Daily Fantasy Basketball: April 6th, 2016

By Eric Hastings on Wednesday, April 6^th 2016

The NBA's playoff race becomes more interesting as the season dwindles. Many team's still have several spots they could climb or fall due to similiar win percentages in the middle of each conference. There are key games between now and next week that could determine whether a team earns home court advantage, or drops significantly in the standings to play a top team on their court. This is exciting stuff, and for FanDuel purposes, it makes choosing players all the more difficult. My mantra for the rest of the season is unwavering, I will only recommend players who have reason to be on the court and have shown no disappearing as their team enters the final stretch.

Going Elite

Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers $8,000

Dame Game has been overshadowed of late by his backcourt teammate, but he's still the main attraction and continues to pour out solid production every night. If the regular season were to end right now, the Blazers would be visiting OKC in a almost certain playoff exit in five games or less.

However, the Blazers are only a half of a game behind the Grizzlies to advance into the fifth spot, which would place the Blazers against the Clippers who seem like a more manageable foe. Expect the Blazers to treat tonight like a playoff game, which means Lillard could be in for a big night. He's only averaged 31 FFPG over the last five, but he's capable of of much more than that. The point guard landscape is scary above Lillard, as CP3 and Westbrook could rest at any moment as their playoff spots are solidified. Go with what's certain.

James Harden, Houston Rockets $10,900

The Beard has been carrying the Rockets as they desperatly vie for a final playoff spot in the West. The Rockets have a huge game tonight against the Mavericks in a game that has the most signficance on the schedule. Harden is averaging a whopping 52 FFPG over the last five and plays a Mavs team who is trying to survive while key cogs are injured (Parsons, Williams). Harden's standard deviation is slightly worrisome, as he can fluctuate twenty fantasy points in either direction, but his ceiling is what your investment is buying. He can and should be the top fantasy scorer tonight.

Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics $7,700

IT has been superb for the C's throughout the entire season, and has been an elite point guard coming down the final stretch. He's averaging 31 FFPG over the last five, which is on the low end because of falling assist totals. Evan Turner has been ruled out for tonight's game so IT will have to be even more of a playmaker than usual to get the Celtics out in front aganist the lowly Pelicans who are one of the worst defensive teams agaisnt point guards. IT could realistically rack up 30 fantasy points by halftime.

Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons $8,000

Drummond and Vucevic are both excellent choices tonight, but because the Pistons have much more to play for, i'm going with Drummond in what should be a great battle between superb centers. Drummond's fantasy numbers have slipped of late, but that shouldn't be a concern against the Magic who are in the more generous half of the league against opposing centers for fantasy purposes. He's averaging 34 FFPG over the last five, and is in for a normal workload to close out the season as the Pistons try to avoid a first round matchup against the Cavaliers.

*Not in lineup, but still elite options

Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic $8,000

The Vooch is back, healthy, and ready for a solid end to another disappointing season for the Magic. Since returning from injury, the Vooch has steadily increased in production over the last three games even when coming off the bench.

Paul George, Indiana Pacers $8,900

Certainly, the Pacers would prefer to play the Raptors over the Cavs in the first round of the playoffs. It's obvious that the Pacers need to beat out the Pistons record over these final games to ensure that there preference is honored. PG is the key to whether or not the Pacers can hold off the Pistons, and so far, he's done everything in his power to ensure the seventh seed is owned by Indiana. PG has a mild ankle injury, but has stated that he doesn't plan to be inhibited by it. The matchup against Lebron concerns me, so he isn't in my lineup, however, he's still an option that I couldn't blame any FanDuel owner from taking this evening.

Value Plays

Luke Babbitt, New Orleans Pelicans $5,000

Babbitt returns to my value plays tonight as the poor Pelicans travel to Boston after losing the Sixers last night. Babbitt has been somewhat of a bright spot for the Pellies during this meaningless part of the season, and he should continue to excel with the extended opportunity. The C's give up the most fantasy points to opposing centers over the last ten games, so all signs point towards Babbitt returning great value for his salary.

Jeremy Lin, Charlotte Hornets $4,200

Linsanity returns to Madison Square Garden fresh off a 35 point fantasy outing. I don't expect Lin to repeat that output, but he should be in for a solid night as Nicolas Batum is uncertain to play, meaning there are many more playmakign opportunites to go around. The Hornets are only one game back from clinching the fourth seed, so expect this team to thrown everything they have at the Knicks tonight.

Maurice Harkless, Portland Trailblazers $4,400

Mo Harkless has stepped up in the ever changing forwar rotation of the Blazers by contributing solid rebound numbers in a steady minutes. He's surpassed 30 minutes in four out of the last seven games and shoul be primed for a great end to the season. He's averaging 29 FFPG over the last five which makes his salary an incredible value.