Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Wednesday, April 8th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-04-08 17:42:02 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, or as I like to call it, happy Masters Eve!

We have less than a week left in the regular season. Many teams are tanking, many teams are fighting for playoff positioning, and a few teams are already locked into their playoff seeding. Knowing the motivation of each team is critical at this stage of the season. I’ll cover what each team has to play for in the team previews.

There are 7 games on the schedule this evening, and all of them are included on the main slate.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Wednesday, April 8th

Slate Overview

• 7-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 7:00 pm ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Orlando Magic
  - 7:00 pm ET – Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons
  - 9:00 pm ET – Memphis Grizzlies at Denver Nuggets
  - 9:30 pm ET – Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs
  - 10:00 pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns
  - 10:00 pm ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers
• 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

Atlanta Hawks (at CLE)

We kick off tonight’s slate with the Hawks, who have moved all the way up to 5th in the East. They are 1.5-point road underdogs against the Cavaliers, who rank 13th in pace and 12th in points allowed per game. Atlanta’s team total is 118 points, which is 1 point lower than their season average. Jock Landale is out, but everyone else should be available.

The Hawks project surprisingly well on tonight’s slate. They have gone with a super condensed rotation, which has been great for the fantasy production of the starters. CJ McCollum has topped 36 fantasy points in 5 of his last 8 games and is still affordable. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has flashed a little more upside than McCollum, topping 45 fantasy points in 3 of the last 5 games. Dyson Daniels has been steady, but I would have him third on my list of priorities behind McCollum and NAW.

Jalen Johnson could always put up a ceiling performance, but his upside has been limited since the Hawks acquired McCollum. He’s been held under 51 fantasy points in 6 straight games and has a tougher matchup than the backcourt. Onyeka Okongwu doesn’t have the best individual matchup, but he’s priced down to $5,900 on DraftKings and has the highest RGValue of anyone on the roster.

Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. ATL)

I was skeptical of the James Harden trade, but the Cavaliers have won 8 of their last 10 games and have moved up to 4th in the East. They have a mediocre matchup against the Hawks, who are 5th in pace and 17th in points allowed per game. Cleveland’s team total is 119 points, which is nearly identical to their season average. Thomas Bryant is out, while Donovan Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, and Dean Wade are all out.

If Mitchell is active, I will once again be fading him and Harden. They have cut into each other’s upside when they have both been active. If Mitchell is out, Harden becomes a strong spend for both cash games and tournaments. If Wade and Tyson are out, more minutes will open up for Sam Merrill and Max Strus. At the moment, none of the wings for the Cavaliers project well. I’m also hesitant to target the frontcourt, as Evan Mobley is priced up, and Jarrett Allen is only projected for 25 minutes.

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