Tastefully curated today by LineStar Fantasy Expert @GLandry on NBA chat.   

Happy Easter! If you don't celebrate Easter than Happy Sunday!  We have a packed day of basketball ahead of us with 13 NBA games on the schedule.  For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the main slate today which starts at 6 pm EST on both sites and has nine games.  We have a couple of more obvious games to target with playoff implications, high totals and close spreads and then a couple of sneakier games that we might find useful for tournaments.  Let's get to work!

I won't be able to do a pre-lock update today as I'll be having Easter dinner with my family.  Keep an eye on the news, updates, and projections pages at LineStar today and adjust your rosters accordingly.  Good luck!  

Guards

Kris Middleton, MIL [@DEN] (DK: $8.1K, FD: 7.8K)

This is one of the best games on the slate.  It has a massive 225 O/U but a spread of just 3.5.  Neither team is on a back to back so they are both rested.  Both teams are still in the playoff hunt.  Middleton is as consistent as they come with only two games under 30 fantasy points in the month of March.  The Nuggets are middle of the pack against small forwards on the season (remember he's shooting guard eligible on FanDuel so we are putting him here) ranking 13th in average fantasy points allowed per game.  I want some exposure to both sides of this game.  I debated between Middleton and Eric Bledsoe (who is playing really well right now) for a long time.  Ultimately, I ended up here as I believe Bledsoe's matchup (Denver is 29th against point guards over their last ten games) and his 64 fantasy point performance on Friday night will drive up ownership quite a bit.  Meanwhile, Middleton who is equally capable of the numbers Bledsoe is putting up will go lower owned and also comes at a slight discount.  Both players are in strong consideration today.  

Andrew Wiggins, MIN [vs. UTA] (DK: $6.7, FD: $6.1)

It's rare that I recommend a player against the Utah Jazz who are one of the better defensive teams in the league.  I'll start off by saying this is a tournament recommendation only.  The floor is lowered significantly in this matchup.  I think this game is sneaky.  There is no line as I currently write this but I would expect it to be a lower total than most games today.  This will probably cause most of the field to stay away.  But, it's between two teams who are currently hanging on for their lives in the tightly contested playoff race in the west.  Wiggins has seen a drop in price on both sites ($400 on DraftKings and $600 on FanDuel) despite consistent performances with at least 28 fantasy points in eight straight games.  The Timberwolves are also without Jimmy Butler as you know.  You may not know that Jeff Teague left their last game early holding his right hip.  He's currently listed as day to day.  If Teague misses in addition to Butler then Wiggins sees a 6.81% usage increase which equals nearly 11 additional fantasy points per game.  He's underpriced for a player in this scenario assuming Teague is out.  Wiggins is also averaging 40.9 minutes per game over the last week.  He'll be drastically under-owned today simply because he's up against the Jazz.  I'll be keeping a close eye on the news here.  

Josh Hart (DK: $5.4K, FD: $4.9K) & Alex Caruso (DK: $3.3K, FD: $3.8K), LAL [vs. SAC] 

The Lakers will be my highest owned team tonight and I'm hoping they go overlooked for two reasons.  First, it's the last game on the slate which tends to naturally carry less ownership.  Second, it's between two teams who have been eliminated from the playoffs long ago and will get less attention.  Lonzo Ball is doubtful with his knee contusion and Brandon Ingram is out with a concussion.  Isaiah Thomas is also out with his hip issue.  The Lakers rotation is incredibly thin for tonight's game.  Josh Hart and Alex Caruso should both be asked to take on heavy minutes running the point.  Hart will start and Caruso will manage the second unit.  Hart made his return from injury in the Lakers previous game and showed no signs of rust putting up 31 fantasy points in 35 minutes of action.  Caruso put up 20 fantasy points himself in 31 minutes of action.  I would expect similar workloads for these guys again today and it's an excellent matchup against the Kings who rank 22nd in average fantasy points allowed to point guards.  Hart should be chalk given he's the starter, his cheap price and strong game on Friday night.  Caruso is the GPP option as people may be hesitant to play him since he will be coming off the bench and was on his way back to the G-League just a few days ago before Ball's injury.  I'll have heavy exposure to both of these guys and most of the Lakers team today.  Quick side note Tyler Ennis could also benefit from these injuries but he only got 15 minutes in the last game compared to Caruso's 31.  It should be Caruso but thought it was worth mentioning that Ennis is still on the roster. 

Forwards

Anthony Davis, NOP [vs. OKC] (DK: $11.1, FD: $11.8)

Forward is loaded today with stud players like Lebron, Giannis, Durant, and Davis.  You'll need to prioritize these guys when building your rosters (Westbrook is also on this slate FYI.)  I'm prioritizing Davis for a few reasons.  One, he's taken a price decrease ($500 on both sites) after an inefficient outing in their last game.  Two, I told you I liked the Milwaukee at Denver game a lot.  Well, I like this one better.  This game brings us the largest O/U on the slate at 226 and a spread of only one.  The Thunder are currently sixth in the west at 44-33 and the Pelicans are in the eighth and final playoff spot at 43-33 with both the Clippers and the Nuggets right behind them at 41-35.  This is must win territory for both teams so after tonight somebody will be hanging on by a thread.  Outside of Kevin Durant, Davis also has the best matchup.  The Thunder are 27th in average fantasy points allowed per game to opposing power forwards over their last ten games.  In two meetings this season Davis has 61 and 64 fantasy points.  I'm hoping the masses choose Durant as their expensive forward today since he's in a great matchup against the Suns and he's also the least expensive of this group.  But, Durant is in a blowout situation which could lead to a slight decrease in minutes and with the Warriors starting to get healthy again he needs to share his usage with several players.  Davis won't have either of these issues today.  He's my favorite high priced player on the board.  

Kevin Love, CLE (vs. DAL) (DK: $7.7K, FD: $7.2K)

Love is not a player I roster all very often.  Having to find opportunities to put up points when you're sharing the floor with the King can be difficult. But his price, especially on FanDuel, made him jump off the page today.  He's seen a $900 drop in just the past week.  I know his performance has been up and down and he's been hurt recently but here is a guy that we know is capable of putting up monster games and he's less expensive than Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on this slate.  Love also has a history of beating up on Dallas with 53, 56 and 57 fantasy points against them in their last three meetings.  The Mavs are 29th against opposing centers in their last ten games (remember he's power forward eligible on FanDuel) giving up an average of 44 fantasy points per game in that span.  I'll be finding a way to get him on my rosters tonight.  

Maxi Kleber, DAL [@CLE] (DK: $3.6K, FD: $3.9K)

Who? That was my question too a couple of weeks ago when he first landed on my radar and I started paying attention.  A number of injuries to the Dallas frontcourt have given Kleber some additional playing time which he's done well with.  In his last three games, he's had 22, 19, and 29 fantasy points per game.  Those don't sound like very exciting numbers but when you factor in he's under $4K on both sites that's a huge return on investment.  Today, Dallas is looking more banged up than usual.  Currently, Salah Mejri, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwight Powell are all questionable.  If each of these guys were to miss or even two of them there would be a clear path to playing time for Kleber today.  It's an excellent matchup too as the Cavs are 27th in average fantasy points allowed to power forwards this season.  This is purely a punt GPP option but if he can get the start today or even close to 30 minutes off the bench this is definitely a guy who could pay off that I don't think many others will be on. 

Centers

Nikola Jokic, DEN [@MIL] (DK: $9.4K, FD: $10.2K)

Centers against Milwaukee.  I've been preaching it since I started writing these articles.  The Bucks are 27th in defensive efficiency and 23rd in average fantasy points allowed to centers.  Ready for this one?  Jokic put up 82 DraftKings points against the Bucks the last time they played (75 FanDuel points).  He had a triple-double with 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 17 assists.  He's expensive today and we know his performances can fluctuate which make him a difficult player to roster.  But, it's justified as the ceiling is enormous in this spot.  Center is pretty loaded today with guys like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, who are both playing out of their minds recently, also on this slate.  This should keep ownership relatively spread out.  If paying up at this position I'm going to hope that more people lean on Towns after the recent 80+ fantasy point game of his own and Drummond who is shouldering the load without Blake Griffin but getting expensive and playing on the second game of a back to back.  I'm all in on Jokic as my expensive center tonight.  

Rudy Gobert, UTA [@MIN] (DK: $7.5K, FD: $8.4K)

I mentioned earlier how I feel like this game is a bit sneaky given how important it is.  Here's another player I have a lot of interest in that should go completely under the radar today.  We'll start with the matchup.  Karl Anthony-Towns is an offensive powerhouse but a terrible defender.  He ranks 63rd of 80 centers this season in defensive real plus-minus.  The Timberwolves are 20th in fantasy points allowed to centers over their last ten games giving up an average of 33 per game during that span.  Gobert is priced down on both sites right now especially on DraftKings where he was $8.8K in mid-March.  That's a $1300 price decrease in just a couple of weeks.  He's coming off a couple of poor performances in a row with 32 and 24 fantasy points but they were also against the Celtics and Grizzlies who are above average defensive teams.  In his last meeting against Minnesota Gobert had 59 fantasy points including 16 rebounds.  He's a guy I'm very comfortable buying low on cause we know the ceiling is still there even if he's having a bit of a down season overall.  

Tyler Zeller, MIL [@DEN] (DK: $3.6K, FD: $3.8K)

If paying down at center today then here is where you'll want to be.  Thon Maker and John Henson are both currently listed as day to day on the Bucks injury report.  If they were to both miss the Bucks would be extremely thin in the frontcourt pushing Zeller into heavy minutes.  Henson was a late scratch in their last game and Zeller wound up playing 28 minutes and scoring 18 fantasy points.  Not exactly numbers to get excited about but similar to Max Kleber, who we talked about earlier, when you factor in Zeller's price anything around 20 fantasy points is a solid return (at least in cash games).  Zeller has also had a lot of success this season against the Nuggets with 31 and 24 fantasy point performances in two games off the bench.  If he gets somewhere near the 30-minute mark today, which is looking likely, and can put up numbers similar to what he's done against Denver already this year, you're looking at another guy bringing you eight to nine times return on his price tag.  It's not a matchup to shy away from either with Denver ranking 19th in average fantasy points allowed to centers over their last ten games.  He's our top value at center today and could provide the salary relief needed to fit in a couple of the more expensive guys available today.  

Injuries 🤕

Dallas at Cleveland

Cleveland:

• OUT: George Hill - PG/SG

• OUT: Kyle Korver - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Lebron James - SF/PF, Rodney Hood - SG/SF, Jordan Clarkson - PG/SG

Dallas:

• DTD: Salah Mejri - C

• QUEST: Dwight Powell - PF/C

• QUEST: Dirk Nowitzki - PF/C

• OUT: J.J. Barea - PG/SG

• OUT: Wesley Matthews - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Yogi Ferrell - PG/SG, Maxi Kleber - PF/C, Nerlens Noel - C

Orlando at Atlanta

Orlando:

• QUEST: Wes Iwundu - SG/SF

• OUT: Jonathon Simmons - SG/SF

• OUT: Evan Fournier - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Randy Purvis - PG/SG, Shelvin Mack - PG/SG

Atlanta:

• DTD: Jaylen Morris - SG

• OUT: Dennis Schroder - PG

• OUT: Kent Bazemore - SG/SF

• OUT: Malcolm Delaney - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Isaiah Taylor - PG, Damion Lee - SG/SF

Oklahoma City at New Orleans

Oklahoma City:

• No injuries reported

New Orleans:

• OUT: DeMarcus Cousins - PF/C

• UPGRADE: Anthony Davis - PF/C

Detroit at Brooklyn

Detroit:

• OUT: Blake Griffin - PF

• UPGRADE: Anthony Tolliver - PF

Brooklyn:

• DTD: Isaiah Whitehead - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: N/A

Utah at Minnesota

Utah:

• QUEST: Ricky Rubio - PG

• OUT: Raul Neto - PG

• UPGRADE: Dante Exum - PG/SG

Minnesota:

• DTD: Jeff Teague - PG

• DTD: Cole Aldrich - C

• DOUBT: Derrick Rose - PG

• UPGRADE: Tyus Jones - PG/SG, Jamal Crawford - SG

Milwaukee at Denver

Milwaukee:

• DTD: John Henson - PF/C

• DTD: Thon Maker - PF/C

• UPGRADE: Tyler Zeller - PF/C

Denver:

• DTD: Wilson Chandler - SF/PF

• OUT: Gary Harris - SG

• UPGRADE: Will Barton - SG/SF, Trey Lyles - SF/PF

Phoenix at Golden State

Phoenix:

• QUEST: Jared Dudley - PF

• QUEST: Elfrid Payton - PG

• OUT: Alex Len - C

• OUT: Tyson Chandler - C

• OUT: T.J. Warren - SF/PF

• OUT: Devin Booker - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Tyler Ulis - PG, Josh Jackson - SG/SF, Troy Daniels - PG/SG, Marquese Chriss - PF/C, Alan Williams - C

Golden State: 

• DTD: Andre Iguodala - SG/SF

• DTD: Omri Casspi - SF

• OUT: Steph Curry - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Quinn Cook - PG/SG, Patrick McCaw - PG/SF

Memphis at Portland

Memphis:

• QUEST: Marc Gasol - PF/C

• OUT: Chandler Parsons

• OUT: Andrew Harrison - PG/SG

• OUT: Tyreke Evans - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Marshon Brooks - PG/SG, Ben McLemore - SG/SF

Portland:

• OUT: Ed Davis - PF/C

• OUT: Moe Harkless - SF/PF

• UPGRADE: Evan Turner - SG/SF, Zach Collins - PF/C

Sacramento at LA Lakers

Sacramento:

• DTD: Garrett Temple - SG/SF

• DTD: Zach Randolph - PF/C

• UPGRADE: Bogdan Bogdanovic - SG/SF, Buddy Hield - SG/SF, Skal Labissiere - PF/C

LA Lakers:

• DOUBT: Lonzo Ball - PG

• OUT: Brandon Ingram - SG/SF

• OUT: Isaiah Thomas - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Josh Hart - PG/SF Alex Caruso - PG/SG, Kyle Kuzma - SF/PF

That's it!  There are definitely a couple of sneaky games for tournaments today that should go completely overlooked.  I'm really going to be heavy on the Lakers tonight.  It's a meaningless game but the players will play a ton of minutes without Ball and Ingram.  I would expect multiple players to push the 40-minute mark tonight and it's a great matchup against the Kings.  As a reminder, we won't be doing a pre-lock update today.  Hopefully, this article gives you enough to work with for now and you can adjust throughout the day as we get word on some of these injury situations.  There are no NBA games tomorrow so I'll see you back here on Tuesday for a huge 13 game main slate.  Have a great Sunday! 

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