Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Lineup Strategy for Nuggets vs. Warriors Showdown on April 12

A fun nine-game NBA slate comes to an end in the Bay Area Monday evening, where the Golden State Warriors play host to the Denver Nuggets. Golden State’s once-great defense has slipped to the bottom three of the league over the past 10 games, while the Nuggets have never been known for their play on that end of the floor. With that, we should see some points scored in this one, making it a good matchup for a showdown.

Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups for Monday evening.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st] (DEN vs GSW)

Captain

Nikola Jokic ($17,400 CP)

I have no qualms here with paying all the way up for the favorite to win 2021 NBA MVP. Jokic couldn’t have a better matchup, going against one of the worst frontcourts in the league — particularly on the glass — and one that just lost James Wiseman. Denver’s star big man should absolutely feast here and provide a high floor. I expect 60 or more DKFP and am not shying away because he’s hit 60 once in the last eight games. Almost all of those matchups were against good frontcourts; this will be much different.

Michael Porter, Jr. ($12,300 CP)

Porter, Jr. will have the benefit of seeing some of the weak frontcourt defense I’ve been talking about, along with a 3-point defense that has allowed 37.4% of shots to fall from deep over the last 10 games, which ranks 10th-worst in the NBA. Porter put up an insane 12 threes last time out and managed to post 41.75 DKFP despite hitting just one. The threes should be falling vs. Golden State, and he should be able to maneuver his way inside with ease. He could break the slate.

Fades

Draymond Green ($7,600)

Green has shown the ability to pick up the slack with James Wiseman out in the past, and proved to be a good fantasy option with his usage skyrocketing. Kevon Looney ($3,000) was also injured during that period in time, though. With Looney playing here, I’m not so sure Green will shoulder a lot of the load on offense. In general, this team has also failed to score the basketball, so I’m not super-confident the assists will be there, either — even against a somewhat weak defense.

Value FLEX Options

Kevon Looney ($3,000)

Hey! It’s that guy I just talked about above! Looney had been seeing just shy of 20 minutes per game with Wiseman in the lineup. With the rookie big man going down due to injury, Looney should be locked in to at least 25. He’ll play more than enough to hit value at this price, and he offers some decent upside against a so-so defense and in a situation where he’ll see an uptick in usage. He’s a must-roster in this showdown and a building block that will allow you to spend money elsewhere.

Juan Toscano-Anderson ($2,200)

Oh no. Am I recommending another sub-par Warriors talent? (I am!) I’m rostering Looney simply because he’ll be on the floor and get some shots up, and I’m going to have Toscano-Anderson for the same reason. Kelly Oubre is out, in addition to Wiseman and Eric Paschall, leaving plenty of minutes at the three and four. Toscano-Anderson played 17 minutes and filled the stat sheet to the tune of 24.25 DKFP vs. Houston. Those numbers and minutes could balloon given who’s out for the Warriors. Between Looney and Toscano-Anderson, I think you can get at least 5X value, and go grab both Jokic and Stephen Curry ($11,200).

The Outcome

Though I think you’re getting some great value with the Warriors players, I can’t deny that the Nuggets will win this game pretty handily. Golden State is allowing over 117 points per 100 possessions over its last 10 games and should get trucked by this finely-tuned, efficient offense.

Final Score: Nuggets 115, Warriors 102

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st] (DEN vs GSW)

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jetsfan196) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.