NBA Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview for April 11, 2024
Last updated: Apr 10, 2024, 10:57PM | Published: Apr 10, 2024, 8:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Thursday DFS contest commences at 9:10am AEST on April 11, 2024, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for every player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
For those who play NBA fantasy, it's crucial to arm yourself with an accurate Draftstars cheat sheet to help you navigate the enjoyable realm of fantasy sports. Thursday's daily fantasy sports preview will help you put together your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests or your own season-long fantasy lineup for April 11 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Thursday slate includes the following match-ups:
- Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs
- Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando Magic
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks
- Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors
- LA Clippers vs Phoenix Suns
- Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Fantasy Insider has been providing first-rate 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 best DFS projections in the world.
With the latest NBA fantasy insights and NBA DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you can win more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet
We have run the rule over every player from every team to help you pick out the best picks on the slate!
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Luka Doncic (DAL, PG) | $25,030 | 68.3 | 2.7 |
| Value | Russell Westbrook (LAC, PG) | $9,580 | 38.8 | 4.1 |
| Fade | Aaron Gordon (DEN, PF) | $13,290 | 26.3 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Terance Mann (LAC, SG) | $6,190 | 25.1 | 4 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our stud is the player who is expected to get the highest score across the whole slate.
The best value is the player who gives us the most bang for their buck, taking into account both their salary and how well we think they will perform.
Value is a very important concept in fantasy sports. A player’s value can be determined by comparing their salary with how many points they are expected to score. Players with a high expected score relative to their salary are called value plays and can play a crucial role in selecting the optimal line-up.
In this preview you can see a player's value under Pts/$1K, where we show a player's predicted points per $1,000 of salary, with a higher number representing better value and vice versa.
Our fade, on the other hand, is the player whose salary and expected score make our model think they have the lowest value for money.
Need some budget options to fill out your line-up? See our cheapie options. These are our model's best-value cheapies that haven't already been mentioned for the upcoming slate.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Luka Doncic (DAL) | $25,030 | 68.3 | 2.7 |
| Value | Russell Westbrook (LAC) | $9,580 | 38.8 | 4.1 |
| Fade | Jamal Murray (DEN) | $15,770 | 32.2 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Kobe Bufkin (ATL) | $6,000 | 22.9 | 3.8 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Donovan Mitchell (CLE) | $16,970 | 46.6 | 2.7 |
| Value | Terance Mann (LAC) | $6,190 | 25.1 | 4 |
| Fade | Caris LeVert (CLE) | $11,530 | 29.3 | 2.5 |
| Cheapie | Devonte' Graham (SAS) | $6,360 | 22.8 | 3.6 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Anthony Edwards (MIN) | $16,730 | 43.1 | 2.6 |
| Value | Norman Powell (LAC) | $7,800 | 27.4 | 3.5 |
| Fade | Julian Champagnie (SAS) | $10,370 | 23.9 | 2.3 |
| Cheapie | Amir Coffey (LAC) | $6,000 | 19.8 | 3.3 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kevin Durant (PHX) | $17,320 | 44.9 | 2.6 |
| Value | Sandro Mamukelashvili (SAS) | $9,700 | 35.3 | 3.6 |
| Fade | Aaron Gordon (DEN) | $13,290 | 26.3 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Amir Coffey (LAC) | $6,000 | 19.8 | 3.3 |
C (Centre)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nikola Jokic (DEN) | $24,760 | 61.9 | 2.5 |
| Value | Zach Collins (SAS) | $8,650 | 34.4 | 4 |
| Fade | Wendell Carter (ORL) | $12,530 | 26.1 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Bruno Fernando (ATL) | $7,370 | 23.6 | 3.2 |
Conclusion
When building your NBA Thursday team(s), you might want to consider starting with a value player such as Russell Westbrook. To secure one of the highest projected scorers on the slate, Luka Doncic is an option, and if you need some budget options to help free up salary cap and work in more studs, you may want to take a look at our cheapie options, including Terance Mann.
Conversely, Aaron Gordon is one of the worst value options on the slate according to our model, taking into account his salary and projected score, which may mean you want to limit your exposure to him if building multiple line-ups.
As with all NBA DFS contests, there is a variety of ways that you can tackle this slate. Whether you are looking to start with our studs, or build around our value picks, consider using Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and NBA fantasy strategies, combined with some of your own research, to increase your chances of prevailing in the NBA Thursday slate. The unique insights in this information can give you an edge when you make your NBA DFS lineups and play in NBA DFS contests.
For up-to-date 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.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Thursday slate will close at 9:10am AEST on Thursday. ENTER NOW!
Please note, if you choose to use our DFS tips for betting purposes, it's important that you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
