FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (6/16/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Stan Son highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 6/16/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

We've got a two-game playoff slate for Wednesday. The Hawks and 76ers start at 7:30 pm ET while the Clippers and Jazz tip-off at 10:00 pm ET. Both series are tied at two apiece. PHI is favored by 6 points and the O/U in that game is 224. UTA is favored by 3 points and the O/U is 222.

Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/16/21. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Keep an eye on Rotoballer’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.

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FanDuel DFS Guards

Trae Young, PG - vs. PHI ($10,400)

Young has gone for at least 40 FD points in each of the last seven games. He put up 57.8 FD points last game despite shooting 30% from the field. He dished out 18 assists, grabbed four rebounds, and notched a steal. He's playing close to 40 minutes per game and garnering a usage rate in the 30% range. The 76ers have made multiple adjustments to guarding Trae, but he's been able to figure things out each time. The floor is high due to the minutes and usage. He's not always efficient from the field but if he gets hot from the field, then the FD points will be raining down like manna from heaven.

Patrick Beverley, PG - at UTA ($3,800) 

There's risk here because Beverely could be out of the rotation. He only played six minutes in Game 1 and was a DNP-CD in the final three games of the Dallas series. That said, he has played 20, 16, and 20 minutes in the last three games and put up 14.1, 10.9, and 24.1 FD points. He's a low usage player so it's not about the points for Beverley but he will contribute a little something in every category.

Donovan Mitchell, SG - vs. LAC ($9,700)

Keep an eye on the news about Mike Conley because he would affect the ceiling for Mitchell. With Conley off the court, Mitchell becomes the primary ball-handler. In the first four games of this series, the usage rate has been 43, 40, 39, and 45%! He's scored at least 25 points in every game these playoffs with six straight of at least 30 points. He will also grab rebounds, dish out assists, and rack up defensive stats. After losing two games in Los Angeles, the home crowd in Utah should give him a little juice. Not that he needs it as he's an absolute dog on the court.

Kevin Huerter, SG - at PHI ($4,800)

Huerter was inserted into the starting lineup last game and played 35 minutes. The usage rate has been low at 12% in the last two games, but he is adept at navigating pick-and-roll action and can be a secondary creator. There were plenty of games in which he garnered a usage rate over 20%. The ceiling is somewhat limited but he provides a decent floor because he chips in a little something in every category.

Also consider: Ben Simmons ($8,500), Jordan Clarkson ($5,300), Paul George ($9,200), Seth Curry ($5,100)

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FanDuel DFS Forwards

Kawhi Leonard, SF - at UTA ($11,000)

The Kawhibot was infected with some malware to begin this series. All is good now, though, as the cache has been refreshed and the operating system has been rebooted. After scoring fewer than 40 FD points in the first two games, Kawhi has put up 62.9 and 50.9 FD points in the two most recent ones. He scored at least 30 points in each game and stuffed the stat sheet. What it do, baby? What it do?

Nicolas Batum, SF - at UTA ($6,200)

Batum isn't cheap but he's a rock-solid option, especially since he was inserted into the starting lineup. He's played 32 and 35 minutes, contributing 33.4 and 30.4 FD points. He won't always score a ton of points because he's a low usage player, but he racks up defensive stats and grabs rebounds. With him playing the small-ball center, he's gotten plenty of open looks from downtown because Rudy Gobert is matched up on him.

Tobias Harris, PF - vs. ATL ($8,100)

Harris has gone for at least 30 FD points in every game these playoffs with five about 40 and a high of 51.2. He's scored at least 20 points in the past seven games and converted at least 50% of his field-goal attempts in every game but one. Now, the trend has been going down recently, as the FD points have gone from 42.5, down to 31 but that's been due to the volatility in the defensive stats and decrease in rebounds. I don't expect that trend to continue. I'm buying this dip.

Royce O'Neale, PF - vs. LAC ($5,000)

O'Neale did go for 42.2 FD points in the Memphis series with two other games above 30. So there is a chance at upside. In this series with the Clippers, the production has been all over the map as he's gone for 30.7, 16.1, 26.2, and 18.6 FD points. He's a low usage player so it's not about the points but the allure of O'Neale is that he plays a ton of minutes, racks up rebounds, and contributes in the defensive categories.

Also consider: Bojan Bogdanovic ($5,700), John Collins ($6,600)

FanDuel DFS Centers

Joel Embiid, C - vs. ATL ($10,800)

I wanted to fade Embiid, especially since that knee was bothering him big time last game and he looked like he was laboring. That said, he still went for 44.2 FD points. In the first three games of the series, he went for over 60 FD points. The floor/ceiling combo is just too high. There's merit to fading him on the chance that he re-injures himself but I couldn't do it in a main lineup.

Dwight Howard, C - vs. ATL ($4,000)

I don't like the value at center so Howard it is. He will likely play around 12 minutes which stinks. He did go for 17, 19.2, and 14.7 FD points in the last three games. He grabbed rebounds but did not notch a block. Sometimes they come in bunches so is a three-block game incoming? He did have one in the Washington series and put up 32.6 FD points. There's also the slight chance that he gets a few more minutes if Embiid goes down.

Also consider: Clint Capela ($7,100)

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