanDuel: 47.3%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $7,800 | FanDuel: $7,500
Understanding motivation at this point of the season is paramount, and even then it is not always clear. Just last night, it looked like Bam Adebayo was a strong option on the two-game slate, only for him to be a late add to the injury report, ultimately sitting against Philadelphia. Miami won at home, but it was a contested game where it would not have been had Adebayo played.
Cleveland has already ruled out Donovan Mitchell, but it would not be a shock if another starter joins him on the sidelines. The Cavaliers need to win one of their last four games to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference. After tonight, they play a home-and-home against Indiana on Thursday and Sunday, with a trip to New York in between on Friday. Expect more rest on that back-to-back, so perhaps tonight we will get Darius Garland and Evan Mobley enjoying increased usage without Mitchell on the floor.
Chicago is only a half game up on Miami for the right to host the first game in the Play-In Tournament. The Bulls trail Atlanta by one game and Orlando by two, though even with improvement in their grasp, the decision has been made to rest Coby White. Kevin Huerter is also out, and Nikola Vucevic and Josh Giddey are questionable. Considering the Bulls are 12.5-point road dogs, it wouldn’t be a shock to see this duo out as well.
Looking at the schedule, Chicago hosts Miami tomorrow night, which would be a key win, then it finishes the season against Washington and in Philadelphia. Expect a more robust injury report as the day progresses.
Depending on what Chicago does, the key Cavaliers may not need a full complement of minutes to secure the victory, though we will need to see how the dust settles.
Ty Jerome dropped 20 points against Sacramento on Sunday in 23 minutes after missing five games with a knee injury. The team will need his depth in the postseason, so there is no need to push him tonight, but he could easily post a fantasy-relevant score in 24 to 26 minutes.
If Garland, Mobley or Jarrett Allen end up sitting tonight, that will push the projection prospects for Max Strus, Sam Merrill and any of the trio that suits up.
Chicago is a little tougher to get a read on, though Dalen Terry and Talen Horton-Tucker could move into prominence if Giddey and Vucevic are out. UPDATE: Giddey and Vucevic are out, add in Zach Collins, Jalen Smith and Jevon Carter to the mix with Terry and THT.
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Paolo Banchero: Magic vs. Hawks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 49.82 | FanDuel: 47.87
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 43.5% | FanDuel: 31.2%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $9,800
This is a crucial game for both teams, as mentioned above, with Orlando holding a one-game lead over Atlanta for the top slot in the Play-In Tournament. That means a homecourt advantage, plus a mulligan in the event of a loss.
These teams meet again on Sunday, with the Magic hosting Boston tomorrow and heading to Indiana on Friday. The Hawks in turn have games in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, which is what makes tonight’s matchup paramount for both teams.
Orlando is a 4.5-point home favorite and has no players of note on the injury report. Atlanta is in a similar position, albeit with Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela having been unavailable for some time. Paolo Banchero is wrapping up a tremendous season, and he has been locked in since returning from his oblique injury. When the Magic last played on Thursday, he posted a magnificent stat line of 33 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists and a block for 70 fantasy points in Washington. Over his last 10 games, he had 48-plus fantasy points eight times, including a pair of 60-point performances in mid-March.
A win tonight would really put the onus on Atlanta, so expect Franz Wagner to see heavy minutes as well, forming a potent two-man attack with Banchero. Wagner has taken on more of the offensive facilitation duties with Cole Anthony missing seven games and being brought back slowly over the last two. This has impacted Wagner’s overall fantasy production, but he still possesses 50-fantasy point upside.
Per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page, it looks like Cory Joseph, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr. will round out the first five. Unfortunately, with so much usage going to Banchero and Wagner, it renders everyone else unplayable on the large slate.
Dyson Daniels is a neutral play on FanDuel ($8,200, 8.3%), and no other Hawks is in play. Caris LeVert gets the nod on DraftKings ($4,600, 9.5%). Daniels, Trae Young and Onyeka Okongwu are going to need strong performances for Atlanta to pull off an upside, but between their salaries and the tough Magic defense, it is not particularly prudent to push the chips into the middle with anyone from the team.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
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Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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