NBA Daily Fantasy Picks: DraftKings + FanDuel Ownership Projections

Wednesday night is setting up to be an excellent daily fantasy basketball slate. All six games on the schedule bring playoff implications, and there is a plethora of appealing NBA daily fantasy value picks since so many teams are understaffed. With both LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (groin) listed as questionable, the Lakers are the top team to monitor for this six-game slate. As always, be sure to be checking back to Awesemo’s NBA DFS rankings and projections for both DraftKings and FanDuel after any news breaks and when building NBA DFS lineups.

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NBA Daily Fantasy Picks: Awesemo Grades | May 12

Small Forward: Evan Fournier

DraftKings Grades: B, Values: A

FanDuel Grades: B, Values: C3

After losing to the Heat last night, the Celtics still need to win at least one of their final three games to ensure they don’t drop lower than the seventh seed in the East. With matchups against a suddenly competitive Timberwolves team and the Knicks this weekend, securing a victory tonight against the Cavs is the best move for the Celtics. And once again, Fournier should find himself in a large role. Not only is Jaylen Brown (wrist) done for the season, but Kemba Walker (rest), Robert Williams (toe) and Marcus Smart (calf) have also been ruled out. With at least one of Brown or Walker out for Boston’s past five, Fournier has scored 40.1 DraftKings points in 34 minutes per game.

Now, with all four of these starters out of the equation, Fournier’s role should reach new heights against the Cavaliers defense that has been the worst group in the NBA over their past 10. Fournier is priced correctly at a new season high on FanDuel, but at only $5,500 on DraftKings, he is a free square for tonight’s six-game slate. According to Awesemo’s NBA DFS projections, he is a top-three value on DraftKings at this soft salary.

NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 34.8%, FanDuel 12.6%

Point Guard: Dejounte Murray

DraftKings Grades: B, Values: B

FanDuel Grades: B, Values: B

With only four games remaining and as the final seed for the play-in tournament, the Spurs will be giving it their all tonight against the Nets. Murray is coming off an impressive 45 DraftKings points in a rout over the Bucks on Monday night, and this date with the Nets boasts a high 233.5-point total. He put up 38 DraftKings points against the Nets back in March, and Murray has averaged 41.9 DraftKings points per game whenever the Spurs have been a part of a total 230 points or higher this season.

At reasonable price points on both DraftKings and FanDuel, Murray is a very attractive combination of safety and upside that provides exposure to one of the best game environments of the slate. Murray’s NBA DFS projection has him sitting at 36.10 fantasy points tonight.

NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 16.6%, FanDuel 20.4%

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Point Guard: Payton Pritchard

DraftKings Grades: C, Values: A

FanDuel Grades: C, Values: A

Jayson Tatum erupted for 56 DraftKings points in the lone start he made sans Walker and Brown this season, making him an obvious stud to attack tonight along with Fournier, but gamers also must take advantage of Pritchard in this situation. Pritchard will likely start at point guard tonight, but even if he doesn’t, he is going to receive close 30 minutes off the bench and effortlessly provide value at his near-minimum price tags.

In the 217 minutes Pritchard has logged without Walker, Brown, Williams and Smart during his rookie season, His usage has risen a team-high 6.5%, and he has generated 0.97 DraftKings points per minute. Also, while the Cavaliers have ranked dead last in defensive rating across their last 10, they have yielded the fourth-most DraftKings points per game to opposing point guards during this stretch. All three of Pritchard, Tatum and Fournier are core plays for this six-game slate, and there is no reason to not stack these Celtics together.

NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 16.6%, FanDuel 17.6%

Power Forward: James Johnson

DraftKings Grades: C, Values: C

FanDuel Grades: C, Values: A

With Zion Williamson (finger), Brandon Ingram (ankle) and Steven Adams (toe) all absent for the past three, Johnson has started at power forward for the Pelicans and contributed 28.1 DraftKings points in 28.2 minutes per game. Now Lonzo Ball (out, thumb) will join New Orleans’ lengthy injury report, creating a clear path for Johnson to gain a large role tonight against the Mavericks. The sample size is only 54 minutes, but when Johnson has been on the floor without those four key players, his usage has spiked 6.6% and his assist rate has skyrocketed 25.3%. Combine these two factors, and Johnson has scored an elite 1.43 DraftKings points per minute in this specific situation.

Now, expectations should be tempered, but Johnson’s salaries on both DraftKings and FanDuel are severely low relative to his opportunity, making him a a solid NBA DFS value pick that can’t be ignored. For the five times he has cracked the 30-minute mark since joining the Pelicans, Johnson has supplied 29.2 DraftKings points per game.

NBA DFS Ownership Projection: DraftKings 8.4%, FanDuel 17.6%

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