NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Saturday Playbook

Published: Apr 26, 2025
Happy Saturday, April 26th, we have a four-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel.
First, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs look to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Heat. Then, Shai Gilgeous- Alexander and the top seed Thunder will attempt to close out the Grizzlies with Ja Morant likely on the sidelines. Next, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets try to even the series against James Harden and the Clippers. Finally, we get a pivotal Game 3 featuring Stephen Curry and the Warriors against Amen Thompson and the Rockets.Â
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Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.
- News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
- Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
- Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
- NBA DFS Projections
- Lineup Generator
- NBA Ownership
NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, April 26th
Be sure to like and subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel!
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Pre/Post-Lock Update
This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock.Â
Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.
All status updates after contest roster lock will be made in the Fantasy Alarm Discord:Â https://discord.gg/2yATJxXe8G
UPDATE 12:30 ETÂ
- Darius Garland - OUTÂ
- Sam Merrill will draw the startÂ
- Bump for Ty Jerome as wellÂ
NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 4/26
- Darius Garland - OUT
- Ja Morant - DoubtfulÂ
- Luke Kennard - Questionable
- Michael Porter - Questionable
- Russell Westbrook - QuestionableÂ
- Jimmy Butler - Questionable
- Gary Payton - QuestionableÂ
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NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews
In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads. Not every game is listed, but every game listed has the pace and defensive numbers listed.
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NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks
Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.
High
Mid
- James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler (if active), Ivica Zubac, Jalen Williams, Tyler Herro, Desmond Bane, Jaren JacksonÂ
Value
- Scotty Pippen, Zach Edey, Davion Mitchell, Santi Aldama, Luke Kennard (if active), Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill
Stacks
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