NBA

NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 4/24/15

Dwight Howard's minutes limit have been lifted, and he's back to All-Star form.

If you’ve never played daily fantasy basketball before, it’s time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you’re able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every NBA night.

And while there are many platforms to play daily fantasy basketball on, one of our favorites is from our partners over at DraftKings.com. Never played over there before? It’s time for that to change. Sign up now and use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition. You won’t regret it.

As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the night completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until tip-off, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.

Note: Players mentioned here may not be part of some of our daily lineups because of particular sites' cost analysis. Always look at our optimized lineups to see what our algorithms say.

The Best of the Best

Blake Griffin - Griffin has absolutely dominated the Spurs through the first two games of the playoffs, averaging a ridiculous 27.5 points, 12 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals with a 29.4% usage rate. The Clippers' star is coming off of a monster 29-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist, triple-double and has played a whopping 44.5 minutes per game so far this series. Griffin should be in store for another massive workload tonight in a pivotal Game 3 and is still costs less than $10,000 on DraftKings. Do not hesitate to plug him into your lineups in all formats tonight.

John Wall - After struggling in what was an all around ugly Game 1 of the series against the Raptors, Wall bounced back in a big way in Game 2, dominating a banged up Kyle Lowry to the tune of 26 points and 17 assists in just under 40 minutes of action. With the series shifting to Washington in Game 3, Wall becomes an even stronger play considering he 18.6 points, 10.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds at home compared to 16.4 points, 9.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds on the road during the regular season. Although Lowry will suit up tonight, he is still dealing with a shin injury which cannot bode well for his chances of slowing down the Wizards' All-Star point guard who should get to the rim with ease tonight. Look for Wall to follow up his impressive Game 2 with another strong outing in Washington tonight against a Raptors squad who allowed the eighth most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season.

Top Mid-Range Values

Dwight Howard - Following a less-than-stellar Game 1 performance in which he only played 17 minutes due to early foul trouble, Howard was virtually unstoppable in Game 2, scoring 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. A healthy Howard is a tough cover for anyone in the league and Tyson Chandler is far from the elite defender he once was. With his minutes limit finally lifted, Superman should see minutes in the mid-30s for the second consecutive game and should have a similarly dominant performance tonight as he did in Game 2.

Tim Duncan - The ageless Mr. Duncan continued to fight a winning battle with father time in a thrilling Game 2 comeback against the Clippers, pouring in 28 points with 11 boards, 4 dimes, 2 steals and a block in 44 minutes of action. Duncan has posted double-doubles in each of his last four games -- only one of which he played more than 33 minutes -- and should continue to log heavy minutes as the series inches closer to a conclusion. The Big Fundamental gets a plus matchup against Griffin and the Clippers who have given up the 11th most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season and should log another big double-double in what is a very critical Game 3.

Basement Ballers

Al-Farouq Aminu - Chandler Parsons has been shut down for the season and, although Richard Jefferson will draw the start, Aminu is the one who will reap the benefits. Aminu filled up the stat sheet in just 23 minutes of action in Game 2, logging 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals, and should see a significant boost in playing time tonight in a must win for Dallas. The Mavericks' forward averaged 10.9 points, 8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.6 assists and 1.6 blocks on a per-36 minute basis this season and, although he won't see quite that much playing time, should reach value easily tonight at just $4,600 on FanDuel and $4,200 on DraftKings.

J.J. Barea - Just like Parsons, Rajon Rondo will also miss the remainder of Dallas' season. Despite the return of Devin Harris, Barea will draw the start tonight and should provide excellent value. Barea averaged 11 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 10 starts during the regular season and should have little trouble reaching value at a minuscule $3,700 on FanDuel and $4,300 on DraftKings, especially against a Rockets team who are without their best perimeter defender -- Patrick Beverley. The Mavericks' veteran point guard is an absolute steal tonight.