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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/18/23. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
We are down to four teams left standing in the quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy awarded to the NBA Champion every season. We are back for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in Denver after the home team took Game 1 with Jokic abusing the Lakers. Just like we expected, right?
Showdowns are a little different. On DraftKings, you have a "captain" that scores 1.5x points but is also 1.5x the price. On FanDuel, there are no price multipliers, but points still are for several slots. The MVP slot scores double the points. The Star scores 1.5x points. The pro slot scores 1.2x points. There are also two utility slots that score the normal point value. Are you ready?
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/18/23. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before the lineup locks at 8:30 pm EST. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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DraftKings and FanDuel Captain/MVP - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic, DEN ($18,900 DK; $17,500 FD)
Jokic is the poster child for why MVP voting should be done after the playoffs. He notched three triple-doubles in six games against the Suns and blew past 70 fantasy points in five of the six games. We didn't think it was possible, but he hit another level in Game 1 against the Lakers. He posted another triple-double, but this time with more than 20 rebounds and 34 points. He put up 88.75 DraftKings points and his price went down! I'm riding Jokic again. Somehow I will make it work. No one else has this kind of ceiling.
Austin Reaves, LAL ($11,100 DK; $2,000 FD)
LeBron and A.D. alleviated some of my concerns in Game 1 about this series and I would be comfortable running Davis at captain. However, Reaves was outstanding with his shooting and dished out eight assists. Comparatively, he scored as well as you could hope and using him as the captain leaves you with the cash to play Jokic and another star player. You can't do that with anyone else...at least not that you would be comortable using.
Also consider: Anthony Davis ($17,400 DK, $16,000 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Utility Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
LeBron James, LAL ($11,200 DK; $15,500 FD)
Davis's price predictively jumped a little on both sites, but LeBron's is exactly the same. I still think that LeBron will have the best series for the Lakers when it's all said and done. The fact that I can still get him cheaper than Davis is just a bonus. LeBron finished just one assist shy of a triple-double in Game 1. That changes the scoring quite a bit on DraftKings. I would go with A.D. on FanDuel and LeBron on DraftKings. The price isn't that constrictive on FD and the triple-double bonus that you can get on DraftKings gives LeBron the edge there.
Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,400 DK; $14,500 FD)
The price jump for Murray on FanDuel makes things difficult. Murray's price remains somewhat of a bargain on DraftKings. I don't even have an issue with using him at captain to try and push Jokic and LeBron in the same lineup. In what has become usual for Murray in the playoffs, he had another strong performance in Game 1. He has now cleared 45 fantasy points in four of the last five games and seven of the last nine. It's easy to forget about Murray on a team that has Jokic, but his performances have been near LeBron levels without the star tax added to his price.
Others to consider: Michael Porter Jr. ($7,200 DK; $11,000 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Value Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DEN ($6,400 DK; $9,000 FD)
This was a cold dish of revenge for KCP in Game 1 since he struggled against the Lakers in the regular season. He went off for 21 points in Game 1 and put up some good peripheral stats as well. We've been down this road with KCP before as well, and I know we all realize that there is no way that Denver can sustain the three-point shooting like they did in Game 1. The good news is that KCP can likely hold up his end of the bargain. He hit three of his eight from beyond the arc, which is right around his season average. His performance is capable of being duplicated, so this is one that I am comfortable chasing.
Rui Hachimura, LAL ($3,600 DK; $8,000 FD)
This play is chasing a bit of an anomaly. Hachimura's 17 points in Game 1 was only his second game of the playoffs in double figures. However, the Lakers needed Hachimura's size to contend with Denver. I'm hoping that is the case again because if Hachimura gets 28 minutes again at this price, he enables us to do a lot more with our lineups. That said, the floor is terrifying and this is best left for GPP tournaments.
Others to consider: Bruce Brown ($6,600 DK, $8,500 FD)
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