Wednesday, May 4, brings the second pair of Game 2’s with a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Make sure to visit the Awesemo NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for the best fantasy basketball content you need for tonight’s slate of games.
NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Wednesday, May 4
Yahoo Play of the Day — Tobias Harris: Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 34.59 | DraftKings: 35.71
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 55.0% | FanDuel 39.0% | DraftKings 27.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $23 | FanDuel $7,800 | DraftKings $7,700
The Yahoo salary algorithm has not yet adjusted the salary of Tobias Harris to account for the absence of Joel Embiid. In the postseason Harris is averaging 0.83 fantasy points per minute alongside Embiid and Harden. When Embiid is off the court, Harris sees a 10% increase in his production. Harris should see a few more field goal and rebounding opportunities, and the 30% salary discount on Yahoo is hard to ignore tonight.
Bam Adebayo: Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 41.16 | DraftKings: 41.62
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 44.0% | FanDuel 50.3% | DraftKings 33.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $31 | FanDuel $8,300 | DraftKings $8,000
On Monday the 76ers used a rotating cast of characters who all failed miserably at their assigned task of slowing down Bam Adebayo. DeAndre Jordan was too slow, Paul Reed was far too foul happy, and Georges Niang was simply outclassed from a talent perspective. Tonight 40 fantasy points feels like a safe expectation for Adebayo with a strong possibility that he authors another 50-fantasy-point masterpiece.
Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 56.67 | DraftKings: 61.28
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 45.8% | FanDuel 56.4% | DraftKings 45.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $56 | FanDuel $11,700 | DraftKings $11,400
Once again Luka Doncic commands the top salary across the fantasy sites, but that also comes with a median projection that is a full 10 points higher than any other player. The real question is, how much fun did James Harden have in South Beach between games? If the answer is, “none, he stayed in the hotel between games thinking about the next matchup” … then Harden will probably end up being the better play. However, we know that Harden loves the nightlife and accompanying adventures, and that is what makes South Beach one of the most popular NBA destinations every season. Look to Harden when this series is back in Philadelphia; otherwise, downgrade another roster slot or two in order to secure the services of Doncic.
Look to Spencer Dinwiddie against Phoenix tonight in the NBA player prop market. Currently, he has a 2.5 over/under on his assist prop, and the Awesemo NBA player projections have him for 2.5 assists, which gives him a 76% probability of surpassing the over. Even though he is coming off the bench, he plays all the crucial late-game minutes and has been a solid facilitator when Doncic and Jalen Brunson start to focus more on scoring.
Yahoo Discount Dandies
Paul Reed, Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat ($12): In this section on Monday, Paul Reed was discussed as being an intriguing fantasy option, albeit one with a lot of risk when it came to his 6.5 fouls per 36 minutes for his 64 career regular-season games. That played out against Adebayo, as Reed ended up with five fouls, which in turn limited him to just over 13 minutes of action. He was sublime with nearly 2 fantasy points per minute. If he is able to stay on the court, he could break the slate — if he plays just 13 minutes again, he is likely to have under 20 fantasy points, which could break his supporters’ hearts … and bankrolls.
P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers ($10): P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent are known commodities, and they should continue to see a predictable workload. The extra minutes provide a level of safety that should help them to see around 18 to 23 fantasy points most games. While they are less likely than Reed to reach a 30-fantasy-point ceiling, in turn they are far more likely to outproduce the Philadelphia forward more often than not.
Maximilian Kleber, Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns ($10): Though Dwight Powell is the starter, Maximilian Kleber is the more polished offensive option off the bench who also has a better chance to see fourth quarter action. Neither player is a shoe in for more than 20 minutes, but Kleber does knock down enough shots and is a solid rebounder that he can still be a serviceable option in the final frame matching up with Deandre Ayton. Powell is a good rebounder, but he does not get many looks on offense and is content to just do the dirty work when he is on the court. That has a lot of value for Dallas but very little for fantasy gamers.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks for the Wednesday, May 4 Fantasy Basketball Slate
Unless there are surprise injuries or a change to any of the four starting lineups, we should have a reasonable level of certainty heading into tipoff tonight.
