Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Wednesday, April 22nd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-04-22 16:22:01 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 Wednesday!

I was expecting all three favorites to run away with the games last night, but the exact opposite happened. All three underdogs (Sixers, Blazers, and Lakers) picked up wins. This is exactly why we have to play the games. I’m not overly worried about the Celtics, but the Spurs and Rockets are in serious danger of getting bounced in the first round. Victor Wembanyama suffered a concussion, so we don’t know when he’ll be back in the lineup. And the Rockets wasted two golden opportunities to beat the Lakers without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

We have 2 games on the schedule tonight. The Pistons are looking to bounce back after losing the series opener to the Magic, while the Thunder are looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Suns. It’s an interesting slate from a roster construction standpoint, as both of these games have blowout potential.

Let’s dive into the team previews.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Wednesday, April 22nd

Slate Overview

• 2-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons
  - 9:30 pm ET – Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder
• 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

Orlando Magic (at DET)

We kick off the slate with the Magic, who picked up a huge win in Game 1 against the Pistons. They have stolen homecourt advantage and have a golden opportunity to go up 2-0 with a win. I expect a better performance from the Pistons, and they are easily the worst matchup on the slate. During the regular season, Detroit was ranked 4th in rebounding rate and 3rd in points allowed per game. Orlando’s team total is 11 points lower than their season average, which is the 2nd-worst mark on the slate. Jonathan Isaac is doubtful, but everyone else should be available.

The Magic had a 9-man rotation in Game 1, and all 5 starters logged at least 31 minutes. Jalen Suggs had a usage rate of 20% and put up 36 fantasy points. He’s not a priority, but he’s worth a look in tournaments. Desmond Bane is always a wild card. One game he’ll have a usage rate of 18%, and the next game he’ll have a usage rate of 30%. He’s my least favorite DFS play of the 5 starters. Franz Wagner hasn’t been great since returning from injury, but he played 31 minutes and scored 34 fantasy points in Game 1 against the Pistons. He has the highest RGValue of anyone on the Magic.

Paolo Banchero has topped 40 fantasy points in 4 of the last 7 games, but we need a little more than that at his current price point. Wendell Carter Jr. played great in the series opener, scoring 40 fantasy points in 36 minutes of action. He has averaged 0.92 FP/min. this season, so he should easily pay off his price point if he sees 30+ minutes again. Anthony Black has topped 20 fantasy points in 4 of the last 5 games and is a decent value play off the bench.

On a different slate, I would love playing the bounce-back blowout angle and fading the Magic as a whole, but the only other game on the schedule tonight has a 16.5-point spread.

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