Happy Easter! Sunday features a four-game main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
The Hornets are currently locked in a tight battle in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re sitting in eighth place at 42-36, but they’re just 1.5 games behind the Raptors for the No. 6 seed. However, they’re also just one game ahead of the 10th-place Heat. The final week of the regular season will ultimately determine which two teams earn the final guaranteed playoff spots and who will have to qualify via the play-in tournament.
One thing that is for sure is that the Hornets have been playing excellent basketball. They’re 16-7 since the All-Star break, and they’re first in the league in offensive efficiency during that stretch. Only the Spurs have been better in terms of Net Rating, with Charlotte outscoring opponents by +13.1 points per 100 possessions.
LaMelo Ball has unsurprisingly been a big part of their success. His minutes have been slightly limited of late, but he’s still averaging an elite 1.42 DraftKings points per minute. He needed just 30 minutes in his last outing to score 44.0 DraftKings points vs. the Pacers.
Ball is projected for 30.5 minutes on Sunday’s slate, and his matchup will be tougher this time around. He’s taking on the Timberwolves, who rank fifth in defensive efficiency. That said, Ball still owns the second-highest ceiling projection at point guard in our NBA Models, and he trails Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by just two points. Ball is available at a considerable discount compared to SGA, making him the clear top choice if spending up at the position. He leads all point guards in Sim Labs optimal lineup rate.
Value
The Pelicans have a couple of key injuries to monitor Sunday. They’ve listed both Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy as questionable, which would open up a handful of minutes in their rotation.
Murray also missed the team’s last game, which allowed Jeremiah Fears to step into a much larger role. He logged just under 37 minutes vs. the Kings, and he responded with 49.0 DraftKings points. Fears has averaged 1.12 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he’s capable of doing a lot of damage with an expanded role.
Even if Murray does manage to suit up Sunday, Fears could still provide value. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in six straight games, and Murray has been active for four of them. Fears remains underpriced at $5,100, resulting in a 95% Bargain Rating.
Fast Break
Jalen Suggs has been a strong option for the Magic of late. He’s gone for at least 43.5 DraftKings points in two of his past three games, giving him a strong ceiling at just $6,800. He should continue to play 30-plus minutes with Anthony Black on the sidelines, and he’s another player with a 95% Bargain Rating on DraftKings.
The Jazz are basically out of bodies at this point. They’ve already ruled out eight players for Sunday, leaving Kennedy Chandler to handle most of the point guard minutes. He’s turned in some decent outings in that role of late, posting a positive Plus/Minus in four of his past seven games. He had 32.25 DraftKings points in 32.5 minutes two games ago, and he’s projected for another 29 minutes Sunday.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
Franz Wagner is officially back for the Magic, suiting up in the team’s past two games. However, his minutes are being carefully managed. He’s played less than 20 minutes in both outings, so he shouldn’t see a huge spike in playing time Sunday.
That means Desmond Bane should continue to benefit from an elevated usage rate. His performances have been up and down recently, but the highs have been pretty high. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in two of his past three games, including 50.25 DraftKings points in his last outing. He owns the top ceiling projection at shooting guard, and his $7,200 price tag is pretty reasonable. The Magic also have one of the best matchups of the day, with the Pelicans ranking 22nd in defensive efficiency this season.
Value
The big news in the NBA right now involves the Los Angeles Lakers. They’ve been playing their best basketball of the season down the stretch, but they just suffered two massive injuries. Luka Doncic is going to miss at least the rest of the regular season, while Austin Reaves will miss the next 4-6 weeks with an oblique injury. It’s going to make things extremely difficult for the Lakers in the loaded Western Conference playoffs.
Luke Kennard is going to have to help pick up the slack. He was acquired before the trade deadline, and he’s had a meaningful impact on the team. He hasn’t been great for fantasy purposes, averaging just 0.62 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, but he’s projected for 29 minutes Sunday vs. the Mavericks. Historically, players with comparable salaries and minute projections have averaged a Plus/Minus of +1.88 (per the Trends tool). Kennard has personally averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.18 in that split, so he’s capable of providing value on this slate.
Fast Break
Kon Knueppel has cooled off a bit of late, but he’s still having a historic rookie season. He’s knocked down more 3-pointers than any rookie in NBA history, shooting a blistering 43.1% from 3-point range on 7.9 attempts per game. Kneuppel has averaged 1.03 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s coming off 35.5 DraftKings points in his last outing. He has the third-highest optimal lineup rate at the position, so he’s another viable pay-up option.
Cody Williams has been a major bright spot for the tanking Jazz. He was the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he struggled to earn playing time at the start of the year. However, he’s taken full advantage of his recent opportunities, posting an average Plus/Minus of +3.87 over his past 10 games. He’s gone for at least 42.5 DraftKings points in two of his past three outings, and he should be looking at another heavy workload Sunday.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
How you choose to approach the Thunder will be a big question on this slate. On one hand, they’re massive 24-point favorites against the Jazz. This game will most likely be a blowout, which means most of their key players will play reduced minutes. On the other hand, the Thunder are implied for a ridiculous 131.25 points, which leads the slate by more than 10 points. Even in limited playing time, some of their players could still post huge performances.
Jalen Williams is still being eased back into action, but he’s put together decent numbers in recent games. He had 36.25 DraftKings points in just 23.1 minutes Thursday, and he had 38.5 DraftKings points in 26.7 minutes the previous Friday. Overall, he’s averaged 1.17 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He should be locked into around 23-26 minutes regardless of the game script in this matchup, making him an interesting contrarian target. He’s projected for less than 3% ownership.
Value
Jake LaRavia could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Lakers’ injury situation. He’s projected for 35 minutes in our NBA Models, which is the top mark on the squad. He’s also seen a nice uptick in value with Doncic and Reaves off the floor this season, averaging 0.86 DraftKings points per minute.
LaRavia also stands out as underpriced on DraftKings. He’s priced at just $5,000, resulting in a 92% Bargain Rating. Add it all up, and he stands out as one of the best value targets on the slate.
Fast Break
John Konchar is another potential target for the shorthanded Jazz. He’s projected for 31 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged a respectable 0.88 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He’s averaged a Plus/Minus of +5.21 over his past 10 outings, and he’s gone for at least 35.0 DraftKings points in three of his past six. Konchar is another player who stands out as a nice value, given his 92% Bargain Rating.
Brice Sensabaugh has arguably the highest ceiling out of Utah’s remaining options. He’s averaged an outstanding 1.26 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s played at least 32.7 minutes in back-to-back games. He had 46.5 DraftKings points in one of those outings, and he had three other games with at least 44.25 DraftKings points in March. His price tag has crept up to $6,700, but he ranks second at the position in ceiling projection.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
We’re going to find out exactly how much LeBron James has left in the tank over the next few weeks. He’s going to be asked to serve as the team’s offensive focal point for as long as Doncic and Reaves are sidelined. When he has been in that situation this season, he’s generally looked up to the challenge. He’s seen a +9.02% usage bump with both players off the floor this season, resulting in an average of 1.57 DraftKings points per minute. That said, whether he can keep up that type of production for an extended stretch without both players remains to be seen.
Still, it is undoubtedly a positive development for LeBron’s fantasy prospects. He leads Sunday’s slate in basically every metric of note, including median, ceiling, and Plus/Minus projection. He’s popping in the optimal lineup simulations more than 77% of the time, so it’s hard to imagine building too many lineups without him. He should be set for a strong showing vs. the Mavericks, who are 22nd in defensive efficiency over their past 15 games.
Value
While James is the clear top stud on this slate, Derik Queen is the clear top value target. He’s been a monster as a rookie when he’s had the opportunity to play legit minutes. He hit a swoon in the middle of the season, but the team has ramped up his minutes in recent games. He’s logged at least 27.6 minutes in back-to-back contests, and he’s responded with at least 29.5 DraftKings points in each.
Queen is projected for another 28 minutes Sunday, and he’s averaged 1.08 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. If he’s going to continue to see that much playing time, he’s simply too cheap at $4,600. His price tag comes with a 98% Bargain Rating, while only James and LaRavia have better optimal lineup rates.
Fast Break
Rui Hachimura should also pick up a few additional minutes for the Lakers. He’s not nearly the same level of per-minute producer as some of the other value options on this slate, averaging 0.62 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. That said, he’s projected for 32 minutes at just $4,400. That’s a lot of playing time for such a cheap price tag, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.78.
Paolo Banchero could be a bit overlooked at a nearly identical price tag to James. However, there’s no reason you can’t play both together; there’s more than enough value available to do so. Banchero has had a disappointing season, but he’s still capable of a ceiling performance from time to time. He has the fourth-highest ceiling projection on the slate, and he has the fourth-highest optimal lineup rate at power forward.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Kyle Filipowski isn’t a traditional stud, but he’s delivered some stud-like performances for the shorthanded Jazz. He struggled in his last game, but he had between 42.5 and 50.0 DraftKings points in each of his four previous contests. He still had more than 30 minutes of playing time in his last game, and he’s averaged 1.38 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
This is nothing new for Filipowski. He’s averaged a Plus/Minus of +5.11 in 36 career games with at least 28 projected minutes. He owns the top ceiling projection among Sunday’s centers, and his $7,000 price tag comes with a 97% Bargain Rating.
Value
DeAndre Ayton is another potential beneficiary for the Lakers. While he likely won’t see a huge boost in playing time, he should see more scoring opportunities sans Doncic and Reaves. He’s seen a +3.84% usage bump with both players off the floor this season, and he’s averaged 1.19 DraftKings points per minute in that split. That’s a massive increase from his average of 0.94 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
The Mavericks have also been a nice matchup for centers this season. Ayton owns a +2.06 Opponent Plus/Minus, which is tied for the top mark at the position. He leads all centers in projected Plus/Minus and optimal lineup rate, so he’s the clear top value at the position.
Fast Break
Wendell Carter is another solid value target. He doesn’t have the greatest ceiling, but he’s been pretty consistent of late. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in six of his past eight games, and he saw nearly 36 minutes in his last outing. Carter has averaged 0.96 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he’s a good bet to return value at just $5,000.
Anthony Edwards returned to the Timberwolves’ lineup Friday, and his presence is a clear negative for the rest of the roster. However, he’s listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup vs. the Hornets, while Jaden McDaniels has already been ruled out. That could give Naz Reid a bit of a bump. Reid is a dangerous per-minute producer, giving him decent upside at $5,600. He’s also projected for less than 10% ownership, so he has some contrarian appeal.
Pictured: LeBron James
Photo Credit: Alonzo Adams, Imagn
