StatHero NBA picks 4/16

When it comes to making money in the DFS industry, there’s no such thing as too many outlets. So, when a new opportunity arises, we want to take advantage of it. That’s exactly what we’ve been presented with lately with the newest partner of FTN, StatHero.

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StatHero is a healthy mix of DFS and the idea of a sportsbook in the sense that you are building a lineup with a salary cap, similar to the traditional DFS structure, but instead of competing against thousands of other entries, you’re competing against the “book”. The book, in this case, is a pre-generated lineup that you need to beat. To get all of the ins and outs of StatHero and what they have to offer, check out Tyler Loechner’s app review right here on FTN.

Get two first-time deposit matches by signing up for StatHero. A 30% bonus match on your first-time deposit AND a bonus match on your first Sportsbook play up to $250.

Stat Hero NBA picks for tonight

Here is a look at my favorite plays on StatHero for Friday’s slate.

StatHero MVP picks

Given that your MVP will garner 1.5x the fantasy points on any given slate, it’s imperative to make sure you get the best possible outcome in this spot. Because of this, I tend to limit the player pool to those that carry not only the highest ceilings but the highest floors as well. 

In this case, Russell Westbrook makes a ton of sense, even being the highest-priced player on the slate at $14,000. He’s carried arguably the highest floor/ceiling combination in the entire league over the last two weeks, posting a triple-double in nine of his last 10 games. He also draws a favorable matchup against the Pelicans. If looking to save some salary at the MVP spot but still get exposure to massive upside, Zion Williamson on the other side of this game makes the most sense at $11,500. Over his last five games, he’s averaged 29.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.6 stocks per game, making him a tad underpriced for a matchup with the Wizards.

With so many players resting late in the season, there’s a chance one of either Paul George ($11,400) or Kawhi Leonard ($11,700) sits out Friday, as that’s a trend we’ve been seeing lately with the Clippers. If that becomes the case, whoever is active would be an elite value at the MVP spot and allow you to fit other high-priced flex options into your lineup.

StatHero flex picks

Flex picks accumulate points based on StatHero’s standard scoring system with no additional multiplier. While the aforementioned MVP options are all viable flex options, salary starts to dwindle if you continue to choose high-priced players.

If looking for a different high-priced flex play, Nikola Vucevic is the first that comes to mind ($13,000). With Zach LaVine landing on the COVID-19 list, we should see Vucevic soak up usage similar to what he did Orlando, making him a tad underpriced. This same scenario makes Coby White a very interesting value option at only $6,800. While he may still come off the bench, he’s posted a 25.1% usage rate with LaVine off the court this season, giving him a heap of upside.

Without LaVine this season, the Bulls’ defensive rating takes a massive hit and even with him, they are still an attackable defensive unit. This puts Ja Morant ($10,100) and Jonas Valanciunas ($11,300) firmly in play. While the center spot isn’t as exploitable for Chicago since the Vucevic trade, Valanciunas’ recent form (23.6 points, 15.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists over last five games) is too good to pass up.

Assuming he’s active against the Wizards, it’s really hard not to love the price on Lonzo Ball ($8,200) given his newfound ability to stroke it from beyond the arc. Given the same matchup, Brandon Ingram is also firmly in play at $10,700 as a pivot off Zion Williamson if you think Zion has a down game. It also makes sense to pair Ball with one of the two forwards, as they’ve proven to correlate well this season.

StatHero sleeper pick

Because of the appeal of so many higher-priced options, it’s going to be important to have at least one salary-saver with upside. With Jamal Murray out for the season with a torn ACL, my sleeper picks for the Friday slate are both Monte Morris ($5,400) and Facundo Campazzo ($5,200). It hasn’t been announced who the starter will be, but if recent trends are worth anything, the safer bet is Campazzo. While Morris may come off of the bench, the extension of his minutes restriction gives him enough upside to consider. Both are viable at a cheap tag and if you absolutely need the additional $200, Campazzo is worth dropping down to from Morris.

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