FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Wednesday 4/24/24

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. Our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- update throughout the day to reflect current news. You can also turn to numberFire for player news updates as well as a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks

Wednesday's main slate on FanDuel features two games. For a full breakdown, see numberFire's matchup heat map.

• 7:00 p.m. ET | Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics (-14.5), 204.0 total
• 9:30 p.m. ET | New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (-7.5), 211.5 total

Guards

Top Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,600) -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is pretty clearly the top guard tonight, even if I don't love the upside at his five-figure salary. The Pelicans held SGA to 11-of-24 shooting and 38.2 FanDuel points (FPs) in Game 1. That marked the fourth time he failed to reach 50 FPs in four tries against New Orleans this season. That said, he'd gone for at least 45 FPs in their three prior meetings, so there's a stable floor here. His points prop is way up at 29.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

CJ McCollum ($7,700) -- It wasn't pretty (9-of-22 shooting and 3 turnovers), but C.J. McCollum willed his way to 38.6 FPs in their Game 1 loss to Oklahoma City. I'm not sure how much the efficiency improves against OKC's fourth-rated defense, but we know the usage will be there as long as Zion Williamson is out. In eight games without him this season, McCollum has registered a 28.4% usage rate and averaged 37.5 FPPG, according to RotoGrinders CourtIQ.

Jrue Holiday ($6,700) -- Deciphering who's racking up fantasy points for the Celtics can be challenging, but it's not hard to get behind Jrue Holiday at $6.7K. Holiday put up a respectable 29.9 FPs in Game 1 despite scoring just 6 points on 2-of-8 shooting. He otherwise filled up the box score, so a more efficient shooting night could allow him to flirt with 40 FPs.

Others to Consider

Josh Giddey ($5,700) -- It was a tad concerning to see Josh Giddey play only 20 minutes in Game 1, especially considering he sat the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Still, there's too much fantasy potential to ignore his $5.7K salary. Our model projects Giddey for 29.9 FPs in 26.1 minutes tonight. That makes him the top point-per-dollar value on the slate (5.25 FPs per $1,000).

Payton Pritchard ($4,400) -- He's not going to flirt with 40 minutes like he did at the end of the regular season, but Payton Pritchard is still a part of this Celtics rotation. He played 24 minutes and notched 20.3 FPs in Game 1, finishing with the second-best plus/minus on the team (+19). This is just too low of a salary for someone who's averaged 1.01 FanDuel points per minute since the All-Star break.

Wings

Top Plays

Jayson Tatum ($9,800) -- Jayson Tatum cruised to 53 FPs in Game 1 thanks to a 23-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. He shot only 7-of-18 from the floor (and 1-of-8 from three) but chipped in a pair of steals for good measure. As of Wednesday afternoon, his 44.7-FP projection leads all players. Tatum's a rock-solid building block tonight.

Trey Murphy ($6,800) -- Trey Murphy III went for 21 actual and 40.8 FanDuel points in Game 1, eclipsing 40 minutes for the second straight game. He's averaged 32.4 FPPG with Zion sidelined this season and should again serve as an offensive focal point for the Pelicans. We project Murphy for 32.1 FPs in 38.6 minutes of action.

Jaime Jaquez ($6,100) -- Jaime Jaquez Jr. wasn't quite as impressive in Game 1 as he was in the Play-In game, but he still managed 16 actual and 27.8 FanDuel points. He played 35 minutes, as well, a trend that should continue as long as Jimmy Butler is out. I'd like to avoid Miami as much as possible, but a two-game slate doesn't leave much mid-range value on the table. He's a solid floor play even in a tough matchup.

Others to Consider

Jalen Williams ($7,600) -- In Game 1, Jalen Williams had his best fantasy performance (35.4 FPs) since returning from a four-game absence at the beginning of April. He totaled 19 real-world points despite shooting 1-of-5 from three, but we should expect more efficient nights from the 42.7% three-point shooter going forward. He's a good way to get exposure to Oklahoma City if SGA's salary scares you off.

Naji Marshall ($4,200) -- I'd save Naji Marshall for larger tournaments, but he's quietly totaled 30.2 and 21.8 FPs in the last two games without Zion. That tracks with his season-long trends sans Williamson. In 10 games with Zion sidelined, Marshall averaged 22.3 minutes and 18.0 FPPG. That's more than enough to consider him at such a low salary.

Bigs

Top Plays

Bam Adebayo ($8,100) -- Bam Adebayo's Game 1 fantasy performance (33.7 FPs) wasn't especially impressive, but I was encouraged by his 24 real-world points on 10-of-18 shooting. He failed to record a defensive statistic, but that's not something he'd previously struggled with against Boston. In three regular-season meetings, Bam averaged 3.0 combined steals and blocks against the Celtics. He is -190 to record 1+ steals and -165 to record 1+ blocks on FanDuel Sportsbook, so a more well-rounded performance could be on the horizon.

Brandon Ingram ($7,800) -- PF is an absolute wasteland tonight, but Brandon Ingram's usage should be high enough to warrant a $7.8K salary. Ingram only went for 24.7 FPs in Game 1 as he did not acclimate well to the dorture (Luguentz Dort) chamber. Still, he played 37 minutes for the second consecutive game and continues to see stellar usage with Zion out. In nine games without him, BI's averaged 39.2 FPPG and posted a 31.8% usage rate.

Jonas Valanciunas ($6,900) -- Zion's absence has unlocked Jonas Valanciunas the last two games. He went for 43.9 FPs in their Play-In win over Sacramento before posting another 40-piece against OKC in Game 1. That's nothing new -- in 12 games without Williamson this season, Valanciunas averaged 36.4 FPPG with a 24.2% usage rate. He bullied the Thunder for 20 rebounds (9 offensive) in the series opener, but his rebounds prop is down at 10.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Others to Consider

Chet Holmgren ($8,200) -- Despite getting mauled on the glass, Chet Holmgren delivered a stellar fantasy performance in his playoff debut, finishing with 46.2 FPs. While 15 of those FPs came via his 5 blocks, Chet's no stranger to big fantasy games against New Orleans. Including Game 1, Holmgren is averaging 42.3 FPPG against the Pelicans.

Larry Nance ($5,400) -- Larry Nance Jr. played only 19 minutes in Game 1, but it's fair to question how much longer the Pelicans will play Jonas Valanciunas big minutes. Nance still managed 8 points and 8 rebounds despite the lack of PT, so an extended run in Game 2 could lead to better results. We project him for 26.0 FPs in 28.7 minutes, but early roster rate projections from across the industry don't project him to be very popular.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.