NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: The End is Nigh! (April 18)

Friday bring the final phase of the Play-In Tournament, with the action tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks: Anthony Davis has the highest DFS projection and Scotty Pippen Jr. the best fantasy-point-per dollar ratio, making this duo the foundation for any style of roster. Trae Young is going to have to carry the Hawks to victory in Atlanta, while it seems the Miami Heat are consolidating everything into Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins.

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: Friday, April 18

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Currently in the Stokastic Boom/Bust Tool, teammate Caris LeVert has the best positive leverage score among the core Atlanta options. He was the first reserve in the game and also was on the court every minute that Young was sitting for the first three quarters. Vit Krejci did not enter the game until late in the third quarter, with coach Quin Snyder happy to let LeVert and Dyson Daniels steer the offense when Young was on the bench.

Daniels is one of the five most popular clicks across each of the DFS sites tonight, with the league leader in steals able to provide fantasy points through a myriad of avenues. His play has him on the short list for not only Most Improved Player, but also potentially the All-Defense team. He averaged a trio of thefts per game, which were well above the 1.8 of Nikola Jokic and Cason Wallace.

Sadly, even if Atlanta is able to beat Miami tonight, the team is likely to be swept at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat will see a similar fate, though they may be able to get a victory with coach Erick Spoelstra cooking up some sort of surprise wrinkle in the series.

Onyeka Okongwu is also having a breakout season, which has helped soften the loss of Jalen Johnson, who was a borderline All-Star when healthy.

Rookie Zaccharie Risacher and Mouhamed Gueye are expected to stay with the first five, per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page. Each is a neutral option, along with Georges Niang, and any of this trio has the potential to take minutes from the others if they are able to contribute on offense.

Terance Mann and Dominick Barlow are in play for those crafting north of 100 lineups, but each is projected to barely break through to double-digit fantasy points.

The return of Andrew Wiggins made Miami a three-headed offense, which is good for the Heat but bad for DFS gamers looking for any safe value plays. Alec Burks started the first and second halves, but those were his only two rotations, with each lasting about eight minutes. Davion Mitchell had 33.1 minutes off the bench since his defense is more valuable than Burks’, who becomes semi-redundant with Wiggins able to serve as a primary scorer alongside Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. This duo is a strong source of raw points, but neither is receiving a price break, even with Wiggins back in the mix.

The do-everything skills of Kyle Anderson should keep him live for 18 minutes with a chance to reach low-20s in play. Duncan Robinson should be mostly assured of 10 or so first half minutes, but more than a dozen is now risky with rookie Pelle Larsson available. It is hard to actually project minutes for Larsson, but knowing that he and former starter Jaime Jaquez Jr. are potential options for Spoelstra to throw into the mix, well, it certainly creates added uncertainty.

Haywood Highsmith has supplanted those youngsters in the rotation, but it is hard to see him with more than 12 to 14 minutes in a close game. Finally, there is rookie Kel’el Ware, though he is mostly going to be on the court for his defense, rebounding efforts and overall energy. That, of course, does not always translate into fantasy points, particularly since he is going to be the fifth offensive option when on the floor, so outside of putbacks and filling the lane on fast breaks, he is unlikely to reach double-digit points.

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The Stokastic Projections have revised the baseline for Williams down to just 5.9 minutes, Konchar at 14.2, Kennard at 17.8 and versatile frontcourt threat Santi Aldama leading all reserves with a 27.2 minutes projection, which is a tick more than his 26.7 minutes on Wednesday.

This shift in expectations has Pippen as the most popular player across the DFS sites, assuming he stays in the starting lineup. Ja Morant is questionable with an ankle issue, which kept him out of the last practice. Of course, the entire season is on the line, but him being out would turn this slate upside down, particularly if that information is not released until after tipoff for the opener. That late news seems likely, with the saying Morant will be a game-time decision. Memphis is favored by 6 points at home, so it would appear the market believes he is a go.

Rookie Zach Edey was able to keep himself on the court against Golden State, logging 33 minutes and 17 rebounds, including seven on offense. He did have five fouls, but it was good to see the speed of the Warriors frontcourt was something he could navigate. That bodes well for tonight since Dallas has a bigger frontcourt and less quickness — well, from Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, anyway.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane each project for mid-30s minutes, though with this game for all the marbles, they could easily reprise their 39 minutes of run from Wednesday.

There is nothing to infer from the four regular season meetings between Dallas and Memphis, with Anthony Davis not playing in any of the games, Luka Doncic playing in the first and Morant also missing two. Tonight is all about Davis, and he is going to need to put up at least 50 fantasy points for the Mavericks to have any chance at victory. Most of this will need to be via scoring, but any rebounds, blocks, etc. will be crucial in helping the Mavs upset the Grizzlies.

PJ Washington led the team with 36.9 minutes, and he should see similar run tonight if he can continue putting the biscuit in the basket. Though he was only 5 of 15 from the field and 1 of 6 from behind the arc, he converted all six free throws, giving him 17 points. Klay Thompson had 23 points in Sacramento, also adding in five rebounds, two assists and two stocks. The Mavericks are going to need to find a fourth scorer since it is unlikely that Brandon Williams will pour in another 17 points in this matchup.

Williams and Dante Exum split the point guard minutes off the bench with no overlap. Exum was the first reserve in the game, coming in at the 7:16 mark of the opening period, surprisingly over Spencer Dinwiddie. Dallas did not have a true point guard with the first five, letting Thompson and Naji Marshall cover for that role. This was also the case at the start of the second half, so it will be interesting to see if coach Jason Kidd sticks with this new formula.

Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy did not play until the last 2:02 of the game, which was a surprise. It was not a surprise that Dwight Powell had that same run. If Williams or Exum struggles, Dinwiddie could see more action, but this remains a murky situation.

Daniel Gafford had two minutes more than Lively, even as a reserve, so perhaps Lively is not yet up to mid-20s minutes. Each projects for around 19 minutes with plus or minus two easily going from one to the other. Keep in mind that Davis and Washington can also serve as the center.

Veteran Caleb Martin and third-year guard Max Christie are each live for between 10 and 17 minutes, but anything over 12 should be considered a bonus.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks

If you’re serious about winning in NBA DFS, you know the edge comes from having the right tools. The same principle applies to sports betting — and that’s where Portfolio EV steps in.

Take Kel’el Ware over 18.5 points + rebounds + assists (PRA) tonight, for example. It’s a +EV bet, meaning it has positive expected value when compared to the best odds available across the market. But the real strength of Portfolio EV isn’t about finding just one good bet — it’s about consistently finding dozens. With the Mass Entry tool, you can scale up, place a high volume of +EV bets, and let the math do the heavy lifting.

Just like you wouldn’t count on one DFS lineup to ship a GPP, you don’t count on one bet to carry your night.

Portfolio EV is built for long-term profitability. It helps you spot market inefficiencies, compare lines across books and generate a steady stream of +EV bets. It doesn’t chase heaters, but rather trusts the numbers, follows a process and builds sustainable profit over time.

The 19 PRA needed is rather lofty, with Ware seeing 22 minutes in the last game, posting 6 points, nine rebounds and three assists for 17 PRA. It is the field goal attempts that are the wild card variable, as he sees a crunch with the return of Wiggins to the lineup. The rookie will still be active on the glass, but this wager is likely to be nip and tuck down to the wire.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today

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