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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on May 1, 2021. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have ten games on tap tonight, and after eight last night, that means we have a lot of back-to-back sets to worry about. And yes, we worry about it this year. Resting is very common, especially for teams that are already in a playoff spot. Be on the lookout throughout the day for news on players sitting out. There are a lot of questionable tags already.
Value is everywhere. Stars are not. Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry, SGA, Victor Oladipo, and Lu Dort are already out. And those are just the point guards! Every position is similarly decimated. Picking the right spots in DFS is extremely critical at this time of the season. Most values wont hurt you anymore, but choosing a star that's a dud will ruin you right away.
This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 5/1/21. You can also check out today’s FanDuel lineup picks. It’s also important to monitor injury news as a result of COVID-19 as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Without further ado, let’s dive into the picks!
DraftKings DFS Guards
Russell Westbrook - PG, at Cleveland ($11,000)
Russ's streak of 5x value games came to an end at 16 against Cleveland on Sunday, but he showed back up on Monday and dropped 64.75 DraftKings points on the Spurs. For the encore, Russ torched the shell of the champion Lakers for 69.5 DraftKings points. Westbrook has led the Wizards to 12 wins in their last 14 games and they are currently comfortably in the 10th slot. Hey, that's the playoffs this year! Watch out for resting Russ. We know he doesn't like to rest, but the team may overrule him at some point.
Caris Levert - SG, at Oklahoma City ($8,300)
There are a couple of mid-range guys who are in great spots because of injury. I find it unlikely that Malcolm Brogdon and Darius Garland play. That leaves LeVert and Collin Sexton to take over for their respective teams. We have seen what LeVert can do as the stud. He put up some huge games to help put Brooklyn in the playoffs last year. There is a slight chance that Domantas Sabonis makes his return tonight, but even if he does, he will likely be on a minutes limit. LeVert racked up 52.75 DraftKings points on the Thunder the first time around. It could end up being more than that tonight. There is a lot of potential here.
Kevin Porter Jr. - PG, vs. Golden State ($7,400)
Porter went nuts with 50 actual points and 78.25 DraftKings points against the Bucks on Thursday. I'm surprised that the price is still this low. The Rockets are going to continue feeding their youngsters. There will likely be growing pains along the way, but Porter showed just how high the ceiling really is. It's not like the Bucks are a bad team either. This is the kind of upside I want in my GPP lineups.
T.J. McConnell - PG, at Oklahoma City ($5,300)
This is a pre-emptive play assuming that Brogdon is out. McConnell usually comes off the bench regardless, but he should still see an uptick in minutes. We have seen what he can do when the situation is right and when he gets minutes. McConnell put up 31 DraftKings points in 25 minutes the first time around. There's potential for a lot more tonight.
Bonus Guards: Stephen Curry ($10,600), Collin Sexton ($8,100), Devonte' Graham ($6,400), Rajon Rondo ($3,500)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Luka Doncic - PG/SF, vs. Washington ($10,900)
Luka is scheduled to make his return tonight after missing Thursday's game with a bruised elbow. He put up 47.5 DraftKings points in 32 minutes in the first meeting, but considering how well the Wizards are playing right now, we could see Luka play closer to 40 minutes since the game should stay close. Since it was an elbow bruise and not something related to legs or muscles, I tend to think that Luka wont be limited. There's a high ceiling tonight.
Michael Porter Jr. - SF/PF, at Clippers ($8,200)
Porter has taken on a much larger scoring role with Jamal Murray out. The minutes and opportunity are there, and I'm not really scared of the Clippers' defense if Kawhi is out again. We are seeing why Denver took a chance on Porter with the 14th pick of the 2018 Draft. He's cheaper than Jokic and the ceiling is just about as high. This is a prove-it game for Porter. If he can continue to light it up against the Clippers, he might already be matchup-proof. Few players in the league are.
Oshae Brissett - PF/C, at Oklahoma City ($5,900)
I like this play a lot more is Sabonis is out again, but Brissett is still cheap enough to use even if Sabonis is active. Brissett has 195.5 DraftKings points over the last five games with Sabonis out. He is still far too cheap for what he is doing. The Thunder are not a good defensive team, so I don't expect a whole lot of resistance. Say Sabonis is on a 25-30 minutes limit. Brissett should still play around 30 minutes. Judging by his recent output, he would still be in line for around 6x value. He seems to be a good play regardless of if Sabonis is active or not.
Cody Martin - SF vs. Detroit ($4,300)
Martin's minutes are still fluctuating a bit, but Charlotte will go with the hot hands here. They currently hold the eighth slot and would like to hang onto it. Martin has 91.25 DraftKings points over the last three games and his price has jumped a whole $400. DraftKings pricing is a bit insane tonight. The value of Martin is an absolute gift. Don't get cute and don't look this gift horse in the mouth. Take it and move on.
Bonus Forwards: Jimmy Butler ($9,500), Miles Bridges ($7,300), Saddiq Bey ($5,200), Brandon Clarke ($3,900)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic - C, at Atlanta ($10,100)
The streaking Wizards have blown past the Bulls, but you can't blame Vucevic for that. Chicago still has hopes of getting to the playoffs, and it all rides on Vucevic. He missed a staggering 20 shots last night, but still racked up 47.75 DraftKings points. Denver rested Jokic for the entire fourth quarter on Thursday in what could be a harbinger of things to come. Denver is comfortably in the fourth playoff slot and they don't want to risk their prized possession. Vucevic is trying to lead the Bulls into the playoffs. The decision is simple here.
Christian Wood - C, vs. Golden State ($8,700)
For the first time in a while, I feel like Draymond is going to have his hands full. Wood and Kelly Olynyk are putting up monster stat lines for this high-scoring team. Wood still scored 31 actual points in a game in which Kevin Porter scored 50. Wood has three straight games of more than 50 DraftKings points and is playing huge minutes. The Rockets have a lot to be excited about, and it looks like they are going to let their young guys finish this season together. That's good news for us DFS players.
Khem Birch - C, at Utah ($5,300)
Where did this come from? Birch was largely unimpressive even when he played big minutes for the Magic. However, in Toronto he has three straight games of more than 30 DraftKings points and ran his streak of over 20 to nine straight. Birch has become a surprisingly consistent source of value in an unlikely place. He's filling in nicely for the injured Chris Boucher and his price has barely moved.
Bonus Centers: Nikola Jokic ($10,700), Jarrett Allen ($7,500), Kelly Olynyk ($7,300), Moses Brown ($4,900)
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