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NBA Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for April 3, 2025

Draftstars Australia's NBA Thursday DFS contest begins at 10:10am AEDT on April 3, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.

An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you put together your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Thursday and beyond.

Featured NBA Games

Draftstars' NBA Thursday slate consists of these games:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks
  • Dallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat
  • Oklahoma City Thunder vs Detroit Pistons
  • Washington Wizards vs Sacramento Kings
  • Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs
  • Indiana Pacers vs Charlotte Hornets
  • Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz
  • LA Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to deliver some of the most reliable DFS projections available.

With the latest NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.

 

Cheat Sheet and Projections

We've reviewed every player from every team to help you find the best selections on Thursday's slate.

Selection Player Salary Proj. Pts Pts/$1K
Stud Nikola Jokić (DEN, C) $24,680 65.2 2.6
Value Sandro Mamukelashvili (SAS, PF/C) $7,190 27.5 3.8
Fade Jaylin Williams (OKC, C) $10,280 8.3 0.8
Cheapie Delon Wright (NYK, PG) $6,000 21.9 3.7

According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.

Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.

In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.

The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.

Positional Breakdown

PG (Point Guard)

Selection Player Salary Proj. Pts Pts/$1K
Stud Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) $20,070 54.5 2.7
Value Delon Wright (NYK) $6,000 21.9 3.7
Fade Spencer Dinwiddie (DAL) $14,080 30 2.1
Cheapie Blake Wesley (SAS) $6,430 19.2 3

SG (Shooting Guard)

Selection Player Salary Proj. Pts Pts/$1K
Stud Donovan Mitchell (CLE) $16,580 45.8 2.8
Value Klay Thompson (DAL) $9,980 32.6 3.3
Fade Spencer Dinwiddie (DAL) $14,080 30 2.1
Cheapie Seth Curry (CHA) $6,000 17.6 2.9

SF (Small Forward)

Selection Player Salary Proj. Pts Pts/$1K
Stud Kawhi Leonard (LAC) $18,480 47.3 2.6
Value Julian Champagnie (SAS) $7,600 24.9 3.3
Fade OG Anunoby (NYK) $16,250 33.1 2
Cheapie Harrison Barnes (SAS) $7,830 21.6 2.8

PF (Power Forward)

Selection Player Salary Proj. Pts Pts/$1K
Stud Jayson Tatum (BOS) $19,110 50 2.6
Value Sandro Mamukelashvili (SAS) $7,190 27.5 3.8
Fade Aaron Gordon (DEN) $11,860 20.8 1.8
Cheapie Precious Achiuwa (NYK) $6,480 19.3 3

C (Center)

Selection Player Salary Proj. Pts Pts/$1K
Stud Nikola Jokić (DEN) $24,680 65.2 2.6
Value Sandro Mamukelashvili (SAS) $7,190 27.5 3.8
Fade Jaylin Williams (OKC) $10,280 8.3 0.8
Cheapie Neemias Queta (BOS) $6,000 18.6 3.1

Conclusion

When building your NBA Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Sandro Mamukelashvili. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Nikola Jokić is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Delon Wright.

On the other hand, according to our model, Jaylin Williams is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.

Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Thursday slate closes at 10:10am AEDT on Thursday. ENTER NOW!

As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Thursday contest. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.

For the latest projections and optimised NBA Thursday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.

 

Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.

Fantasy Insider

Fantasy Insider has been providing world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015. Its advanced player projections are based on the same machine learning models that Stats Insider uses, making them some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.

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