NBA

NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 4/28/15

Tim Duncan has looked spectacular against the Clippers and looks to stay hot tonight in Game 5.

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

James Harden - Harden has been outstanding through the first four games of the playoffs, averaging 28.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game so far against the Mavericks. Dallas has struggled to slow down opposing shooting guards all year long -- they allowed the 11th most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards during the regular season -- and Harden is the best shooting guard in the league. This series has been incredibly fast-paced and high-scoring and tonight should be no different with a massive over/under of 222. The Rockets' star is our number one overall projected player on the board tonight.

Tim Duncan - Evidently, age is just a number to the 39 year old Duncan. The Spurs' veteran forward has posted 16.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals in 35.8 minutes per game in the first round against the Clippers and should continue to see a heavy workload tonight after playing 38 minutes in Game 4. The Clippers gave up the 13th most fantasy points to opposing power forwards during the regular season and have not found a way to slow down The Big Fundamental so far this series. Look for Duncan to follow up his impressive 22-point, 14-rebound, 3-assist, 3-block, 2-steal performance in Game 4 with another huge outing in a pivotal Game 5 tonight in what is expected to be another high-scoring game in this series.

Top Mid-Range Values

Dwight Howard - Although he posted a somewhat pedestrian line in Game 4, Howard has averaged 16.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.5 assists and a steal through the first four games against the Mavericks and posted a monstrous 13-point, 26-rebound, 3-assist, 2-block, 2-steal line in Game 3. Most importantly, Howard finally looks healthy and has played at least 33 minutes in each of the last three games. Although a matchup with Tyson Chandler seems less than ideal, Chandler is far from the defensive player of the year he once was and Dallas actually gave up the tenth most fantasy points per game to opposing centers during the regular season. If he can stay out of foul trouble, the Rockets' center should have little trouble posting another huge double-double and should reach value with relative ease tonight.

Dirk Nowitzki - Nowitzki was tough to trust during the regular season due to his inconsistent playing time, but that has not been the case so far these playoffs. Dirk has averaged 21 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3 assists in 35.5 minutes per game in the first four games against the Rockets and will likely see another huge workload tonight with the Mavericks on the brink of elimination. Houston was one of the worst teams against the power forward during the regular season -- they allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards this season -- and the future Hall-of-Famer Nowitzki has been able to take advantage all series long. On a night where it will be incredibly difficult to fit the highest-priced players into your lineup, Dirk makes an excellent play at a very reasonable price across the industry, especially at just $6,500 on FanDuel.

Basement Ballers

Al-Farouq Aminu - With Chandler Parsons out for the remainder the season, Aminu has stepped into a much larger role as of late. The Mavericks' forward has averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, an assist and a steal in 36 minutes per game over his last two outings and should see minutes in the upper-30s again tonight. Aminu finally got an opportunity to start over aging Richard Jefferson in Game 4 and parlayed it into an impressive 16-point, 12-rebound outing against a Rockets' team who allowed the 12th most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards during the regular season. Aminu makes an elite value play tonight on a night where there simply aren't very many to choose from.

J.J. Barea - Speaking of value plays from Dallas, Barea has been scorching hot since Rajon Rondo was shut down for the season. The Mavericks' diminutive point guard is coming off of a massive 17-point, 13-assist, 3-rebound outing in Game 4 and has averaged 13.6 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game over his last three outings. Although his price tag has skyrocketed all the way to $6,100 on DraftKings, Barea is still in play on all platforms and is as close to a must-play as it gets at just $4,500 on FanDuel.