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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on May 15, 2022. Thunder Dan Palyo provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
It all comes down to this, RotoBallers, as we have two game sevens on tap in the NBA playoffs today! The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks need to find a way to beat the battling Boston Celtics on the road in order to advance to the Eastern Conference finals and see the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns find themselves needing to fend off a scrappy Dallas Mavericks team at home in order to meet up with the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals.
With both FanDuel and DraftKings now having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates a bit differently to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 5/15/22. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked. Let's get to the picks already!
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jrue Holiday @ BOS (FD: $9,000, DK: $8,200)
I really think the Bucks need a big game from Jrue today in order to pull out the win. Giannis will get his stats no matter what, but the Bucks have really been lacking production from elsewhere in this series, especially in their losses. Holiday has had some big games against Boston, and he feels too cheap for his ceiling which so far has been 53 DK points in Game Five. He had 43 in Game Four and 46 in Game Three, also and was down in the 30s in the other two games in this series. If we get an aggressive Holiday here, I like our chances at 45+ DK points today.
Marcus Smart vs. MIL (FD: $6,500, DK: $6,200)
Smart certainly can be a bit of a boom/bust fantasy player as his score relies a lot on his three-point shooting and the ability to rack up steals. Neither of those stats is very stable and therefore his output can vary greatly. He's been anywhere between 15 and 40 DK points in this series - case in point. I still like his upside at this price and I think Boston really needs his defense, hustle, and playmaking ability. He's seen his minutes tick up as he's averaged 39 minutes per game over the last three games of the series. If he's going to be playing nearly 40 minutes, I can't help but like his chances to exceed his point-per-dollar value.
Derrick White vs. MIL (FD: $5,000, DK: $4,600)
From one Boston guard right to another, let's talk about White. He's also seen a dramatic increase in playing time over the last three games as the Celtics have played smaller. He's playing 32 minutes a game off the bench in Games Four through Six and that could change a little if Robert Williams III plays today and the Celtics go bigger for more stretches. But White has been so productive that I think he's still going to get plenty of runs. At only 4.6k on DraftKings, he's gone over 5x value in all three of those games and projects as one of the best values on the slate.
Also consider: Devin Booker, Jalen Brunson
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jayson Tatum vs. MIL (FD: $11,000, DK: $10,000)
I could have told you to play Giannis or Luka today, but those are pretty obvious plays that could end up being the two chalkiest on the slate. There's nothing wrong with either of those studs, but I think Tatum deserves some strong consideration on this slate where we can only fit one (maybe two) studs into our builds.
Other than a clunker in Game Three, Tatum has been simply incredible in this series, and his 66.8. DK point performance in Game Six against the Bucks was something to behold. If Boston is to pull out a win today, it's hard to imagine them doing it without a big game from their star. Tatum feels underpriced for his ceiling at only 10k when compared to Giannis (12k) and Luka (11.6k) and saving that money could end up being crucial when there isn't all that much reliable value.
Jae Crowder vs. DAL (FD: $5,300, DK: $5,100)
Crowder has been bad the last two games, I won't deny that. But I can't ignore just how productive he was in games 1-4 when he averaged over 30 DK points per game. He has an awesome fantasy skill set with his rebounding, defense, and 3-point shot-making and I think we see him tick back up into the 30+ minute range tonight in an elimination game where Phoenix may choose to tighten up their rotation a bit. He's a tad risky, but then again most of the players in this price range are today.
Pat Connaughton @ BOS (FD: $4,500, DK: $4,400)
Patty C continues to get minutes for the Bucks and has now played 30 or more in the last four games in this series. He's a gamer and Coach Bud knows that he needs his athleticism on the floor more often than Grayson Allen who is a better shooter, but a much weaker player in every other area. Connaughton hustles his butt off and is an elite rebounder for his size. He's already grabbed seven and eight boards in two separate games in this series, showing how active he can be on the glass. I think he's about as reliable as you're going to find for value at the forward position on this slate.
Also consider: Dorian Finney-Smith, Jaylen Brown
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Bobby Portis @ BOS (FD: $5,700, DK: $5,000)
The center position is a tough one today, especially on FanDuel. You can spend up on Deandre Ayton if you really want a reliable floor but I'm not sure I want to do that as I really want to be able to afford two of Holiday, Tatum, Giannis, and Luka. Portis has been a bit unreliable in this series, but he's clearly winning the minutes battle with Brook Lopez at center of late, playing 28 and 29 minutes in Games Five and Six. He had the winning basket on an offensive rebound and putback in Game Five and finished with 14 points and 15 boards in that one. I think we see him play close to 30 minutes here as Milwaukee will want its best offensive unit and most athletic five guys on the floor for as many minutes as possible.
Also consider: Deandre Ayton, Maxi Kleber
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