Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, April 17th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-04-17 22:42:30 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career. So, who better to walk you through the madness of NBA DFS slates on DraftKings and FanDuel? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you’ve come to the right place.

Happy Friday!

There are two more playoff spots up for grabs tonight. After these games, the playoff seeding will officially be set.

The Hornets picked up an overtime win over the Heat to stay alive in the Play-In Tournament, while the Magic were unable to beat the Sixers for the 7th seed in the East. These two will square off for a chance to play the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.

In the West, the Warriors picked up a huge comeback win over the Clippers to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Suns were unable to beat the Blazers to claim the 7th seed. The winner of this game will grab the final seed in the West and square off against the Thunder in the first round.

Cheers to the weekend. Let’s dive into what should be two very competitive games.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, April 17th

Slate Overview

• 2-game main slate
  - 7:30 pm ET – Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic
  - 10:00 pm ET – Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

This section will be updated as injury news is released throughout the day.

Team Previews

Charlotte Hornets (at ORL)

The Hornets accomplished a rare feat (for them) the other night. They won the game but failed to cover the spread. While they had a mediocre record during the regular season, their average margin of victory was more than 18 points per game, which is one of the craziest statistics of the season. They now travel to Orlando to take on the Magic, who are 14th in pace and 13th in points allowed per game. Charlotte’s team total is 5 points lower than their season average. Moussa Diabate is questionable, so we’ll have to keep an eye on his availability.

We’ve been clamoring for LaMelo Ball to play more minutes all season. In the first Play-In Tournament game against the Heat, he played 39 minutes and scored 56 fantasy points. He has topped 50 fantasy points in 4 of the last 5 games and is one of the best spends on the slate. Kon Knueppel continues to project well, and I continue to fade him in all formats. He has scored fewer than 21 fantasy points in 5 of the last 9 games. If he continues to struggle, I could see Coby White playing 25-27 minutes off the bench.

Brandon Miller has a high usage rate, but he struggles with consistency. He’s best suited as a tournament play. Miles Bridges is playing some of his best basketball of the season and put up 52 fantasy points the other night against the Heat. He’s my second favorite play on the Hornets behind Ball. If Diabate is ruled out, Ryan Kalkbrenner will become a free square on DraftKings ($3,300). Diabate’s absence would also open a clear path for Grant Williams to play minutes in the mid-20s.

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