Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, April 1st
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, and Noto will mix it up in all different types of contests. So, who better to walk you through the madness of an NBA DFS slate? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best NBA DFS picks, 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 Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend and a great Easter Sunday. And good luck avoiding all of the pranks today for April Fools’ Day.
The Final Four is set in the NCAA Tournament. I will actually be in Phoenix this weekend but on other important business. It’s my annual golf trip with friends. Taylor Smith has kindly offered to take the Core Plays article over on Thursday and Friday this week so I can focus on consuming beverages and trying not to lose golf balls. Speaking of golf, the Masters is only two weeks away! We picked up a 50-1 winner on Stephan Jaeger yesterday at the Houston Open, so now’s a great time to try out our premium golf product here at RotoGrinders.
We start the week with a calm 6-game slate in the association. We’ll be able to turn off our phones and get to bed early tonight, as the latest game tips off at 8:00 PM ET. All 6 games are featured on the main slates for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Three teams are playing in the second half of a back-to-back (Hornets, Nets, Bulls), so we’ll have to monitor those teams closely. And to be fair, this is the point of the season where we have to monitor the injury report for every team carefully. There are only a handful of teams with a lot to play for at the moment.
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, April 1st
Slate Overview
- 6-game slate
- 7:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Orlando Magic
- 7:00 PM ET – Memphis Grizzlies at Detroit Pistons
- 7:00 PM ET – Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets
- 7:00 PM ET – Brooklyn Nets at Indiana Pacers
- 8:00 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls
- 8:00 PM ET – Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans
- Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: None
- Teams on the back end of a back-to-back: Hornets, Nets, Bulls
- NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
- 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
Portland Trail Blazers (at ORL): We kick off tonight’s slate with the Blazers, who currently own a 9-game losing streak. They have struggled on the road all season and draw one of the worst possible matchups this evening. The Magic are 26th in pace and 2nd in defensive rating. The Blazers are 16-point underdogs and have an implied team total of 96.5 points. The only positive from a DFS perspective is that Portland is going to be very short-handed. They are expected to be without Anfernee Simons, Malcolm Brogdon, Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle, and Toumani Camara. We’ve seen some ceiling performances from Dalano Banton recently, but those came in much better matchups. Jabari Walker projects as a decent value, but he’s been held under 15 fantasy points in 3 straight games. Deandre Ayton has been stuffing the stat sheet lately, but his minutes are far from secure in what could easily turn into a blowout. I’m not saying you can’t target the Blazers tonight in tournaments, but I am treading lightly.
Orlando Magic (vs. POR): The Magic have won 6 of their last 10 games and have a real chance at securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. This would be huge for them, as they are 26-12 at home and 17-19 on the road this season. They should have no problem picking up a win against the Blazers tonight, although the matchup is mediocre on paper. The Magic come into the game with a team total that is 2 points higher than their season average. Despite Orlando being at full strength, Paolo Banchero has one of the highest RGValues on the slate. He’s priced under $9,000 on both sites and should push for minutes in the mid-30s if the game is competitive. Cole Anthony is a strong tournament play off the bench, as he has topped 35 fantasy points in 3 of his last 6 games and would see similar minutes in a blowout as he would in a competitive game.
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