NBA DFS: Top Daily Fantasy Expert Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (5/6/25)

Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Max's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on May 6, 2025.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Tonight, the Cavaliers will look to bounce back from a surprise Game 1 loss, while the Warriors and Timberwolves begin their second-round showdown. The slate tonight will be heavily influenced by the availability of Cleveland's Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De'Andre Hunter. As of the time of writing, it seems all three will miss Game 2, but that could change as players will play through considerable pain in the playoffs. Be sure to keep an eye out for their statuses throughout the day.

These articles focus on the best plays, typically more suited for cash games. However, some exceptions may apply, depending on the size of the slate. The key to succeeding in NBA DFS is making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always essential to have a game plan and zero in on the best players and spots before making those adjustments.

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/6/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7 p.m. EDT on DraftKings. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Today's NBA DFS Core Picks

You can build around these guys, offering a mix of floor and upside for both cash games and tournaments.

Donovan Mitchell, CLE - PG ($8.9K DK, $9.5K FD)

Mitchell may have posted a solid fantasy score of 47.75 during Cleveland's Game 1 loss, but when you see his box score, all it does is make you realize how much more he could have scored. Mitchell finished with a game-high 33 points on 30 total shot attempts, including a 1-of-11 shooting night from three.

While Darius Garland remains sidelined, and the Cavs are facing a must-win Game 2 at home, Mitchell should see a massive workload again. He's underpriced in comparison to the floor/ceiling combo he possesses as the primary scoring option on the team with the highest implied team total on the slate (119.5).

Tyrese Haliburton, IND - PG ($9K DK, $9.1K FD)

One of the best playmakers in the NBA and already starting to make his claim as potentially one of the best ever, Haliburton has been superb in these playoffs thus far. He's had more games with 12+ assists (four) than fewer than 10 (one). He's scored 50+ fantasy points in three straight games, and the Pacers have scored 117+ points in five of their six playoff games.

He's the engine of the Pacers offense and has an NBA-leading Assist Ratio of 39.2 percent. He doesn't typically focus on scoring as much as some of the other options at the top of the slate, but in terms of floor, he can equal anyone.

HALIBURTON'S HISTORIC PLAYOFF RATIO ‼️

Tyrese Haliburton in his postseason career (20 games):

180 AST | 42 TO

He's the ONLY player in NBA history to tally 180+ AST and fewer than 50 TO through 20 career postseason games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cfENlfrA7w

— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2025

Jarrett Allen, CLE - C ($6.5K DK, $7.4K FD)

Facing the reality that they will be without the recently crowned Defensive Player of the Year, Allen will be tasked to do more than he's typically asked. The only other healthy center on the Cavs roster is Tristan Thompson (yes, that one), and considering he didn't play at all in the first round, it's hard to imagine making his playoff debut in such an important spot for Cleveland.

Allen will be much more involved both offensively and defensively with Mobley sitting, and with that expanded role, he feels like he has that floor/ceiling combo we look for in core plays.

Others To Consider: Anthony Edwards, MIN 

Today's NBA DFS Pivots

These players might fly under the radar, but have the ceiling to match the chalkier options.

Stephen Curry, GS - PG ($9.2K DK, $8.8K FD)

Curry may not have been his best through the first three quarters in Game 7 against the Rockets, but he turned up when it mattered most. Steph posted 30+ points and five+ threes made in three of the four regular-season matchups between these two teams, and although the Timberwolves are a great team defensively, they are a much better matchup for Curry compared to Houston.

With all four of the most expensive players on the slate carrying PG eligibility, someone is going to get squeezed out. It very well could be Curry, who is in the worst game environment on paper.

Chef Curry was cooking in the fourth quarter 👨‍🍳

He had 14 of Golden State's 33 4Q PTS to lead them right to the West Semis!

Steph joins LeBron James as the ONLY players since 1997-98 to record 10+ PTS in the fourth quarter of FOUR Game 7's 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1JdldrZlna

— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2025

Rudy Gobert, MIN ($5.9K DK, $6.1K FD)

Ineffective through the first four games in their series against the Lakers, Gobert remembered he's bigger than everyone else in Game 5 and had a massive 27/24 game. The Warriors are another team that favors playing small, and Gobert will likely see a lot of 6-foot-6 Draymond Green on defense, which is a massive size advantage for Gobert.

Gobert could easily get run off the court by the Warriors' small-ball approach, but he could just as easily be a dominant force in the paint against a team that can't match his size.

Others To Consider: Myles Turner, IND - C

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Today's NBA DFS Value Picks

These are the guys who are your salary savers. Priced $5.5K or less, they project to be some of the best per-dollar plays on the slate.

Ty Jerome, CLE - PG ($5.3K DK, $6K FD)

Jerome has been excellent for the Cavs all year, and he always steps up when one of Mitchell or Garland is hurt. That was the case again in Game 1, where he finished second to Mitchell in scoring for Cleveland.

Jerome has scored 32+ fantasy points in four of five playoff games, and although his price is the highest it's been, it's still not enough for the consistency he's shown.

Donte DiVincenzo, MIN – PG/SG ($5K DK, $5.3K FD)

DiVincenzo didn't shoot the ball particularly well against the Lakers (6-of-31 from three in the series), but still found a way to clear 24 fantasy points in four of those five games. He's emerged as the Wolves sixth man in their playoff rotation, and he has been contributing on both ends of the floor without scoring, as well as he is capable of.

If he can get some shots to fall against the team he played for two years ago, he could easily reach 30 fantasy points.

Bennedict Mathurin, IND – SG/SF ($3.5K DK, $4.2K FD)

Mathurin posted his best playoff fantasy score in Game 1 and saw a price decrease of $200 to boot. This slate isn't too tight on pricing, but Mathurin is eligible at SF, which is practically a throwaway roster spot tonight anyway.

It's always worth targeting the cheaper options in the game with the highest implied total on the slate, and Mathurin has shown a willingness to look to score historically. At such a cheap price, you don't need much from Mathurin to at least not sink your roster.

Others to Consider: Brandin Podziemski, GS - PG/SG

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite overall play on the slate: Donovan Mitchell
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Tyrese Haliburton
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Rudy Gobert
• My favorite value play: Ty Jerome

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis