NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 18

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 18

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

MIA at ATL: Season series tied 2-2, with Heat winning two most recent games 

DAL at MEM: Grizzlies on season series 3-1, winning three most recent meetings 

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.

Injuries to Monitor  

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

ATL - Clint Capela (hand), Larry Nance (knee): OUT 

MEM - Ja Morant (ankle): Questionable 

Elite Players

Guards

Tyler Herro, Heat ($9,100) at Hawks 

Herro delivered a massive performance with 38 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal for a total of 50.3 DK points in Wednesday's play-in win over the Bulls. He is likely to keep up the production against the Hawks, who gave up the league's third-most three-pointers per game and highest three-point shooting percentage to opposing point guards. 

Desmond Bane, Grizzlies ($8,000) vs. Mavericks 

Bane shot a career-best 48.4 percent from the field this season, as he continued to act as a steadying force for his squad throughout another injury-riddled season. He carried that trend into the play-in, where he racked up 49.0 DK points with 30 points, six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block despite the loss. He should come up big once again against the Mavericks, after he averaged 23.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 blocks over their two meetings this season. He may also have to step up to lead the offense if Ja Morant is hindered by injury. 

Forwards/Centers

Andrew Wiggins, Heat ($7,600) at Hawks 

After sitting out seven of the last nine games of the regular season, Wiggins brought an impressive effort to the play-in, where he amassed 44.3 DK points with 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He has a great chance to fill the stat sheet against the Hawks, who gave up the league's second points and highest field-goal percentage to opposing small forwards this season. 

P.J. Washington, Mavericks ($7,000) at Grizzlies

Washington amassed 37.8 DK points in the play-in win over the Kings and is averaging 16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks over his last 10 appearances. He faces a good opportunity to prosper against the Grizzlies, who gave up the league's sixth-most points and third-most blocks per game to opposing small forwards. 

Bam Adebayo, Heat ($9,200) at Hawks

Adebayo topped 40 DK points in four of his last five appearances, including a high of 61.5, while averaging 22.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals over that span. He has a great chance to stand out against the Hawks, who remain shorthanded in the frontcourt, and who gave up the league's most points and fourth-most rebounds per game to opposing power forwards this season. 

Expected Chalk 

Anthony Davis, Mavericks ($10,000) at Grizzlies 

Davis lived up to his end of the bargain with an impressive performance in a must-win game on Wednesday, as he turned in 27 points, nine rebounds, an assist, a steal and three blocks to lead the way past the Kings. He must deliver another big-time effort to help lift his shorthanded squad into a playoff position. He also has a good chance to shine against the Grizzlies, who gave up the league's ninth-most points per game to opposing power forwards this season. 

Mid-Range Money 

Dyson Daniels, Hawks ($6,900) vs. Heat 

Daniels is averaging 14.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks across his last 10 appearances, including racking up 35.5 DK points in the play-in loss on Tuesday. He should turn in solid production with a notable size advantage at his position. He also averaged 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.7 steals over three meetings with the Heat this season. 

Naji Marshall, Mavericks ($5,300) at Grizzlies 

Marshall is averaging 11.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.8 steals over the last five games, including 21.0 DK points in the most recent outing. He is expected to continue to handle a major role for the Mavs in light of their shorthanded backcourt, and he should pad his stats against the Grizzlies, who gave up the league's third-most turnovers per game this season. 

Kel'el Ware, Heat ($5,700) at Hawks

Ware is averaging 10.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks over his last 10 appearances, including three with more than 40 DK points. He has a good chance to prosper against the Hawks, who gave up the league's third-highest field-goal percentage to opposing centers. 

Value Picks

Scotty Pippen, Grizzlies ($4,800) vs. Mavericks

Pippen topped 20 DK points in four of his last five outings, including a high of 31.0 DK points, while averaging 12.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 0.8 steals over that span. He played 34 minutes in the Grizzlies' first play-in game and is expected to handle a significant role once again.

Santi Aldama, Grizzlies ($4,700) vs. Mavericks 

Aldama is averaging 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steals over his last 10 appearances, including a high of 38.5 DK points. He has been a significant part of the Grizzlies' rotation all season and should keep up the strong play after he averaged 10.5 points on 71.4 percent shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals over two encounters with the Mavericks this season. 

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. Dan Bruno plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: duelingdan.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Bruno
Dan has been writing all things NBA for RotoWire since 2014. He is an active fantasy sports player, with a love for DFS. Dan is a certified Coach with the Ontario Basketball Association and is a recreation professional in his home city.
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