SportsLine’s NBA DFS Optimizer has revealed its top NBA DFS values for Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament games, including a full NBA DFS lineup
The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament concludes on Friday, as the No. 8 seeds will be decided in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference to finalize the 2025 NBA playoffs. The Atlanta Hawks will host the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies hosting the Dallas Mavericks at 9:30 p.m. ET and all teams have stars in the NBA DFS player pool like Trae Young, Tyler Herro, Anthony Davis and Ja Morant you’ll want to consider for NBA DFS lineups. Morant (ankle) is questionable after suffering the injury on Tuesday, so how should his uncertainty affect how you form an NBA DFS strategy?
The NBA DFS Optimizer uses info from the SportsLine Advanced-Data Projection Model to identify top DFS picks for any daily Fantasy slate on places like DraftKings and FanDuel. It simulates every game 10,000 times to help DFS players optimize, export, and enter lineups confidently with injury updates, floor and ceiling player projections, and Vegas lines and picks all with one winning tool for sports betting apps.
The SportsLine model has returned well over $10,000 for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons.
The Optimizer has created a full NBA DFS lineup for FanDuel. You can find its NBA DFS picks below.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, April 18
Trae Young ($9,600 on FanDuel)
Young (Achilles, probable) had 28 points against the Magic, who have the No. 1 scoring defense in the league, and although Miami has a top-10 defense as well, it’s not nearly as difficult as Orlando’s. The four-time All-Star led the NBA in assists (11.6 per game) this season and he averaged 25.9 points and 12 assists over seven regular-season games in April.
Scotty Pippen Jr. ($5,400)
The 24-year-old played 34 minutes against the Warriors in the Grizzlies’ first Play-In Tournament game and that usage at his price makes Pippen a potentially valuable piece for NBA DFS lineups. He had nine points, five rebounds and five assists against Golden State after averaging 13.2 points over six April games.
Dyson Daniels ($7,600)
Daniels can pile up NBA DFS points in a variety of ways, as showcased with seven points, 12 rebounds and seven assists against the Magic on Tuesday. He had at least three combined steals and blocks in 15 of his final 18 regular-season games to add value to NBA DFS lineups on the defensive end as well. Daniels averaged 4.1 steals and blocks at home this season.
Alec Burks ($4,200)
Burks started and played 17 minutes for the Heat against the Bulls on Wednesday and had at least one point, rebound, assist, steals and block as he can produce for NBA lineups in a variety of ways, although with a limited ceiling. He won’t be the reason you cash as a huge payday, but Burks at his price is the type of value piece necessary for winning NBA DFS lineups. He averaged 11 points over six games in April.
Naji Marshall ($5,600)
Marshall scored more than 20 points in two of six April games and averaged 13 points and 4.7 assists over 32.8 minutes per game over the month. The Dallas small forward had nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals against the Kings on Wednesday and has breakout potential.
Zaccharie Risacher ($4,900)
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft averaged 16.3 points in March and 13.8 points in April in his two best scoring months. The Atlanta rookie had 38 points against the Nets on April 10 for his second 30-point game since March 31, and he has breakout potential at a cheaper price.
Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,700)
The two-time All-Star averaged 22.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season. He didn’t have his best performance against the Warriors (18 points, six rebounds), but Jackson had 35 points and 13 rebounds against Dallas in January. With Morant less than 100%, he may be asked to produce even more offensively on Friday.
Mouhamed Gueye ($4,200)
The 6-10 Hawks forward was a perfect 5 of 5 from the field and finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block over 26 minutes on Tuesday. Atlanta will need his size again against Bam Adebayo and Gueye closed the regular season with games of 12 and 18 rebounds over the final two contests that he played more than seven minutes.
Anthony Davis ($10,700)
Davis (adductor, probable) is the type of superstar you want to save your money for. He’s been arguably the most disrespected player in the NBA this season, being viewed as a weak return in the Luka Doncic trade, but Davis averaged 20 points and 10.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks over nine games with Dallas despite dealing with injuries. The 10-time All-Star had 27 points, nine rebounds and three blocks against the Kings on Wednesday with possibly the highest floor and ceiling of anyone playing on Friday for NBA DFS lineups.
Other options with value for both FanDuel and DraftKings include Desmond Bane ($8,400 on FanDuel and $8,000 on DraftKings, Dante Exum ($4,000 on FanDuel and $3,900 on DraftKings) and Klay Thompson ($5,800 on FanDuel and $5,100 on DraftKings).
Want more NBA picks for tonight?
You’ve seen some of the Optimizer’s top NBA DFS picks for Friday. Now, get the Optimizer’s full NBA DFS picks and projections for every player in the NBA DFS player pool at SportsLine.
You can also find expert NBA DFS advice from a daily Fantasy pro on SportsLine. Mike McClure, with more than $2 million in winnings, gives optimal NBA DFS lineup advice for Friday. Visit SportsLine now to see McClure’s top NBA DFS picks.
You can also view expert betting advice before making Friday NBA picks, player props or DFS picks. Visit SportsLine now to see expert Mike Barner’s picks from an expert who is 138-90 (+3232) over his last 228 NBA player props picks. He even has a player prop pick for Friday that could help you form NBA DFS lineups.
