If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy basketball is very reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

Ironic that I come from the tax world, and today, April 15th, is deadline day if you want to make the NBA Playoffs.

With that urgency in mind, it's no surprise to see tumbleweeds rolling through today's official injury report.

Most notably, Jarrett Allen is still questionable for the Cavaliers with his finger issue. It's likely conditioning-related at this point after sitting since March 6th. He will attempt to play, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The opposing Hawks might be without Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is questionable after tweaking his ankle on Wednesday. John Collins (foot) is still out for Atlanta.

The only injury of note (besides Zion Williamson and Kawhi Leonard for the entire season) between New Orleans and Los Angeles in the nightcap is Luke Kennard. The Clippers guard is questionable with a hamstring injury, but Kennard isn't likely fantasy relevant with just a few minutes off the bench.

**Editor's Note: Paul George was ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols after this piece was published. Luke Kennard, Terance Mann, and Amir Coffey are amongst other Clippers to consider beyond the ones mentioned in the piece.**

Guards

Trae Young ($10,500): Considering Young isn't much of a deviation off of his regular-season salary, it's a sweet deal in a must-win where he'll play over 40 minutes if necessary. Young's 36.9% usage rate was second to only Andre Drummond amongst players that played in the first round of the tournament, but he shot just 8-for-24 from the field (33.3%) for a disappointing FanDuel effort. With better shooting, tonight's total could be lofty.

Reggie Jackson ($5,700): Jackson's poor 7-for-18 shooting on Tuesday -- including 1-for-7 in the fourth quarter -- is one of the key reasons L.A. is playing today. Still, Reggie logged 42 minutes and figures to be a staple of the Clippers' lineup with no alternative at point guard. He's numberFire's top projected player overall in terms of value score, and personally, he's a must-have in every lineup in every format.

Others to Consider:
Darius Garland ($8,700): Salary reduction helps offset Allen's return and subsequent usage siphon. Great pivot off Trae chalk.
Kevin Huerter ($5,400): Not really a "guard," but the only guard-eligible player you'll find in a full role below $5,500.

Wings

Brandon Ingram ($8,200): C.J. McCollum was sensational on Wednesday, but his salary increase to $9,500 is absurd with the other stars on the slate. McCollum shot 52.2% from the field and 60.0% from three compared to his regular-season averages of 45.1% and 43.3%, respectively. I'll back the Pels' offense with Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas instead, and Ingram's salary actually decreased after his 27-point effort against San Antonio.

Norman Powell ($5,900): Powell's upside is actually remarkable in a spot he'll likely be ignored. Including Tuesday, he's averaging 0.81 real-life points per minute with the Clippers, so if Ty Lue grows frustrated with either Marcus Morris or Nicolas Batum, Powell might have access to a full-time role in which he could drop 30 points. He scored 16 points in 26 minutes against Minnesota. It'll be hard to deny him a spot producing like that with the season in the balance.

Others to Consider:
De'Andre Hunter ($5,000): The full-time role Wednesday wasn't a surprise. 22 real-life points were. Still a bargain here.
Marcus Morris ($4,600): Still seeing a full complement of minutes, and his scoring upside squashes Batum's at near-identical figures.

Bigs

Jonas Valanciunas ($8,500): With bottom-10 marks in paint points allowed per game and defensive rebounding rate, L.A. is a great matchup for any big. That might go unnoticed with Karl-Anthony Towns flailing out of this matchup on Tuesday, but Valanciunas is historically less foul-prone. He averaged 1.37 FanDuel points per minute against San Antonio, and the Spurs had better marks in both of the aforementioned categories.

Danilo Gallinari ($5,100): Gallo is not a big. He's a wing in any other capacity, but realistically, once you get beyond your center, he's the best option to fill power forward. The blowout of Charlotte on Wednesday cut his evening short, but his 18-point effort was strong. In terms of value score, Gallinari returns a top-five value score from numberFire's projections amongst players who can fill the position, and he helps avoid the logjam of Clippers that project well.

Others to Consider:
Ivica Zubac ($5,800): Personally, a top-notch pivot off of J-Val. 32 minutes on Tuesday, further cementing Isaiah Hartenstein on the bench.
Nicolas Batum ($4,400): Didn't want another Clipper or a low point-per-minute producer, but nowhere else to find full-time minutes below $4,500 here.