RADIO
The NBA regular season enters its final two weeks with an exciting eight-game slate Monday. As is naturally the case this time of season, all but one game, the Magic-Pistons tilt, has playoff implications attached.
There continue to be some notable names on the injury report, but there are plenty of high-end options available at each position. The enhanced importance of these games certainly also helps us as DFS players from the standpoint of offering us a bit more assurance that high-salaried players will see heavy workloads.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/3/21. 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
Stephen Curry, PG – at NO ($9,700)
There’s plenty of appealing options to pay up for at guard Monday, but I particularly like the combination of Curry’s four-figure salary and significant upside. The sharpshooter checks into Monday’s contest with 30-point tallies in four of the last five games, and he’s averaging 50.0 FD points while shooting 51.2 percent, including 46.2 percent from distance, in the last 15 contests. The Pelicans could well facilitate another one of his monster games as well, considering they’re allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency (30.1 percent) to point guards, along with the most FD points per game (50.6) to ones for the season. What’s more, New Orleans is surrendering the fourth-highest three-point percentage overall (38.2), which naturally could spell trouble against Curry. Finally, consider the Warriors will once again be without Kelly Oubre Jr. (wrist) and potentially Andrew Wiggins (knee) on Monday, and Curry is averaging 61.1 FD points per 36 minutes without his teammates on the floor.
Ben Simmons, PG – at CHI ($7,200)
Simmons has returned from a four-game absence due to illness in strong form, scoring 24.7 to 38.7 FD points in his first four games, with one of the sub-30-FD-point tallies during that time coming in a 16-minute outing against the Hawks in which he got into foul trouble. The 2016 first overall pick draws an excellent matchup against the Bulls, which are allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency (28.4 percent) to point guards. Chicago is also surrendering 47.3 FD points per game to ones on the season, including the fourth-most assists (9.0) per game to the position. What's more, the Bulls are giving up the second-most points in the paint per home game (52.6), an area of the floor where just over 75.0 percent of Simmons' scoring occurs. Finally, consider Simmons' current salary offers significant value, as he's already delivered over 5x return on the $7.2K figure on 30 occasions.
Cole Anthony, PG – at DET ($6,300)
Anthony just lit up the Grizzlies for 48.6 FD points across 36 minutes Saturday night, and he’s averaging 32.9 FD points across 30.8 minutes over the nine games encompassing his current starting tenure. The rookie is draining an impressive 41.5 percent of his three-point attempts during that span, and Monday, he faces a Pistons team that shapes up as a favorable matchup for him in multiple respects. Detroit is ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to point guards (26.8 percent), and the Pistons are also surrendering the ninth-most FD points per game to point guards (48.3) on the season, including the fourth most (52.2) in the last 15.
Also consider: Russell Westbrook ($11,200); Trae Young ($9,400); Caris Levert ($8,400); Frank Jackson ($4,200)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Anthony Davis, PF- vs. DEN ($9,600)
Davis had a ragged shooting night against the Raptors on Sunday, going 5-for-16 from the field on his way to just 12 points. However, prior to that contest, the floor-spacing big had been improving his production with each passing game since returning from his 30-game absence due to a calf injury and averaged 39.2 FD points over the previous four games heading into the clunker against Toronto. AD put up 38.8 FD points over 33 minutes in one of his prior meetings against the Nuggets this season and 21.3 over just 14 minutes in another, so his efficiency against Denver has been off the charts. The Nuggets are also as vulnerable as ever to power forwards, allowing the highest offensive efficiency (28.0 percent) to fours for the season, along with 44.9 FD points per game to the position.
Draymond Green, PF – at NO ($7,400)
Green is averaging 36.6 FD points per contest over the last 15 games on the strength of 7.3 points, 9.1 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals across 33.1 minutes. As mentioned in Curry’s entry, the Warriors will be taking the floor without Kelly Oubre Jr. (wrist) again Monday, with a possible absence by Andrew Wiggins (knee) also in play. Green is averaging 43.8 FD points per 36 minutes without both his teammates on the floor, and 36.5 FD points per 36 with just Oubre missing. The Pelicans are also a good target positionally, as they’re allowing 44.5 FD points per game to fours for the season, including 45.9 over the last seven contests. New Orleans is also surrendering the sixth-most assists (25.8) and 10th-most steals (7.8) per contest, with both those metrics typically key components of Green’s fantasy production.
Saddiq Bey, SF – vs. ORL ($5,600)
Bey eviscerated the Hornets for 49.9 FD points over 40 minutes Saturday night, despite shooting just 7-for-21 from the floor. The rookie wing has been on an extended run of solid and well-balanced production, averaging 27.7 FD points over his last 14 games on the strength of 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals across 31.2 minutes. The Magic have been tough against small forwards at times this season, but they check in allowing the eighth-most FD points per game (44.5) to threes in the last 15, along with the fifth-most points (25.3), second-most rebounds (9.1) and sixth-most made threes (3.0) to the position during that span.
Also consider: Julius Randle ($9,700); Zion Williamson ($9,000); RJ Barrett ($6,700)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Joel Embiid – at CHI ($9,600)
Embiid was finally forced to play over 30 minutes again Sunday against the Spurs after logging a lighter workload than usual in the prior four contests due to game flow. The big man responded with a 34-point, 12-rebound double-double that helped net 45.9 FD points, and he’ll be teed up in another positive matchup Monday. The Bulls famously allowed an astounding 93.9 FD points to Embiid back on Feb. 19 on the strength of a 50-point, 17-rebound double-double, and Chicago is giving up the sixth-most FD points per game to centers (56.2) on the campaign, along with Eastern Conference-high 35.7 percent offensive efficiency to the position. As mentioned in Simmons' entry, the Bulls are also giving up the second-most points in the paint per home game (52.6), making Embiid’s case even more airtight.
Jonas Valanciunas – vs. NY ($6,700)
Valanciunas sports a surprisingly reasonable salary for a player who’s posted back-to-back tallies of over 40 FD points, and who’s exceeded the mark in three of his last five games overall. Additionally, Valanciunas already lit up the Knicks for 49.8 FD points over 36 minutes in his one prior meeting against them April 9, and New York could well be without Nerlens Noel down low Monday after the latter exited Sunday’s win over the Rockets with an ankle injury. The Knicks already check in allowing 51.9 FD points per game to centers for the season, and Valanciunas has already delivered at least 5x return on his current salary on 31 occasions, with 18 of those instances coming on his home floor.
Willy Hernangomez – vs. GS ($5,000)
Hernangomez could be in for a third straight start Monday night in place of Steven Adams (toe), who’s listed as questionable. Hernangomez has generated back-to-back double-doubles while averaging 30.9 FD points over that pair of games, and he also tallied 34.0 FD points four games ago in another spot start while putting up 12 points, 10 boards and three steals. The Warriors’ fast pace and weakness defending down low should both benefit Hernangomez if he’s out there with the first unit again Monday, as Golden State is ranked in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency allowed to centers (33.1 percent) and is surrendering 56.0 FD points per game to fives for the season.
Also consider: Nikola Jokic ($10,900); Clint Capela ($8,200); Mo Bamba ($5,600)
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