NBA DFS Strategy and Picks for Tuesday (5/3)

With the NBA officially into Round 2 of the playoffs, we’re winding down our full DFS slates with two-game slates moving forward.

It is extremely important to keep up with the NBA news up until lock. If you are new to NBA DFS, important news can come out right before each individual game starts. Be sure to check in the FTN Discord throughout the night or keep up with the news yourself on Twitter. 

If you want to make multiple teams fast, be sure to utilize the FTN Optimizer that includes projections updated up until lock. Below are the pillars that I intend to build around Tuesday.

Guards

Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks (@ BOS)

Jrue Holiday has two things working in his favor in this series: The absence of Khris Middleton and the Bucks’ dire need for his defensive prowess given the laundry list of capable wings that Boston has. These factors quickly turned into a nice outing in Game 1, as Holiday posted 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists in addition to three steals in 36 minutes on Sunday. With Middleton off the floor this season, Holiday has posted a 28.6% usage rate and 45.67 DraftKings points per 36 minutes, showing the sustainability of his Game 1 performance. For only $8,300 Tuesday, Holiday is my favorite upper-mid-tier target on the slate.

Other from the FTN Optimizer player pool

Spend-up: Ja Morant, Steph Curry
Mid-range: Jordan Poole, Dillon Brooks
Value: De’Anthony Melton (if Desmond Bane is ruled out), Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen

Forwards

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (@ MEM)

Draymond Green only played 17 minutes in Game 1 due to an egregiously bad flagrant foul and subsequent ejection, but he made a point to stuff the stat sheet in vintage Draymond fashion. In his 17 minutes, Green posted six points, four boards, three assists and four stocks for 21 DraftKings points. Assuming he’s back above 30 minutes barring an extreme outlier like last game, his per-minute rates far exceed his price tag. In a pace-up spot with the higher game total on the slate, Green is a steal given his ceiling at $6,500.

Other from the FTN Optimizer player pool

Spend-up: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum
Mid-range: Jaylen Brown, Klay Thompson
Value: Grant Williams, Kyle Anderson

Centers

Robert Williams, Boston Celtics (vs. MIL)

This is nothing more than a price-play, as a sub-$5k tag for Robert Williams is ridiculous. He worked his way back into the starting lineup in Game 1 and despite playing only 22 minutes, he was able to maintain his impressive regular-season per-minute rates and post 24 DraftKings points in those 22 minutes. The Celtics will continue to need his athleticism and defensive versatility against this Bucks team, so the 22 minutes should be seen as a baseline as he continues to work back to full health. This is potentially the last time he’ll be this cheap, take advantage.

Other from the FTN Optimizer player pool

Spend-up: n/a
Mid-range: Bobby Portis, Brandon Clarke, Al Horford
Value: n/a

Be sure to check out the NBA cheat sheets, rostership projections and Fast Eddie Fear’s rankings to see everyone’s favorite plays of the slate. 

Also, be sure to check into the daily livestreams with news and analysis up until lock.