RADIO
We have a compact two-game playoff slate on tap Monday night, as the Bucks look for a more comfortable win than their overtime victory in Game 1 against the Heat and the Nuggets try to avoid disaster by preventing a second straight loss to the Blazers on their home floor.
Postseason slates naturally narrow our player pool significantly, but they also offer us one valuable commodity as DFS players – relative security in terms of rotations and workloads for the players that require the heaviest investment.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/24/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Damian Lillard, PG – at DEN ($10,100)
Lillard was excellent in Game 1 against the Nuggets, posting 53.9 FD points on the strength of a 34-point, 13-assist double-double. The high dimes tally isn’t necessarily surprising when considering Denver is allowing the sixth-most assists per game (25.9) and Lillard already had another pair of double-digit assist totals against the Nuggets during the regular season. Lillard’s usage should once again be through the roof as Portland pushes to steal another game before heading home, making him an excellent option if you’re paying up.
Jrue Holiday, PG – vs. MIA ($7,900)
Holiday posted 41.7 FD points across 42 minutes in Game 1, just his latest impressive performance against Miami. The veteran also had tallies of 34.3, 43.0 and 50.1 FD points versus the Heat during the regular season, shooting an outstanding 52.4 percent from three-point range in that trio of contests. Miami allowed 45.6 FD points per game to point guards over the last seven contests of the regular season as well, and Holiday’s role should once again give him an excellent chance of delivering at least a 5x return Monday.
Goran Dragic, PG – at MIL ($5,500)
Dragic continued thriving in his usual bench role in Game 1, posting 27.9 FD points across 35 minutes. The veteran guard didn’t do much else but score – he posted 25 points on impressive 10-for-17 shooting – but with his salary still extremely reasonable, he’s right back in play Monday. Dragic has delivered over 5x his current salary on 17 occasions this season and postseason, including a 31 FD-point tally in one of his regular-season encounters with Milwaukee. The Bucks were also increasingly vulnerable to point guards down the stretch, yielding the fifth-most points (28.7) and third-most made threes (4.2) to ones over the last seven games.
Also consider: Donte DiVincenzo ($5,300)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF- vs. MIA ($10,900)
Antetokounmpo lit up the Heat for 58.1 FD points over 45 minutes in Game 1, but impressive as that performance was, it wasn’t the big man’s best against Miami this season. He also racked up 64.6 FD points in a Dec. 30 matchup versus Erik Spoelstra’s squad, and he’s now eclipsed 55 FD points in an impressive eight of his last 14 games. The Heat is allowing the 11th-highest offensive efficiency to power forwards (25.6 percent) on the season and postseason and Antetokounmpo should once again naturally enjoy sky-high usage, making him a natural choice if you’re paying up at a forward spot.
Michael Porter Jr., SF – vs. POR ($7,600)
Porter totaled 39.8 DFD points against the Blazers in Game 1, despite the fact he shot an abysmal 1-for-10 from distance. The second-year wing was otherwise perfect from the field, shooting 11-for-11 from in front of the arc, and given Porter shot a blistering 44.5 percent from downtown during the regular season, his struggles are highly unlikely to continue. Portland also remains ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to small forwards (23.3 percent), and if Porter bounces back to anywhere near his usual level from three-point range, his return on investment could be one of the better ones of the slate.
Aaron Gordon, PF – vs. POR ($5,600)
Gordon was one of the bright spots for the Nuggets in the Game 1 loss, generating 29.1 FD points on the strength of a 16-point, eight-rebound performance. The veteran also had a 27.7 FD-point tally versus Portland during the regular season, and the Blazers are yielding the sixth-highest offensive efficiency (26.2 percent) to power forwards, along with 47.0 FD points per game over the last 15 contests of the regular season to fours.
Also consider: Jimmy Butler ($9,100); Khris Middleton ($7,800)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic – vs. POR ($10,700)
Jokic and his teammates surprisingly came up short in Game 1, but it’s hard to fault the big man – he produced 53.7 FD points over 35 minutes on the strength of a 34-point, 16-rebound double-double. Jokic put up a whopping 27 shot attempts in the contest, and his usage should continue similarly elevated Monday night as Denver goes all out to avoid dropping two straight at home. Jokic has regularly eclipsed 50 FD points since Jamal Murray went down for the season back in April, and despite the fact Portland can certainly be tough against centers, Jokic’s role and ability to space the floor make him an excellent investment in what’s close to a must-win for the Nuggets.
Bam Adebayo – at MIL ($8,200)
Adebayo was impressive in the Game 1 overtime loss to the Bucks, totaling 38.9 FD points despite shooting just 4-for-15. Adebayo also supplied 53.6 FD points in another game against Milwaukee this season and has averaged 41.4 FD points over his last 15 games, including Saturday’s playoff opener. If Adebayo gets his shooting back up to par Monday, he could certainly exceed 40 FD points again, given his ability to contribute across other categories.
Jusuf Nurkic – at DEN ($8,000)
Nurkic turned in 40.9 FD points in 33 minutes during Game 1, generating a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double. It was Nurkic’s second straight tally of over 40 FD points against Denver, as he’d posted 44.9 in the regular-season finale as well. Denver was very good statistically against centers throughout the season, but Nurkic has now put up over 40 FD points in five of his last eight games overall and is a virtual lock for a double-double every time he takes the court lately.
Also consider: Brook Lopez ($5,700)
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