NBA

NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 4/27/15

With Mike Conley sidelined, Beno Udrih will slide into the Grizzlies' starting lineup for Game 4 in Portland tonight.

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

LaMarcus Aldridge - After seeing his numbers dip a bit in the second half of the season as he played through a hand injury, Aldridge has bounced back with a vengeance in the playoffs thus far. The Blazers' star is averaging 25.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.3 blocks in a whopping 43 minutes per game through the first three games of the playoffs and has amassed a 31.9% usage rate in the process. Although Memphis is definitely one of the best defensive teams in the league, Aldridge has proven to be a tough matchup for any team in the league and should continue to see a massive workload and huge usage rate tonight in a must win at home in Portland. LMA is not just our highest projected player on the board tonight, but his price tag remains at a very reasonable price at just $9,400 on FanDuel and $9,500 on DraftKings, which makes him an outstanding play in all formats tonight.

Marc Gasol - Gasol is one of the most skilled big men in the league and his unique skill-set has been on display throughout the first round of the playoffs. The Grizzlies' big man is averaging 18.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3 blocks in 37.7 minutes per game so far these playoffs -- all of which are increases over his regular season averages -- and should see a significant boost on his 24.4% playoff usage rate tonight with Mike Conley sidelined to recover from his facial surgery. Despite his increase in price over the past few games, Gasol can still be had for a very reasonable $8,400 on both FanDuel and DraftKings and is our highest projected player on the board outside of Aldridge tonight.

Top Mid-Range Values

Paul Millsap - Following a Game 1 in which he scored just 6 points, Millsap has been on an absolute tear in Games 2 and 3 of the Hawks' series with the Nets. In his last two outings, the Hawks' big man has averaged 18.5 points, 12 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game and is coming off of a massive 18-point, 17-rebound, 5-steal performance in Game 3. Brooklyn has struggled to defend the power forward position all season long -- they allowed the third most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards during the regular season -- and should have no answer for a now healthy Millsap in Game 4. Look for the Hawks' forward to post his second consecutive impressive double-double en route to a big win for the Hawks in Brooklyn tonight.

Derrick Rose - Despite coming off of his worst game of the young playoffs, Rose is once again an elite option at point guard tonight. Rose has averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game against Michael Carter-Williams and the Bucks over the last four games and has played at least 37 minutes in each of his last three outings. The former MVP has looked healthy and explosive early in these playoffs and will continue to see an excellent matchup against Carter-Williams as long as Milwaukee can extend the series. Look for Rose to see another heavy workload tonight as the Bulls look to close out the Bucks in Milwaukee.

Basement Ballers

Beno Udrih - As I mentioned earlier, Conley will not suit up tonight as he recovers from his recent facial surgery. With their starting point guard sidelined, Udrih will slide into the starting lineup for Memphis tonight, having averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 12 starts during the regular season. The Grizzlies' point guard draws a spectacular matchup against a Blazers team who allowed the third most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards during the regular season and will likely see a boost on the 26.5 minutes per game he saw in his regular season starts. At just $3,800 on FanDuel and $3,000 on DraftKings, Udrih is dollar for dollar the best value on the board and as close to a must-start as it gets tonight.

John Henson - While many people have been looking at Ersan Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia as the big men to own out of Milwaukee early on in the playoffs, Henson has actually provided the most fantasy value out of any of the Bucks' front court players through the first four games of the playoffs. Henson has averaged 10.3 points, 8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and a steal in 29 minutes per game in the first round against the Bulls and has been on the floor to close out each of the last three games. The Bucks' third-year forward still costs just $4,800 on FanDuel and $5,000 on DraftKings and could see an even greater workload tonight in a must-win for Milwaukee at home. Henson makes a strong value play tonight on a night where there simply aren't very many to choose from.