NBA DFS Picks DraftKings + FanDuel Expert Lineup Building Strategy 5/25

Monday was as manic as a two-game daily fantasy basketball slate can possibly get, with some insane outlier performances from the unlikeliest of places. Cheapies that put up right around 30 fantasy points were Monte Morris at around 20% ownership on both sites, Paul Millsap around 10%, Bryn Forbes at only 2% and Dewayne Dedmon at a minuscule 1%. In fact, the main $20 winner on DraftKings incredibly had all three, leading to a whopping 27-point margin that is unlikely to ever be replicated again. But that goes to show that if you’re willing to undertake some serious risk on the cheap end to pay up for studs on these smaller slates, some serious rewards could be in store (just don’t expect Forbes to go 6-for-9 from 3 next time around). Anyway, let’s get to work finding a few NBA DFS picks and strategies to attack Tuesday’s three-game slate with on DraftKings and FanDuel.

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NBA DFS Slate Starter: Picks & Strategy | May 25

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L.A. Teams Down One? This Should Be Fun

Before getting into the NBA DFS analysis, let’s kick off today by taking a peek at the current favorites to win the Western Conference with the help of OddsShopper, the easiest way to find the best prices at various sportsbooks across the industry:

NBA DFS Picks daily fantasy basketball tonight NBA PLayoffs Western Conference Eastern COnference Draftkings FanDuel projections ownership strategy advice odds, lines, moneyline

Do not adjust your screens, folks. Despite both the Lakers and Clippers going down 0-1 after some extremely poor Game 1 outings, they remain massive favorites to not just win their respective series, but to make the NBA Finals. Ironically enough, the more heavily favored Lakers might have the bigger hole to climb out of, as it’s now a requirement for them to win two road games versus the Suns in order to advance. But the Clippers have had issues containing Luka Doncic dating back to last year’s bubble, so crawling out of their deficit won’t exactly be a walk in the park either.

It’s hard to quantify incentive, but one would think the tandems of LeBron James/Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard/Paul George will see their minutes pushed into the 40s and their usage spike even further in these must-win scenarios. And coming off atrocious Game 1 outings from Davis and George, any dip to their ownership on account of recency bias should be something to capitalize on. So be sure to check out Awesemo’s ownership percentages leading up to lock, as knowing which of these four Los Angeles studs to prioritize (or not prioritize) will be a massive piece to this slate.

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Three Pieces of Sketchy Value

At first glance, Tuesday’s slate could be extremely difficult to build lineups for. With the incredible amount of spend-ups we’ll want to jam in — but yet very few viable paths to afford them — get ready to force in some extremely questionable value plays in tournaments. Granted, DraftKings has a pair of centers in Robert Williams at $4,600 and Deandre Ayton at $6,100 that should help the cause, but that’s still not enough to afford multiple of the studs below with ease:

NBA DFS Picks daily fantasy basketball tonight NBA PLayoffs Western Conference Eastern COnference Draftkings FanDuel projections ownership strategy advice odds, lines, moneyline lebron james luka doncic james harden jayson tatum anthony davis kevin durant kawhi leonard

That’s a lot of upside for just a three-game slate. It is hard to imagine not seeing at least three 55-point performances considering the minutes boost everyone receives come playoffs time, so it’s worth it to find ways to afford lineups with at least three as well.

And with that in mind, here are three pieces of super sketchy value pieces under $5,000 you could consider to round out stars-and-scrubs builds:

Jabari Parker ($3,000 DraftKings/$3,800 FanDuel) — Well, this just got uncomfortable right off the bat. After playing precisely zero minutes in the Celtics’ play-in tournament victory versus the Wizards, Parker was inserted into a meaningful rotational role in Game 1. His 17.5 DraftKings points in 22 minutes isn’t exactly inspiring stuff, but it is so extremely rare to find viable plays at minimum salary in the playoffs. One could say his ownership was 3% or 30% on this slate right now and would be believable either way, so the public’s perception of the security in his Game 1 minutes ought to be an interesting talking point throughout the afternoon. That is why it will be extremely important to refresh Awesemo’s Boom/Bust tool like crazy tomorrow, as knowing his boom percentage and odds of appearing in the optimal lineup will be huge factors in whether to make Parker a priority or not.
Jeff Green ($3,600 DraftKings/$4,600 FanDuel) — Similar to Parker, Green is a DraftKings-specific play. No one else besides the Nets’ trio of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will be high-usage options on this team, but considering he can play in an assortment of lineups and will be relied on once more to be the part-time defender of Jayson Tatum, the 27 minutes he saw in Game 1 should be there once more. Saturday also snapped Green’s seven-game streak of double-digit points, so he’s certainly capable of providing some scoring off the bench for the title favorites.
Cameron Payne ($4,400 DraftKings/$4,400 FanDuel) — Let’s shoot for the moon! Payne is not a discount on either site, especially compared to the likes of Nicolas Batum, Maxi Kleber and Cameron Johnson all under $4,000 and sure to garner substantially more ownership. But there are two potential things here: If Chris Paul is in any way limited by the shoulder injury he sustained in Game 1 (he wasn’t on the injury report), Payne is the direct beneficiary of slightly extra run. Also, his 13 minutes should have been more in the 16 to 18 range if not for his bogus ejection in the fourth quarter. This takes a leap of faith, but if Payne — who averaged 1.04 DraftKings points per minute on the season — can get off to a hot start, there could be a path to a little extra run.

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Final Thoughts for NBA DFS Lineups

Just play Kristaps Porzingis.

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Author

Eric Lindquist

Eric Lindquist hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota (yes, that’s the one with Mount Rushmore). A steady diet of three SportsCenters a day at an early age led to his obsession with sports, one that 30 years later is paying dividends for him as a successful DFS player and sports bettor. Despite over half a million dollars in net career earnings, he’s most passionate about helping others achieve their financial goals, an energy you can witness on the daily in his current role as a host and analyst at Stokastic. He’s a former Division I golfer at Iowa State, wishes he was a former Minnesota sports fan, and is a proud father to a 100-pound Bernese Mountain dog named Duke that wishes he could just eat people food instead of the crap he and his wife feed him on the daily.