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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/25/23. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
We are down to three teams left standing in the quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy awarded to the NBA Champion every season. We are back for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Boston after the Celtics staved off elimination in Miami on Tuesday.
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 5/25/23. 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
Jimmy Butler, MIA ($19,500 DK; $17,000 FD)
These two teams are dominated by a singular player, so not playing either of them at the captain/MVP slot can be a dangerous proposition. It's likely worth the while to explore other options in a large-field GPP, but not in every lineup and definitely not in cash games. Chances are that one of the big two will be the highest-scoring player on the slate. I give Butler top billing because he is more consistent, but we have seen the ceiling on Tatum twice in four games in this series. Butler has topped 50 in three of the four games. The choice is yours.
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($19,800 DK; $17,500 FD)
Tatum's monster Game 4 kept Boston alive and gave the Nuggets more rest. As mentioned above, we have seen the best Tatum has to offer in Games 2 and 4. It's an odd game, so an off night for Tatum, right? I wouldn't be so sure. Facing elimination, Tatum put up one of his better games of these playoffs. Boston has the recipe for success. They just need to feed Tatum more. He has been a playoff warrior in his career, so I'm comfortable running him at the top spot.
Also consider: Marcus Smart, BOS ($11,400 DK, $12,000 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Utility Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,800 DK; $13,500 FD)
Brown has not been the player that he was in the regular season against the Heat. That has a lot to do with the outstanding play of the Heat guards. It also has to do with Tatum just taking games over in this series. The problem for Boston is that Brown hasn't picked up the slack when Tatum is off. I'm going to be brutally honest here. I can't justify paying up for Brown when Marcus Smart has been almost as good and a lot less expensive. That ceiling on Brown though...that's what keeps us coming back. He averaged 45 DraftKings points per game in the four meetings with the Heat in the regular season.
Caleb Martin, MIA ($6,600 DK; $9,500 FD)
Martin was often an afterthought in the regular season for the Heat. It has come mostly at the expense of Duncan Robinson, but even when Robinson has played and played well, Martin has been strong. He has averaged nearly 30 fantasy points per game in this series against Boston. That is a marked improvement over the series against the Knicks and Bucks. Martin feels like the safest option aside from Butler for the Heat right now and has for a few games now.
Others to consider: Al Horford, BOS ($6,400 DK; $11,000 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Value Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Gabe Vincent, MIA ($5,800 DK; $8,000 FD)
Vincent is still playing a lot of minutes and he seems to be more sustainable than Max Strus right now. Strus was the man in the Knicks series, but Vincent has been the better option against Boston. Vincent has scored in double figures in three of the four games of this series after only topping that mark three times in the first two series combined. Two of those games were when Butler was out. Miami's pecking order is still a little risky, but I will take Vincent's three strong games over the so-so Game 2. Vincent plays a ton of minutes, so I see him as the most sustainable.
Derrick White/Robert Williams III, BOS ($5,200 DK; $7,000 FD)
There is absolutely no chance that I would use White on FD. He's $10,000! It's Time Lord or nothing from the bottom of Boston's barrel on that site. White is super cheap on DraftKings considering he has been very good in this series and getting better. Brogdon is the afterthought against the Heat. I trust in White, but not for $10k. FD has lost their damn minds...
Others to consider: Kyle Lowry, MIA ($5,600 DK, $9,000 FD)
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