NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Lineup Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 21

NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Lineup Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 21

This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.

We're up for another three-game playoff slate Friday night with three more Game 3s. Despite the fact two series feature teams with 2-0 leads, there are no large spreads since the losing clubs will be at home. The injury report is refreshingly light, so it should be a fun night of lineup building.

Slate Overview

For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.

As of early Friday, there are no lines on FanDuel Sportsbook bigger than the Celtics' -5 figure. The other two contests are at -2 and -2.5 with the Knicks and Nuggets, respectively, as the favorites.

Totals are on the lower side, with nothing higher than 228 points as of early Friday.

Injury Situations to Monitor  

For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.

Nikola Jokic, DEN (wrist): PROBABLE

Jokic is fully expected to take the floor Friday, as he did in Game 2 when he also sported a probable tag.

Rudy Gobert, MIN (back): QUESTIONABLE

Gobert has played through his injury the first two games of the series, but if he were to sit, Taurean Prince would likely enter the starting five and Karl-Anthony Towns would shift to center.

Other notable injuries:

Cedi Osman, CLE (ankle): QUESTIONABLE

Jaylen Nowell, MIN (knee): QUESTIONABLE

Elite Players

We have three players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($11,500), Jayson Tatum ($10,800) and Donovan Mitchell ($10,200).

Jokic scored 40.8 and 48.3 FD points in the first two games, the latter accomplished while playing through a probable designation.

Tatum has posted 39.2 and 52 FD points in the first two games of the series while shooting 48.9 percent, including 50.0 from three-point range.

Mitchell put up 38 points on 30 shot attempts in Game 1 and pivoted to a facilitator role on Tuesday, when he produced 13 assists. However, he still shot 6-for-11 from the field to rack up 45.9 FD points. 

Expected Chalk

Other likely chalk plays include:

Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,600)

Edwards' 63.4 FD-point tally in Game 2 should lock him into plenty of lineups Friday.

Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,200)

Brown has recorded 44.9 and 35.6 FD points in the first two games this series, and his upside should lead to him remaining very popular.

Trae Young, ATL ($9,100)

Young has been under 40 FD points during the first two games, but he's projected for a fruitful Friday with the Hawks down 0-2.

Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,000)

Murray exploded for 47.6 and 53.1 FD points so far this series, and he should remain in plenty of lineups considering his salary still hasn't caught up to that production.

Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,500)

Brunson has managed 37.4 and 45 FD points over the first two games of the series, and he should once again enjoy high usage as the series shifts to the Big Apple.

Key Values 

Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL vs. BOS ($6,000)

Bogdanovic has scored over 30 FD points in each of the first two games this series while offsetting a poor shooting night in Game 1 with a pair of steals and block before bouncing back to drain seven of his 11 attempts on Tuesday. The sharpshooting wing should play a key role off the bench again in Game 3, and his upside is increased since the Celtics were much more generous to three-point shooting on the road (36.5 percent) than at home (32.4 percent).

De'Andre Hunter, ATL vs. BOS ($5,000)

Hunter broke out for 32.9 FD points in Game 2 while pulling down 12 rebounds to generate a surprise double-double. The fourth-year wing is coming off a regular season where he posted a career-best 15.4 points on a career-high 12.3 shot attempts. With the Hawks sure to take an aggressive approach at home to try and avoid a three-game series deficit, Hunter should receive plenty of opportunities on the offensive end.

ALSO CONSIDER: Michael Porter, DEN at MIN ($6,800); Mike Conley, MIN vs. DEN ($6,000)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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