Friday brings a pair of Game 6 matchups where both home teams are facing elimination. The NBA DFS main slate action tips off at 7 p.m. ET on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Below, we will examine the player pool and break down the best NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups on Friday, May 13.
NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Friday, May 13
Yahoo Play of the Day — Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 46.54 | DraftKings: 48.46
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 44.6% | FanDuel 20.8% | DraftKings 28.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $41 | FanDuel $10,600 | DraftKings $9,800
Jayson Tatum has taken on additional rebounding duties with Robert Williams (knee) missing the last two games. The 13 rebounds in Game 4 were the most for Tatum this postseason, and his six in Game 5 matched the prior high. The fifth-year forward has played at least 40 minutes in each outing against Milwaukee, and we should see the same tonight in this elimination game. Tatum has tallied 50 or more fantasy points in three of the last four games, and even if Williams returns, it should not dampen the fantasy prospects for the leader of the Boston offense. The Yahoo salary algorithm is granting a 15% discount compared to the other DFS sites, which makes Tatum a core option tonight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 55.54 | DraftKings: 59.85
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 37% | FanDuel 49.8% | DraftKings 41.0%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $56 | FanDuel $11,700 | DraftKings $11,500
In a wild twist, the Bucks came back to win Game 5 in Boston and now they have a chance to close out the Celtics. There is not much else to say about this matchup that has not already been covered in the first five tilts. Giannis should see upwards of 25 field goal attempts while playing close to 40 minutes. Even if Williams is able to return today, it will not be enough of a detractor to keep the savvy gamers away from Giannis.
Antetokounmpo is a tantalizing option in the in the NBA player props market. Currently, he has a 33.5 over/under on his points prop, and the Awesemo NBA player projections have him for 33.0 points. While that does seem to be a stay-away, it is hard to envision Giannis with less than 30 points tonight, as the Bucks know they are playing with house money after sliding by Boston on Wednesday night. The two-time NBA MVP scored 40, 34 and 42 points in the last three games, and for the series he is averaging 28.2 field goal attempts, 10.6 free-throw attempts and 33.6 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr.: Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 34.93 | DraftKings: 34.35
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 30.6% | FanDuel 16.5% | DraftKings 21.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $28 | FanDuel $7,900 | DraftKings $7,000
It is impressive to see what Jaren Jackson Jr. can do from a fantasy perspective when he is not in constant foul trouble. This series he has logged 42 or more fantasy points in three of five games, compared to only one such performance against Minnesota in a series where he failed to tally 26 fantasy points three different times. It is all-or-nothing-time for Memphis, and for the third straight game, it will be all hands on deck as it tries to extend its season without the help of Ja Morant.
Tyus Jones: Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 32.6 | DraftKings: 33.01
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 41.0% | FanDuel 32.0% | DraftKings 57.0%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $20 | FanDuel $7,200 | DraftKings $5,700
This is an appropriate salary for Tyus Jones on DraftKings; he is getting a premium on FanDuel and a discount on Yahoo. In his two games since replacing Morant, he has tallied 47 and 35 fantasy points. Even if he splits the difference, 40 fantasy points would be something worth targeting across the DFS sites on Friday.
Yahoo Discount Dandies
Steven Adams: Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors ($12): Matchups are everything in the playoffs, and after falling out of the rotation against the Timberwolves, Steven Adams has been tabbed as a starter each of the past two games, averaging 24.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 14.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. This works out to 31.8 fantasy points per game, and even two-thirds of that would be just fine considering his low salary on Yahoo.
