Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Lineup Strategy for Suns vs. Rockets Showdown on April 5

A fun seven-game NBA slate comes to an end in Houston on Monday evening, where the Rockets play host to the surging Suns. Phoenix has won five straight and is one of the toughest teams in the league to pick against, and Houston’s been perhaps the hardest team to roster one of its players, but we’ll try to find some value on the Rockets’ side of things.

Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups for Monday evening.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st] (PHO vs HOU)

Captain

Christian Wood ($15,000 CP)

Look, it’s not the best spot here against one of the strongest defenses in the league, but if there’s one place to attack the Suns, it’s probably down low. Wood’s the entire offense for the Rockets, and he’s probably in a better spot than any of his teammates here. I’m not sure too many people will want to pay all the way up here for Wood, making him a decent contrarian play as well. This could be only one of three spots to get 40 DKFP tonight.

Chris Paul ($14,700 CP)

This should be a pace-up game for the Suns against the Rockets, who have ranked just outside the top 10 in that department. I expect Paul to be involved in just about every aspect of the game, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s averaged around 47 DKFP and 13 assists over the past two games. Without John Wall in the lineup, the matchup should be easier for him as well. I think when you pair a strong offensive outlook for the Suns with the matchup you get a recipe for a pretty strong play at captain.

Fades

Deandre Ayton ($8,200)

Speaking of Christian Wood, he’s probably one of the strongest frontcourt defenders in the NBA. Not only is Ayton going to have a tough matchup, but we also can’t even be sure of how much he’ll see the floor given his sporadic playing time lately. On top of all that, he hasn’t really done a good job of hitting or exceeding value since mid-March. This is an easy pass for me.

Value FLEX Options

Dario Saric ($4,400)

Saric has worked his way into a pretty consistent little role here in the Suns' offense, seeing around 20 minutes per game on a consistent basis. He’s finally found his rhythm lately with an average of 25.3 DKFP in his past three. Those games have included 13 total 3-point attempts, and I see no reason why the former Sixer won’t launch four or five in this game, particularly against a really weak 3-point defense in Houston. He should be locked into playing time regardless of the score and has been pretty reliable for at least somewhere around value, which is more than you can say about a lot of people in this game.

D.J. Augustin ($4,000)

Without John Wall and Eric Gordon on the floor this year, Augustin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries, seeing an increase of over 1.5 percentage points in usage rate. He’s also had absolutely no problem hitting or exceeding value of late, hitting 20 DKFP in all but one of the past six games. He’s also proven in games past this year that he’s capable of flashing 50-DKFP upside. I don’t expect a monster game against the Suns, but the veteran is a really nice value considering the price and the likelihood he plays 25-plus minutes.

The Outcome

This one shouldn’t be particularly close. Phoenix’s prowess on defense will shut down whatever’s left of the Rockets offense without Wall and Gordon, and while the efforts of the Rockets’ youngsters will be admirable in defeat, they won’t be enough to turn the tide here. I think the faster pace will play into the Suns’ hands, helping them score more points off turnovers and increase the deficit when the Rockets fall on hard times offensively.

Final Score: Suns 105, Rockets 86

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st] (PHO vs HOU)

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jetsfan196) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.