The NBA DFS player pool is deep on Friday with 22 teams in action, but the lack of stars makes it not quite so top-heavy. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are the four most expensive players on both DraftKings and FanDuel, but all four have either already been ruled out or are game-time decisions. But as a daily Fantasy basketball owner who is not allotting precious NBA DFS salary cap space to those options, you should be able to build a stacked NBA DFS lineup.
Someone like R.J. Hampton of Detroit could be a low-cost, high-reward option after he dropped 27 points on Wednesday. The Pistons list nine players on Friday's injury report, so Hampton could be one of many Detroit players whose production could exceed their listed NBA DFS price tags. Before making your NBA DFS picks for Friday, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with over $2 million in career winnings. He's also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Thursday, McClure highlighted Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as one of his top NBA DFS picks. The result: Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and a steal, returning 43.25 points on DraftKings and 42.9 points on FanDuel. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, April 7
One of McClure's top NBA DFS picks for Friday is Suns guard Cameron Payne ($4,200 on DraftKings and $4,900 on FanDuel). With the Suns locked into the fourth seed of the 2023 NBA playoffs, and with the team on the second night of a back-to-back, Phoenix is sitting Chris Paul as well as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. Thus, Payne will be one of the primary playmakers and he's thrived in that role.
Across the 11 games in which he's played 30-plus minutes, Payne has averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals. Phoenix takes on the Lakers on Friday, and Los Angeles has been victimized by opposing point guards all season. The Lakers have allowed the second-most Fantasy points to the PG position on both DraftKings and on FanDuel.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering 76ers guard Shake Milton ($3,900 on DraftKings, $4,300 on FanDuel). With Embiid already ruled out, as well as James Harden, Milton will have no shortage of playing time or stat opportunities. Even in limited time Milton has shown his worth as he logged a double-double while coming off the bench on Thursday.
The Sixers take on Atlanta on Friday, and Milton lit up the Hawks with 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds when he last saw them. When Embiid had a four-game absence earlier this season, Milton averaged 22.8 points, 7.8 assists and 6.8 rebounds over that stretch. Milton provides starter-level production when given the minutes but still has a backup's price tag, so you can see why McClure is high on him.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, April 7
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
