NBA Post Season Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for April 23, 2026
Last updated: Apr 22, 2026, 11:57AM | Published: Apr 22, 2026, 8:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Post Season Thursday DFS contest starts at 9:00am AEST on April 23, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for every player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is essential 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 23 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Post Season Thursday slate features the following match-ups:
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs Phoenix Suns
- Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to produce some of the most reliable DFS projections available.
With the best 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 find the best choices on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Cade Cunningham (DET, PG) | $20,670 | 57 | 2.8 |
| Value | Tobias Harris (DET, PF) | $9,320 | 30.2 | 3.2 |
| Fade | Grayson Allen (PHX, SG/SF) | $11,400 | 15.5 | 1.4 |
| Cheapie | Daniss Jenkins (DET, PG) | $6,000 | 19 | 3.2 |
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 are 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 | Cade Cunningham (DET) | $20,670 | 57 | 2.8 |
| Value | Daniss Jenkins (DET) | $6,000 | 19 | 3.2 |
| Fade | Collin Gillespie (PHX) | $10,550 | 16.4 | 1.6 |
| Cheapie | Ajay Mitchell (OKC) | $9,030 | 21.5 | 2.4 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Devin Booker (PHX) | $16,980 | 46.4 | 2.7 |
| Value | Jalen Green (PHX) | $12,700 | 37.7 | 3 |
| Fade | Grayson Allen (PHX) | $11,400 | 15.5 | 1.4 |
| Cheapie | Cason Wallace (OKC) | $6,840 | 17.9 | 2.6 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jalen Williams (OKC) | $14,870 | 35.8 | 2.4 |
| Value | Duncan Robinson (DET) | $8,360 | 24.6 | 2.9 |
| Fade | Grayson Allen (PHX) | $11,400 | 15.5 | 1.4 |
| Cheapie | Jordan Goodwin (PHX) | $8,850 | 21.9 | 2.5 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Paolo Banchero (ORL) | $16,970 | 43.2 | 2.5 |
| Value | Tobias Harris (DET) | $9,320 | 30.2 | 3.2 |
| Fade | Dillon Brooks (PHX) | $11,420 | 30.4 | 2.7 |
| Cheapie | Isaiah Stewart (DET) | $7,130 | 15.8 | 2.2 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jalen Duren (DET) | $14,970 | 41.3 | 2.8 |
| Value | Oso Ighodaro (PHX) | $7,150 | 21.2 | 3 |
| Fade | Isaiah Hartenstein (OKC) | $11,100 | 27.2 | 2.5 |
| Cheapie | Mark Williams (PHX) | $8,560 | 23.5 | 2.7 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NBA Post Season Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Tobias Harris. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Cade Cunningham is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Daniss Jenkins.
On the other hand, according to our model, Grayson Allen is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if building out multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Post Season Thursday slate closes at 9:00am 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 Post Season Thursday slate. The unique insights here can give you an edge when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Post Season 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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