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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on May 3, 2018. Jake Finnen's NBA DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Two games tonight and there is value consistently throughout. For the sake of keeping things interesting i'll be sure to keep this list to mostly sleeper picks. Before anything, i'm going to go over a brief rundown of the games so far. In the earlier game, both Toronto and Cleveland are about as dead-set even as you can be. Literally every night is just a matter of what type of LeBron James we are going to see. Although the Raptors ARE the more coherent and statistically-sound team, not to mention they have all of Canada cheering for them, but they don't have a LeBron-stopper and they don't have LeBron. James might be tired, but let's not forget that all he needs to do is have another three good, timely games and he'll get all the rest he needs before facing Boston or Philadelphia, teams he will literally run over.
Moving on the second game which is wholly more interesting from a DFS perspective. The picks might be more skeptical than taking a bound-to-explode Jordan Clarkson or C.J. Miles, but we also have a better sense of what's to come because the game doesn't rely on the dominance of one player. The Celtics variety of scoring was too much and on most nights, an effort like that from Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier and Al Horford will beat just about any team. The Celtics play smart in the sense that you always know where the shots will come from. Players like Semi Ojeleye will take shots, but never more than four or five unless he's made a decent percentage. Marcus Morris on the other hand, will always be taking shots due to a proven track record of being able to score. Look for the same type of effort from the same player on both teams, but the results will vary. Horford, Rozier, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are all good for at least 10-12 shots and i'd confidently roster all of them.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/3/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
George Hill - PG, @ TOR ($3,800)
George Hill's price should have taken a serious hike already, but since he failed to produce last game, I understand why it's so low for a starter that is almost guaranteed 30 minutes. The LeBron James wagon will only go so far by itself and while that might mean another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, GEORGE HILL NEEDS TO PRODUCE. They traded for more than four points and five assists in the second round of playoffs so expect a specific and direct search to get him going early. He'll get the minutes, he just needs to be hitting his shot.
Delon Wright - PG, vs. CLE ($4,800)
Picking anyone that could be potentially lined up across from Jose Calderon is probably your best bet, but Delon Wright barely did anything in his 16 minutes last game. He's a role player that has the potential to produce, but he's ultimately limited behind DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. This is a very risky pick but I felt like I needed to express some consideration. He can and will contribute, but the Raptors are taking scoring ahead of defense this series, especially if the only Cavalier that needs to be guarded is LeBron James. Regardless, the Cavaliers backcourt needs to start producing and expect game two to target that weakness.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Marcus Morris - SF/PF, vs. PHI ($4,700)
There are not many options at small forward tonight so Marcus Morris is the only one I actually want to roster. J.J. Redick, Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli are all decent options but are point dependent and somewhat streaky scorers. Usually, you can predict their trends but the Boston defense is stingy and it's a toss up just about every night. What isn't a toss-up is what Morris will be doing each night. He will get plenty of shots and is usually good for at least ten points, it's just a matter of whether his rebounds will be enough to make him worth it. After snagging five rebounds on a modest shooting night, his upside seems as high as ever against a inexperienced frontcourt
Kevin Love - PF/C, @ TOR ($6,000)
It's unfortunate Kevin Love can't create more offense for himself cause he is the ideal DFS pick. He can shoot threes extremely well and is one of the best rebounders in the league. He also makes smart plays which give him upside in playmaking and defensive stats. While he remains around the $6,000 do not pass on him. He doesn't have the unpredictability that James' possesses, but he can absolutely light up a second half box score after going ice cold in the first.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Jonas Valanciunas - C, vs. CLE ($6,900)
This is a, you might as well since he's producing pick. If you have been playing DFS for a while, you know Jonas Valanciunas has his moments of greatness, but they are followed with the ultimate of duds. Since he is playing well and trending upwards, there's little reason to fade him. Tristan Thompson isn't getting the minutes to really be a force against Valanciunas, but even if he does it shouldn't matter. Valanciunas get' to his spots regardless of who is guarding him, all that matters is whether or not he is hitting his post-hooks and if defenders are buying his pump fakes.
