NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 4/23/15

If you’ve never played daily fantasy basketball before, it’s time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you’re able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every NBA night.

And while there are many platforms to play daily fantasy basketball on, one of our favorites is from our partners over at DraftKings.com. Never played over there before? It’s time for that to change. Sign up now and use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition. You won’t regret it.

As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the night completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until tip-off, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.

Note: Players mentioned here may not be part of some of our daily lineups because of particular sites' cost analysis. Always look at our optimized lineups to see what our algorithms say.

The Best of the Best

Stephen Curry - Curry has gotten off to a hot start through the first two games of the playoffs. He's averaged 28 points, 5.5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 38.5 minutes per game so far this series and should be in for another heavy workload tonight as the series shifts to New Orleans. With the Warriors on the road, this game is expected to be a highly competitive, fast-paced, high-scoring affair between two teams who like to get up and down the floor. Expect the Warriors' star to see a bump in his 28.4% usage rate and to play minutes in the upper 30s for the third straight game. Curry is our number one overall projected guard on the board tonight.

Pau Gasol - With Nikola Mirotic already ruled out for Game 3 against the Bucks, the Bulls' will be forced to lean more heavily on their other big men and Gasol is the biggest beneficiary. Gaol has averaged just 10.5 points in 34 minutes per game so far this series, but has also added 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 blocks per game and should see a significant bump in playing time tonight. The Bulls' forward was dominant early in the season before Mirotic burst onto the scene and I expect him to return to that form tonight.

Top Mid-Range Values

Derrick Rose - Despite concerns that he would never return to MVP form following several knee injuries, Rose has been nothing short of spectacular in the first two games of this series. The Bulls' star has posted 19 points, 8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and a block per game so far this series and is coming off of a 38-minute outing in Game 2. Although it shouldn't have much of an effect on his playing time, Rose could see a boost in usage rate with Mirotic sidelined -- especially in the fourth quarter -- and should continue to take advantage of a mismatch with Michael Carter-Williams. The Bulls' floor general is dollar for dollar my favorite play on the board tonight.

Draymond Green - David Lee has yet to suit up this postseason which means Green has been forced into a massive workload so far this series. Green has averaged 14.5 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2.5 steals and 2 blocks in 42 minutes per game through the first two games against the Pelicans and has actually done an outstanding job keeping Anthony Davis in check on the defensive end. The Warriors' emotional leader will likely come into tonight with a chip on his shoulder after being snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year and should have a few blocks and steals to go along with another impressive double-double tonight. He makes a spectacular play in all formats tonight as his price tag is still below $8,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.

Basement Ballers

Quincy Pondexter - Although he is coming off of a disappointing performance in Game 2 against Golden State, Pondexter is still one of the best value plays on the board tonight. He's averaging 33.5 minutes per game so far this series and -- despite shooting an abysmal 1-8 from the field on Monday -- has found ways to contribute without the basketball, averaging 6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3 steals per game through his first two postseason games. Look for the Pelicans' swing man to see minutes in the 30s for the third consecutive game and for him to greatly improve on his shooting from a game ago. He makes a solid value play at $5,300 on DraftKings, but is an absolute steal at $4,200 on FanDuel.

John Henson - Henson has provided a good spark for the Bucks off the bench early on in their first round matchup wit the Bulls. He's averaged 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, a steal and a block in 25.5 minutes per game and should see a similar workload tonight in Game 3. Role players always seem to perform better at home compared to on the road, so Henson could be in store for a very productive game tonight despite his limited playing time and should return great value at just $4,400 on FanDuel and $4,000 on DraftKings.