RADIO
We’re down to a two-game slate Monday night with the Bucks having eliminated the Heat on Saturday. With just four teams in action, we naturally have a much tighter player pool to work with, one that’s made even narrower by the fact rotations are usually more compact during the postseason.
That said, we should have a very motivated Russell Westbrook-Bradley Beal duo facing off against the 76ers as the Wizards strive to avoid elimination, while the Jazz and Grizzlies face off in a series that’s featured an abundance of impressive DFS performances thus far.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/31/21. 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
Russell Westbrook, PG – vs. PHI ($11,000)
Westbrook technically carries a questionable tag due to his ankle injury, but it seems almost inconceivable that he would miss this must-win game for the Wizards. Westbrook played through the injury in Game 3 and actually came through with his best performance of the series, posting a 26-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. He’ll undoubtedly be set for massive usage assuming he takes the floor Monday, which makes a minimum of a 50 FD-point tally a virtual lock.
Donovan Mitchell, SG – at MEM ($8,000)
Mitchell has shown some rust with his shot over his first two games back after a 16-game absence due to an ankle injury, draining just 40.5 percent of his attempts in Games 2 and 3. However, the star wing hasn’t had any apparent setbacks with his ankle and worked up to 30 minutes in Game 3 after logging 26 in the contest prior. Mitchell has racked up 25 and 29 points in those contests and faces a Grizzlies squad that’s given up the sixth-most FD points per game (43.6) over the last 15.
Dillon Brooks, SG – vs. UTA ($7,100)
Brooks has been a bit overshadowed by backcourt mate’s Ja Morant’s exploits, but the fourth-year wing is having an excellent series in his own right. Brooks is averaging 40 FD points over the first three games versus the Jazz while shooting 53.1 percent, and he’s put up 27.0 points, 4.0 assists, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals during that span. The fact the Jazz also check in allowing the fourth-most FD points per game to twos over the last 15 (44.3) and Brooks is averaging a robust 21.3 shot attempts thus far in the series both serve to further his already strong case.
Also consider: Bradley Beal ($9,600); Ben Simmons ($8,800); Ja Morant ($8,200)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Tobias Harris, PF- at WAS ($7,900)
Much like Brooks has seen Morant steal some of his spotlight, Harris has been a bit overshadowed by frontcourt mate Joel Embiid. However, the big man has consistently been Robin to Embiid’s Batman, averaging 41.9 FD points over the first three games of the series on averages of 25.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal. Harris is putting up a solid 18.7 shot attempts per contest in the sample and logging 30.7 minutes per game, so he essentially has a bulletproof resume thus far against Washington. While there’s the potential for a comfortable lead in the second half limiting Harris’ participation, he’s the player to turn to on the small slate if you’re paying up at forward.
Kyle Anderson, SF – vs. UTA ($6,900)
Anderson has been impressive while offering his usual multi-category contributions over the first three games of the series, as he’s averaging 12.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.0 steals across 33 minutes. Anderson is shooting an impressive 50.0 percent on 10 shot attempts per contest, and with the Jazz surrendering 42.3 FD points per contest to small forwards in the last seven, Anderson remains an excellent play at his salary in a key game for Memphis.
Royce O'Neale, PF – at MEM ($4,400)
O’Neale has rather quietly scored 27.1 and 23.4 FD points over the last two games of the series, averaging 13.0 points on 60.0 percent shooting, including 61.5 percent from distance, in that pair of contests. The versatile forward is only averaging 7.0 shot attempts over the first three games overall, so there’s certainly some risk involved. However, given how many shots both squads have been putting up and the fact Memphis ranks in the bottom half of the league with 52.5 total rebounds surrendered per home game, O’Neale seems likely to have plenty of opportunities to supplement any scoring he does with some boards. He’s also delivered over 5x return on his current salary on 32 occasions this season and postseason, furthering his case.
Also consider: Jaren Jackson Jr. ($5,700); Daniel Gafford ($5,400); Danny Green ($4,700)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Joel Embiid – at WAS ($10,200)
As alluded to in Harris’ entry, Embiid has basically run roughshod over the Wizards over the first three games of the series, with the only limits on his fantasy production coming as a result of game script shortening his playing time. The star big man is averaging 44.1 FD points on an average of just 28.0 minutes per contest, putting up 29.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal. The big man is even shooting an outstanding 54.5 percent on an average of 3.7 three-point attempts per contest, taking full advantage of the Wizards’ breakneck pace of play and often suspect defense. Nothing should change Monday, and although there’s the possibility Embiid’s minutes are abbreviated yet again, he’s simply too good to pass up if you have the salary.
Rudy Gobert – at MEM ($8,500)
Gobert has offered his typically solid level of production over the first three games of the series, posting a double-double in each contest on his way to an average of 43.0 FD points during that sample. The Stifle Tower is supplementing his scoring and rebounding with an impressive 3.7 blocks per game, and Memphis is ranked is giving up the 13th-highest offensive efficiency (32.8 percent) to centers while also giving up 51.9 FD points per game to centers over the last seven contests.
Also consider: Dwight Howard ($4,300)
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