DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (5/21/22): Today's Top NBA DFS Lineups

May 21, 2022

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on May 21st, 2022. Kyle Ringstad provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

The Eastern Conference Finals shifts to Boston, Massachusetts after the Celtics were able to wrestle home-court advantage back with a convincing Game 2 win in Miami. The series is tied 1-1 and it truly feels like this is going to be one of those grind-it-out series that goes the full distance, which is a big win for NBA fans and DFS players alike.

Max Strus, Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, and Gabe Vincent are all listed with questionable tags, though Lowry is the only one of the group who is a true question mark as he hasn't played since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Keep an eye on his status - as well as the aforementioned Heat role players - as the day moves along.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/21/22, with the slate locking at 8:30 pm ET. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our live-updating NBA injury updates tool as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. As always, feel free to follow my Twitter (@RING_DFS) - I post about a variety of things but mainly NBA DFS with my K-Rate model. Let's get to it - good luck RotoBallers!

DraftKings and FanDuel Captains/MVP - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Jayson Tatum - ($11,200 DK, $15,000 FD)

The top two guys tonight are separated by a razor-thin margin, in my opinion. I'm going to roll with Jayson Tatum posting a monster game in the first matchup of the series on their home court, but I have zero issues getting to Jimmy Butler with the way he has been playing. Tatum has only had one subpar game since the playoffs began, a 24.25 DK point effort where he shot 4-for-19 in Game 3 against the Bucks. Every other game has been either solid or spectacular for the young star, highlighted by a 66.75 DK point explosion just four games ago. The Heat obviously trot out one of the top defenses in the league, but this is the conference finals - that's going to happen. Give me Tatum in the top multiplier spot(s) tonight.

Jimmy Butler - ($10,800 DK, $15,500 FD)

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but you should try to use both of the top two players in this game in your lineups tonight. Butler has gone Super Saiyan at times during these playoffs, including a team-carrying 72.75 DK point effort in the Heat's Game 1 victory. He should play as many minutes as he can handle and if he can keep up anywhere close to his 1.57 FPTS/min so far in this series, he's going to be a Captain/MVP that you're going to need.

Jaylen Brown - ($9,400 DK, $14,000 FD)

Brown is another player to consider, though there's a large gap between the Tatum/Butler picks and Brown. He has played well in this series, posting 45.5 and 40 DK points while hitting on 8-of-15 attempts from long range. The Heat need to focus defensive attention on the always-dangerous Tatum, so taking stabs on Brown in the multiplier slots makes a lot of sense. He doesn't possess the ceiling that Tatum or Butler do, though, so I'd make sure to limit his exposure in the Captain/MVP slots.

Others to consider (FanDuel): Bam Adebayo, Al Horford, Robert Williams

Others to consider (DraftKings): Bam Adebayo, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams

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DraftKings and FanDuel Utility Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Robert Williams - ($10,200 DK, $11,500 FD)

It has been a rocky road for Time Lord truthers as he missed the last four games of the Bucks series and has waffled between getting subpar playing time and crushing value in 23 minutes in the past month or so. He's a better FPTS/min producer than Al Horford and we have to remember that during the regular season, we would happily select Williams over Horford, even at a higher salary. He received 20 minutes and was disappointing with just 17.5 DK points in Game 2, but he soared past value with 34.25 and 32.25 DK points in his two prior games. He's another game removed from his knee injury in the last series, so as long as we're projecting him for minutes in the mid-to-high 20's tonight, we have to consider him for his per-minute production and potential ceiling.

Gabe Vincent - ($6,600 DK, $8,000 FD)

Vincent has been on a nice roll in the absence of Lowry, and he'll continue to work as a value play in daily fantasy as long as the former Raptor remains out of the lineup tonight. Vincent has put up 23.25, 31, 19, and 26.75 DK points over his last four games as he saw between 24 and 34 minutes in each game during that stretch. There's no reason to expect his current form can't continue tonight if Lowry is ruled out, making him a great value at his low salary.

Dewayne Dedmon - ($1,800 DK)

This is a purely DraftKings-only type of play, just to be clear. Dedmon is a very hit-or-miss option, but he consistently sees right around 12 minutes per game and at a baseline of about 0.9 FPTS/min for the season, he's a decent bet to hit double-digit DK points on any given night. That is literally all we need at his salary. Yes, it's gross, but it is essential to being able to fit two (or more) studs in a lineup tonight.

Others to consider (FanDuel): P.J. Tucker, Victor Oladipo, Max Strus, Payton Pritchard, Bam Adebayo, Al Horford, Tyler Herro

Others to consider (DraftKings): Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Tyler Herro, P.J. Tucker, Max Strus, Bam Adebayo

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts