NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for April 21 include Jayson Tatum

Donovan Mitchell is playing his first postseason game at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. But it’s not exactly how New York Knicks fans pictured it when rumors swirled in the offseason that the superstar guard could be traded to New York. Mitchell was eventually traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. And Mitchell will be exiting the opposing tunnel when the Knicks host the Cavaliers in Game 3 Friday night and daily Fantasy players will have a close eye on him. Mitchell is averaging 27.5 and 10.5 assists per game over this series, making him a great addition for NBA DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings.

The Knicks are the only Game 3 with series advantage at stake on Friday. With daily Fantasy basketball studs like Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards and Trae Young going Friday, there are many elite players to consider when making an NBA DFS lineup. But in order to win a big in NBA DFS cash games, tournaments and 50-50s, it’s necessary to find value outside of the superstars. Before making your NBA DFS picks for Friday, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.

McClure is a DFS professional with over $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.

This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.

On Thursday, McClure highlighted Los Angeles Clippers forward Norman Powell as one of his top NBA DFS picks. The result: Powell had 42 points, including seven 3-pointers, five rebounds and three assists, returning 56.25 points on DraftKings and 51.5 points on FanDuel. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.

Now, McClure has turned his attention to the NBA playoffs on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, April 21

One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks for Friday is Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum ($9,900 on DraftKings and $10,800 on FanDuel). Tatum has emerged from a young star to undoubtedly one of the best players in the league. Although he come with a heavy price tag, Tatum is averaging 27 points, 10.5 rebounds and four assists per game this series against the Atlanta Hawks. 

The fact that the Celtics travel to Atlanta means the spread has come down. The Celtics are listed as 5-point favorites on Caesars Sportsbook, as opposed to their double-digit spreads at home in this series. A closer game likely means more minutes for Tatum and the 25-year-old forward has proven capable of excelling on the road all season. Tatum averaged 28.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists away from TD Garden during the season.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking Tatum with combo guard Malcolm Brogdon ($5,200 on DraftKings and $5,800 on FanDuel). Brogdon showed his versatility with 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists with only one turnover in Game 2. He has proven throughout the season to be a player capable of contributing beyond just scoring and that ability to fill up a stat sheet can provide value at this price. 

He was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Thursday after averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while playing 67 of 82 games this season with missing some time due to ankle, achilles and back injuries. The 30-year-old guard also has playoff experience with 26 career postseason games.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, April 21

McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.