DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (5/15/21): NBA DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on May 15, 2021. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

We've got a five-game NBA matinee for you today. You can also tilt a night game if you're so inclined. We've got an extensive injury list and a lot of teams that just don't give a damn. This should be very interesting. Let's concentrate on who has something to play for, shall we?

The Nets are 1.5 games out of the top seed, so they need to win out and have Philly lose their last game. The Lakers are a half-game out of getting out of the play-in, so they're very interested in what's going on here. The Pacers are playing in no matter what. So is Charlotte. The Knicks have a shot at moving up to the four seed, so they're invested too. The Spurs are locked into the ten slot. Phoenix needs to win out with a Jazz loss tomorrow to take the one seed away. Boston is also playing in no matter what. We have four of the ten teams with something to play for. It could be worse. I promise it will be tomorrow.

This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 5/15/21. 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

James Harden - PG/SG, vs. Chicago ($10,800)

Harden put up 52.25 DraftKings points in just 26 minutes against the Spurs in his return on Wednesday. The Nets are likely more concerned with getting into playoff form than securing the top overall seed in the East. I can see a Harden fade here, but part of me thinks that he might go off anyway. I'm curious to see if Harden will play tomorrow if the Nets win today. Be very careful with this. However, we have seen Harden put up big numbers in very little court time before.

Chris Paul - PG, at San Antonio ($8,200)

Paul has between 37 and 48 DraftKings points in each of his last four games. He's mostly on cruise control right now, but that's pretty much what we're looking for. NBA DFS is full of land mines right now. Don't underestimate how important a consistent force like Paul can be.

Cameron Payne - PG, at San Antonio ($3,900)

It seems as though DraftKings quit paying attention as well. Payne has 117.75 DraftKings points over the last four games and is still under $4,000. Payne has proven that he is going to be a valuable bench piece for the Suns come playoff time. He can also help us close out the NBA DFS season strong. More value will open up prior to tip, but right now, Payne might be the best one out there.

Bonus Guards: Zach LaVine ($9,300), LaMelo Ball ($8,400), T.J. McConnell ($6,600), Reggie Bullock ($4,500)

Want more NBA DFS tools and content? Our NBA Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer, and access to our Premium Slack Chatrooms where members can chat with our NBA analysts. Check out this recent big win from RotoBaller premium member Bsuperak on FanDuel - join in on the winning!

DraftKings DFS Forwards

Julius Randle - PF/C, vs. Charlotte ($9,700)

This is a dream matchup and Randle is guaranteed a ton of minutes. The bad news is that for whatever reason Randle has struggled against Charlotte this season. The 68.75 DraftKings points in the two meetings have left a lot to be desired. I'm still willing on taking a chance on him doing what he should do to Charlotte this time around. The Knicks are the team I want to pay special attention to tonight.

RJ Barrett - SF, vs. Charlotte ($6,700)

While many teams are limiting the minutes of starters or resting them all together, Barrett is still playing 38+ minutes per night. That's the only reason I need to play him here. Guaranteed minutes are damn near impossible to come by at this time of year. Unlike most teams, the Knicks have a lot to play for. I may run a Knicks full stack just because I know the minutes will be there.

Lauri Markkanen - PF/C, at Brooklyn ($3,800)

Markkanen did his best to try and get the Bulls into the playoffs, but they are going to fall just short. Now it's important for the Bulls to have Markkanen finish strong. This was a terrible season for Markkanen. He needs all the confidence he can get if the Bulls want him to be a part of this young core. Thad Young isn't a permanent answer. I'm banking on Markkanen finishing strong.

Bonus Forwards:  Jayson Tatum ($9,800), Anthony Edwards ($7,900), P.J. Washington ($7,400), Mikal Bridges ($5,800),

DraftKings DFS Centers

Karl-Anthony Towns - C, vs. Boston ($10,100)

Towns put up 58 DraftKings points on Boston the first time around. There's no reason he can't do it again. Minnesota has had nothing to play for for much of the season already and Towns has still put up very good point totals nearly every time out. This team is just trying to see what it's going to look like next year. The world revolves around Towns, which makes him one of the safer DFS plays on the night.

Oshae Brissett - PF/C, vs. Lakers ($5,600)

I'm mostly on Brissett since I expect Domantas Sabonis to play sparingly, if at all. Brissett has been solid since he was forced into action about a month ago. Center is kind of a mess after the top tier and there are very few safe options anywhere on the slate. Brissett is going to see good minutes regardless of if Sabonis plays or not.

Bonus Centers:  Nikola Vucevic ($10,200), Andre Drummond ($6,600), Cody Zeller ($4,200)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis