FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (5/5/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

We have nine games on tap for tonight to go with your Modelo and tequila shots. With Giannis on a back-to-back and Washington on tap for the Bucks, that's the first rest chance we come upon. Don't worry, there will be others. That's just the way the NBA is this year. With six guys priced in five figures though, we need to start weeding players out. For the first time since about, oh, December, none of these high-priced guys are listed as out. Yet.

In fact, it's a lot smaller injury slate than we've seen in a while. Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, and Mike Conley are the only guys over $7,000 ruled out already. De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and Darius Garland will likely be limited if they play. The Pacers haven't updated Malcolm Brogdon's status yet, and likely wont. We still have a few injuries to keep an eye on, in specific with the Kings backcourt.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/5/21. 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.

FanDuel DFS Guards

Russell Westbrook, PG – at Milwaukee ($11,200)

Russ is playing out of his mind, even for him. He has back-to-back games over 70 FanDuel points, and that's with Brad Beal healthy alongside him. Just in case we forgot that Russ can do it all, he posted 21 rebounds and 24 assists on Monday. The Wizards are giving up tons of points, but they are scoring a lot too. They are fantasy gold right now, with Russ being platinum.

Caris Levert, SG – vs. Sacramento ($8,400)

This is with the caveat that Malcolm Brogdon is still out. The Kings have no idea how to defend the perimeter even when the team is at full strength. They are even worse when they are not. I find it highly unlikely that both Fox and Haliburton play. Even if they do, LeVert could still be an excellent play. He has at least 40 FanDuel points in three straight against teams better on the perimeter than Sacramento is.

Delon Wright, PG – at Indiana ($5,200)

We've seen what Wright can do with a full workload when he was with Detroit earlier this year. Wright is back to those kinds of minutes with both Haliburton and Fox out. If one are in, I think I'll move off of Wright. If they are both out again, Wright  FanDuel points over the last three games with Haliburton and Fox out. This is even better if Brogdon is sidelined again, but if Wright's teammates are still out, I'll use him regardless.

Also consider: Damian Lillard ($9,200), Collin Sexton ($8,500), Evan Fournier ($5,300), Terence Davis ($3,800)

Want more NBA DFS tools and content? If you like what you see here, don't forget to sign up for your RotoBaller NBA Premium Pass! Use code MARTENY and receive 10% off your purchase! You'll love the articles from myself and others, our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer and Premium Slack Chatrooms to help you out in real-time. Check out this recent big win from a premium member - join in on the winning!

FanDuel DFS Forwards

Domantas Sabonis, PF – vs. Sacramento ($10,300)

It really doesn't matter if Giannis plays a full game against the Wizards or not. I'm playing Sabonis. He has 139.1 FanDuel points in the two games since his return. Even if Brogdon returns in a limited capacity here, I'm not sure it cuts into the upside of Sabonis. The Kings aren't as bad on the interior as the exterior defensively, but that's not as much of a compliment as it sounds like. I think Sabonis has a great chance of outscoring Giannis at $1,000 less. That's what makes him the better play.

Anthony Edwards, SF – vs. Memphis ($8,000)

Edwards hasn't hit the rookie wall yet, and considering we only have a fortnight left of the season, he shouldn't. That's not to say that he's immune to bad outings. They can happen. They just don't often for Edwards. D'Angelo Russell's shooting woes make sure that Edwards is still a huge part of the offense. Not only that, but Edwards contributes all over the court. There were some growing pains early on, but it appears that Edwards has leveled off a bit. He has topped 35 FanDuel points in 10 of the last 14 games. He should have no problems hitting that mark against Memphis.

Juancho Hernangomez, PF – vs. Memphis ($4,300)

It has been a revolving door at PF for the entire season for Minnesota. Juancho still isn't seeing a ton of minutes, but he does have 84.9 FanDuel points in just 72 minutes over the last three games. He has been a good player when Minnesota plays him. However, the rotation has been in flux from the time Saunders was dismissed as the coach. Juancho is a nice player, but it's hard to rely on him.

Also consider: Jayson Tatum ($10,100), Julius Randle ($9,700), Kyle Anderson ($6,200), Daquan Jeffries ($3,900)

FanDuel DFS Centers 

Rudy Gobert – vs. San Antonio ($8,400)

Honestly, I'm not sure I'll pay up at center tonight. If I do, it will be for Karl-Anthony Towns. He's the one that has a legit chance at 5x value. Embiid is on cruise control. Jokic is out of his mind, but he likely wont be at 100% and he's playing a Knicks defense that is one of the best in the league. Gobert just played the Spurs on Sunday in Salt Lake City and put up 55.5 FanDuel points on them in just 29 minutes. The Jazz have been limiting Gobert's minutes, so his ceiling isn't all that high. However, the Spurs can't defend him. There should be enough production to warrant using him in cash games.

Kelly Olynyk  – vs. Philadelphia ($7,800)

Olynyk has reached a new level with the Rockets. The presence of Christian Wood doesn't seem to hurt him at all. In fact, it serves to enhance his production. Olynyk has at least 45 FanDuel points in five of the last six games. In the game that he missed, the minutes were limited because of foul trouble. I'm not even going to try to guess what the Rockets are doing, but Olynyk's production is consistent enough to think this isn't a fluke. He's a solid option from here on out if they are going to use him like that.

Mo Bamba – vs. Boston ($6,200)

The Magic have gradually made a youth movement since the trade deadline. The last position to be involved in said move was center. Wendell Carter Jr. is still going to steal minutes, but Bamba is playing more minutes than the starter Carter on most nights. The price discrepancy makes Carter a nice play as well since he's the starter and he's cheaper. Trying to figure out which one to use is difficult, but running centers against Boston is a good idea. I especially like this if Tristan Thompson can't go. I'm going to use whichever one fits my build in GPPs only. Otherwise, pay up.

Also consider: Nikola Jokic ($10,900), Jonas Valanciunas ($8,000), Wendell Carter Jr. ($5,200),

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis