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

May 5, 2021

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on May 5, 2021. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

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. We have eight guys over five figures, and none of them have been ruled out. Yet. Nikola Jokic is still listed as probable with a toe injury, but with him playing the Knicks, I'm not in any hurry to roll him out there.

The problems tonight are in the middle tier with the starting Utah backcourt ruled out and a ton of questionables, including Damian Lillard. Tyrese Haliburton is out for the rest of the year and De'Aaron Fox is still under COVID protocols. We could have a lot of value in the Kings backcourt as well. Who is worth using in those situations? We'll take a look at that and many other things.

This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 5/5/21. 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 Milwaukee ($11,000)

Westbrook has 139.75 DraftKings points in the two games against the Bucks so far and we have reason to believe that he could top that mark tonight. No, I'm not kidding. Westbrook has 155.75 DraftKings points over the last two games. He is dominating games in every possible way right now. I don't know how you get away from Russ in cash games. Even fading him in GPP's right now is dangerous.

Caris Levert - SG, vs. Sacramento ($8,800)

LeVert is putting up some big numbers while operating as the point guard of this team. He is even doing this in conjunction with Sabonis playing the best basketball of his career. At this point, why rush Brogdon back? The Pacers have scored 293 points over the last two games. They are looking like the early 1980's Denver Nuggets when they had Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe. I tend to think that Brogdon sits again and LeVert dominates. If Brogdon returns, I'll move off of LeVert.

Chris Paul - PG, at Atlanta ($7,500)

Paul is on the second night of a back-to-back. He posted a big game last night in the win over Cleveland. Will the Suns rest Paul after playing 36 minutes last night? If not, this is an even better matchup than Cleveland was last night. The Magic are bleeding fantasy points to guards since their overhaul at the trade deadline. If Paul plays, he's a great bargain. If he sits, Devin Booker is worth a look despite the higher price.

Terence Davis - SG/SF, at Indiana ($4,400)

Davis was supposed to be buried on the bench upon his move out west, but injuries have thrust him into regular minutes with the Kings. Indiana is scoring a ton of points lately, but the Wizards put up 154 points on them on Monday. This is a team that can score as well. Davis is a cheap way to get a piece of this potent offense. Just keep in mind that this value likely goes away if Fox returns. Then you'll have to pay for Delon Wright like the rest of us.

Bonus Guards: Ja Morant ($8,300), Collin Sexton ($8,100), Delon Wright ($5,600), Seth Curry ($4,000)

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DraftKings DFS Forwards

Domantas Sabonis - PF/C, vs. Sacramento ($10,600)

Six of the eight five-figured players are eligible at center tonight. Sabonis blows all of them away by a wide margin. Yes, even Jokic. Sabonis has 150 DraftKings points in the two games since his return from a back injury. The back is just fine, thank you. Even if Brogdon returns, I'm still using Sabonis. Russ is the safest option in cash games, but the ceiling on Sabonis is really tough to fade. I will have Russ and Sabonis together in at least one lineup tonight.

Buddy Hield - SG/SF, at Indiana ($7,700)

I'm hesitant to put so many Kings players in here because all of them are contingent on Fox sitting out. I might run Hield anyway because the Kings often use him at the three with two other guards on the court. His scoring is up a little with Fox and Haliburton out, but his price hasn't really jumped yet. The issue with Hield is he sometimes goes cold and his value evaporates. He is for use in GPP formats only.

Mikal Bridges - SF, at Atlanta($5,400)

Phoenix is playing Bridges big minutes of late. He has played at least 35 minutes in eight of the last nine games. He has 175.5 DraftKings points over the last five games. While the Suns may try to get some rest for Paul and Booker, I would expect Bridges to continue to get significant run while he is playing like this. Bridges has played big minutes at different points this season, but this is the first time that he has been really effective with them. Ride it until it runs out.

Taj Gibson - PF/C, at Denver ($3,700)

Well, since a lot of this article is based on hypothetical situations anyway, let's add another. Gibson put up 33.5 DraftKings points against Memphis on Monday with Nerlens Noel out. If Noel is out again, Gibson is a massive bargain (and still eligible at F) for a starter. Yeah, he's not going to put up big numbers against Jokic, but for this price, he doesn't need to. If Noel is in the lineup, Gibson's price feels a touch high for no more than he does coming off the bench.

Bonus Forwards: Jayson Tatum ($10,100), Dillon Brooks ($5,700), Reggie Bullock ($4,900), Isaac Okoro ($4,300)

DraftKings DFS Centers

Karl-Anthony Towns - C, vs. Memphis ($10,300)

Towns hasn't been performing up to his lofty price of late, but he got to that against the Pelicans on Saturday. Towns has 111.5 DraftKings points in the two games against the Grizzlies so far. Considering all of the other high-priced options on this slate, Towns is mostly a play in large field GPP's trying to avoid the higher ownerships of Jokic and Sabonis. He doesn't have the upside of those guys, but a lot of things can happen with the status of Brogdon or Jokic's toe. This isn't just a shot in the dark. There is method to this madness.

Jonas Valanciunas - C, at Minnesota ($7,800)

Attack Minnesota with bigs. That's the story of the 2020-21 season, regardless of if Towns is in the lineup or not. The minutes are back up for Jonas, but the production has been slower to come around. That's not saying he's been bad. He just hasn't had those games well beyond 5x value. This could be one of those games. Jonas has 85.25 DraftKings points in just 52 minutes against Minnesota this year. He has played 65 minutes over two May games so far. There is reason for optimism here.

Mo Bamba - C, vs. Boston ($5,300)

Bamba is still the backup, but he is playing just as many minutes or more than starter Wendell Carter Jr. of late. He's still cheaper on DraftKings. Bamba has at least 5x value in three of the last four games. Carter hasn't been close. Carter's hot start with Orlando has subsided, so the Magic are running the youngster a little more. It's time to take advantage of this price against Boston's weak interior.

Bonus Centers: Rudy Gobert ($8,700), Kelly Olynyk ($7,500), Brook Lopez ($4,800), Daniel Gafford ($4,300)

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