RADIO
We have a busy night with ten games going on, but there are many players who wont be busy tonight. Some injury news has already come down, but there are a couple dozen more saddled with questionable tags that make our life a lot more difficult. We know LeBron, Mike Conley, Victor Oladipo, Tyrese Haliburton, Derrick White, Dennis Schroder, Devonte' Graham, Kevin Porter Jr., and Donovan Mitchell are out. The bad news is that only covers point guards!
Every other positions is similarly depleted even when you don't count the questionable tags. The status of De'Aaron Fox, Darius Garland, Jimmy Butler, Christian Wood, and Kelly Olynyk can really alter a slate. We know that some Sacramento guard value is still good. Same with Utah. Beyond that, it will likely change as the news does throughout the day.
This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 5/7/21. You can also check out today’s FanDuel lineup picks. It’s also important to monitor injury news as a result of COVID-19 as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Without further ado, let’s dive into the picks!
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Damian Lillard - PG, vs. Lakers ($9,700)
It looks like Dame is in playoff mode already. He has at least 50 DraftKings points in four straight games and is averaging nearly 50 in his two games against the Lakers this year when they were a very different team. Lillard will have less resistance on the perimeter with LeBron and Schroder still out, but A.D. is back patrolling the middle for the champs. Still, Lillard is hitting his stride in time for the playoffs and that's all that Portland cares about. Fortunately for us, playoffs Lillard puts up some great numbers for DFS.
LaMelo Ball - PG, vs. Orlando ($8,200)
In the three games since his return, LaMelo hasn't been under 35 DraftKings points. The floor feels safe and the Magic are a total disaster trying to defend the perimeter right now. Ball's shooting was a little rusty at first, but he's back around his season mark right now. The ceiling is higher than most in his price range right now. The absence of Graham likely means that the Hornets will let Ball play as many minutes as he can handle. The Hornets are in the play-in to the playoffs right now. You can bet they'll try to stay there.
Delon Wright - PG/SG, vs. San Antonio ($6,800)
If Fox makes his return tonight, I'm probably off of Wright at this price. He'll still do fine with Haliburton out of the picture, but Fox is such a usage monster that I can't see paying this for Wright. However, with both Fox and Haliburton sidelined, Wright has put up consecutive 50+ DraftKings point games. There is enough other value on the slate that we don't need to reach for Wright if Fox returns. Even in a limited capacity, Fox could sap enough of Wright's value for him to have an underwhelming performance for this price. I will move off of Terence Davis too if Fox returns.
R.J. Hampton - PG/SG, at Charlotte ($5,200)
The Magic know what they have in Cole Anthony, so they are having him take a back seat to Hampton of late. Hampton has 128 DraftKings points in 96 minutes over the last three games. It makes sense for Orlando to limit Anthony down the stretch since he missed significant time with injury this year. Hampton is a superb value as long as Orlando keeps running him out there as a starter.
Bonus Guards: Luka Doncic ($10,900), Jrue Holiday ($8,600), Derrick Rose ($6,000), Goran Dragic ($5,600)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jayson Tatum - PF, at Chicago ($10,500)
We have seen how big of a beast Tatum can be come playoff time. He must think it's the playoffs already. Tatum has 235.75 DraftKings points over the last four games. The only guy that can match that total is Westbrook. With Russ not on the slate tonight, that gives Tatum this highest ceiling. This is especially true with Giannis playing a mess of a Houston team. I'm going to ride the hot hand with Tatum at least once.
Anthony Edwards - SG/SF, at Miami ($7,900)
Edwards erupted against Memphis, setting a Timberwolves record for made threes by a rookie with eight. All in all, Edwards hit 17 of 22 shots for 42 real points and 66.5 DraftKings points. Edwards wont be efficient like this every night. We should expect him somewhere around 50%. Even at that clip, Edwards should be a bargain at this price. I really like this if Jimmy Butler sits, but even if Butler plays, Edwards has been hot enough to use of late.
Marvin Bagley III - PF, vs. San Antonio ($5,900)
The Kings are letting Bagley play minutes in the low 30's. That's plenty of time for him to destroy value at this price. Bagley has cracked 40 DraftKings points twice in the last three games. The Spurs were a good defensive team once upon a time, but they aren't now. The Kings need this win to stay alive for the play in to the playoffs. I'm thinking Bagley should play plenty enough to make him worth this price.
Kenyon Martin Jr. - PF, at Milwaukee ($4,700)
The Rockets are finally letting Martin get consistent minutes. He has played 109 minutes over the last three games and racked up 101.75 DraftKings points. Martin racked up a career-best 44 minutes and six assists against Philly on Wednesday. Hopefully, Houston lets him play as much as he can down the stretch. If Martin is going to play 40 minutes again, his is priced way too low. That's the kind of value we need.
Bonus Forwards: Zion Williamson ($9,900), Joe Ingles ($6,700), Daniel Theis ($5,300), Patrick Williams ($4,000)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C, at Utah ($10,800)
Jokic has absolutely destroyed Gobert and the Jazz this year. Joker has 149.75 DraftKings points in just 77 minutes against the Jazz in the first two meetings. You have to pay a little more to get up to Jokic, but I trust him a hell of a lot more than a suddenly-hot Tatum. Jokic has been good all season and dominant almost on a nightly basis since Jamal Murray went down. In cash games, you have to have Jokic. Tonight he has enough upside to warrant usage in GPP formats as well.
Bam Adebayo - C, vs. Minnesota ($9,300)
Attack Minnesota with bigs. That's the story of the 2020-21 season, regardless of if Towns is in the lineup or not. Yes, I'm a broken record, but attacking Minnesota in the middle has made me more money than it has lost me this season. There's no reason for it to stop now. Play bigs against Minnesota. The end.
Mo Bamba - C, at Charlotte ($6,100)
Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Bamba. Puts up fantasy points in a hurry so put him on your roster. Arriba, arriba. The price is right, the price is right, the price is right. He'll make you muy dinero. Ritchie Valens couldn't have possibly foretold Mo Bamba dominating the fantasy landscape in May of 2021, but here we are. Mo has 177 DraftKings points in the last five games. That's including a 16.5 point dud against Memphis. Wendell Carter Jr. is out again, so Mo needs to be in every single lineup at this price.
Bonus Centers: Nikola Vucevic ($10,400), Kelly Olynyk ($8,000), Thaddeus Young ($6,300), Nerlens Noel ($5,100)
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