NBA Play-in Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for April 16, 2026
Apr 15, 2026, 8:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Play-in Thursday DFS contest commences at 9:30am AEST on April 16, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is crucial for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on April 16 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Play-in Thursday slate includes these match-ups:
- Philadelphia 76ers vs Orlando Magic
- LA Clippers vs Golden State Warriors
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the latest NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best selections on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kawhi Leonard (LAC, SF/PF) | $17,160 | 58.2 | 3.4 |
| Value | Jalen Suggs (ORL, PG) | $12,150 | 41.1 | 3.4 |
| Fade | Anthony Black (ORL, PG/SG) | $10,570 | 19.3 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | De'Anthony Melton (GSW, SF/SG) | $9,070 | 26.9 | 3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | $18,760 | 49.8 | 2.7 |
| Value | Jalen Suggs (ORL) | $12,150 | 41.1 | 3.4 |
| Fade | Anthony Black (ORL) | $10,570 | 19.3 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | Kris Dunn (LAC) | $8,020 | 19.8 | 2.5 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | VJ Edgecombe (PHI) | $14,080 | 38.9 | 2.8 |
| Value | De'Anthony Melton (GSW) | $9,070 | 26.9 | 3 |
| Fade | Anthony Black (ORL) | $10,570 | 19.3 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | Gary Payton (GSW) | $7,390 | 19.9 | 2.7 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kawhi Leonard (LAC) | $17,160 | 58.2 | 3.4 |
| Value | Kawhi Leonard (LAC) | $17,160 | 58.2 | 3.4 |
| Fade | Gui Santos (GSW) | $10,930 | 26.5 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | De'Anthony Melton (GSW) | $9,070 | 26.9 | 3 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kawhi Leonard (LAC) | $17,160 | 58.2 | 3.4 |
| Value | Kawhi Leonard (LAC) | $17,160 | 58.2 | 3.4 |
| Fade | Gui Santos (GSW) | $10,930 | 26.5 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Dominick Barlow (PHI) | $7,030 | 18.8 | 2.7 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Draymond Green (GSW) | $11,890 | 30.9 | 2.6 |
| Value | Wendell Carter (ORL) | $10,120 | 28.4 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Brook Lopez (LAC) | $10,050 | 25.7 | 2.6 |
| Cheapie | John Collins (LAC) | $9,520 | 24.6 | 2.6 |
Conclusion
When building your NBA Play-in Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Jalen Suggs. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Kawhi Leonard is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, check out our cheapie options, including De'Anthony Melton.
On the other hand, according to our model, Anthony Black is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Play-in Thursday slate closes at 9:30am AEST on Thursday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Play-in Thursday contest. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Play-in Thursday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
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