Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, April 6th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-04-06 18:23:33 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 Monday!

I don’t know about you, but this is one of my favorite weeks of the entire year. We have the NCAA Championship tonight between UConn and Michigan, nightly slates for the NBA and MLB, and my personal favorite — the Masters.

I don’t know about you, but I plan on having a great week of DFS and a great week of bets. Speaking of bets, if you aren’t using PickLabs, you should absolutely check it out. You can see the best lines and real-time edges.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the NBA playoffs to start. The regular season officially ends on April 12, 2026, which means we only have 7 more slates until we get some meaningful basketball.

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to dive into tonight’s slate. We have a 4-gamer on DraftKings and a 5-gamer on FanDuel.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, April 6th

Slate Overview

• Slate Size – DraftKings: 4 Games, FanDuel: 5 Games
  - 7:00 pm ET – Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic
  - 7:00 pm ET – New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 8:00 pm ET – Philadelphia 76ers at San Antonio Spurs
  - 9:00 pm ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets (not on DK slate)
• 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

Detroit Pistons (at ORL)

We kick off tonight’s slate with the Pistons, who have played surprisingly well without Cade Cunningham. They currently hold a 4-game lead over the Celtics for the best record in the East. Tonight, they are 3-point road favorites against the Magic, who are 15th in pace and 14th in points allowed per game. Detroit’s team total is 114 points, which is 3 points lower than their season average. Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart are out, while Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson are questionable.

Daniss Jenkins has topped 38 fantasy points in 6 of his last 9 starts and has scored over 44 fantasy points in back-to-back games. He’s one of the best mid-range targets on tonight’s small slate. We’ll have to keep an eye on Harris and Robinson, as a lot of minutes would open up on the wing if one or both end up being out. Kevin Huerter, Caris LeVert, Ausar Thompson, and Ronald Holland II all stand to benefit in that scenario.

Jalen Duren has averaged 46 fantasy points in games that Cunningham has missed this season. He has topped 47 fantasy points in 4 of the last 6 games and has even flashed 60+ fantasy point upside over the last couple of weeks. It’s not a great matchup on paper, but Duren feels underpriced given his recent play. Paul Reed will have spike games off the bench every once in a while, so you can keep him in your large-field GPP pool.

Orlando Magic (vs. DET)

The Magic can realistically finish anywhere from 6th to 10th in the East, so they have a lot to play for in their final 4 games. They are 3-point home underdogs against the Pistons, who are 19th in pace and 3rd in points allowed per game. Orlando’s team total is 111 points, which is 4 points lower than their season average. We are still waiting on their injury report (back-to-back), but we have Jonathan Isaac and Anthony Black as out in the Situation Room, while Franz Wagner is questionable.

The Magic have underwhelmed more often than not recently. We’ll see if Wagner can suit up, but his absence wouldn’t give anyone a huge boost since he’s only playing 20 minutes a game. After failing to top 40 fantasy points for nearly a month straight, Desmond Bane has scored 50 and 45 fantasy points in his last 2 games. It’s not a great matchup, but he’s still worth a look in tournaments.

Jalen Suggs has topped 43 fantasy points in 2 of the last 4 games and is also viable in GPPs. Paolo Banchero feels overpriced given the matchup and his recent play. Wendell Carter Jr. is also a serviceable lineup filler. He should see around 30 minutes and has been a near-lock for 20+ fantasy points each game.

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