Best NBA team stacks for DFS on Sunday, April 18th

Sunday’s main NBA slate will be a small one as usual, but it’ll run a little later than most do. The five-game late slate will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, and the final tip is set for 10:00 p.m. ET.

Sometimes with a plus-matchup on the NBA game slate, we get an opportunity to slot multiple players from the same team into our DFS lineups. You can read more about the concept of stacking here, but the main goal is to take advantage of this plus-matchup and use the salary cap to your advantage.

Here, we’ll break down three of the best team stacks for the NBA slate on Sunday, April 18th.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 7:00 p.m. ET

Terry Rozier ($8,300)
Miles Bridges ($7,200)
Vernon Carey ($3,700)

The Hornets’ hefty injury report would be concerning if Damian Lilliard (hamstring) hadn’t been ruled out, but the fact that he has could make things interesting. The Trail Blazers are only favored by 4.5 points at DraftKings Sportsbook with their superstar out. LaMelo Ball (wrist), Gordon Hayward (foot), and PJ Washington (ankle) have been out, and Devonte’ Graham ($6,200) is questionable with a quad injury. There aren’t a ton of places Charlotte can get offense from.

Rozier has scored more than 50 DKFP in each of his last two games and will have to play Superman if his team’s second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth scoring options are inactive. He’s easily Charlotte’s best offensive weapon and will likely play 35 or more minutes alongside Bridges in a close game. Carey is more of a wild card and unexpectedly scored 21 points in 35 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets in his first-ever NBA start in his last game. There’s no telling if the rookie big man will get that kind of burn again, but he could be the best value play on the slate if he does.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 7:00 p.m. ET

CJ McCollum ($8,700)
Norman Powell ($6,300)
Enes Kanter ($6,200)

I’m not opposed to stacking both teams in this matchup for the classic slate, as both sides are missing major chunks of offense. McCollum busted in the first game Lillard missed with hamstring pain but rebounded against the San Antonio Spurs by scoring 29 points and dropping six dimes in a narrow win. Bench guards could get a bump in productivity, but McCollum should be at the center of everything just as much as Rozier is.

Powell has hardly missed a beat since moving to Portland and has scored at least 20 points in each of his last two games. He’ll likely continue to act as the Trail Blazers’ second option on offense and is capable of going for 30 or more when he really gets hot. The Hornets’ defense ranks dead last against shooting guards on DraftKings, so things don’t get much better for Powell.

Picking between Kanter and Jusuf Nurkic ($5,600) could be difficult for some, but the latter has struggled since returning from injury in March. Both bigs could have an edge against Charlotte’s depleted backcourt, but Kanter’s scoring and rebounding have been a lot more consistent. I’m not saying that Kanter will grab 30 rebounds again, but it’s pretty safe to say Nurkic doesn’t have a shot at reaching that mark.