NBA DFS Picks for May 31, 2021

Only two games for us to talk about tonight, and we have some interesting strategies to consider. The two game we have tonight is the Philadelphia/Washington and the Utah/Memphis matchups. The 76ers have blown out the Wizards the past two games, so we have some risk by going heavy on that matchup. However, the Jazz – Grizzlies matchup is slow paced and not offensively focused. Therefore, if the Wizards can keep this close we have a lot more upside going heavy on that matchup. We also may have a lot of the field going lower on this game because of the blowout risk. We are taking teams from both games, but we are focusing on ours stars from Philadelphia and Washington as they have much better matchups. Furthermore, we do not have bona fide superstars coming from the Memphis game, so it is hard to get away from the stars in the earlier game. We are going with a studs and duds build tonight, as we have some cheap plays we really like for upside.

Here’s a balanced lineup For DFS Basketball 5/31/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Compared to other two game playoff slates, we have a good amount of value to play around with tonight. Seth Curry is a great option at $4,300, as he is priced for this thing to not stay close. Curry was popular the past few slates as a value option, and he has gotten $400 cheaper for tonight. He scored 27.5 FPTS over 27 minutes last game, in a game that completely blew out. If it stays closer we expect Curry to play mid 30’s minutes, which would be fantastic at this price. Curry is cheap here, and he has high upside for a value play.

Dillon Brooks is having an underrated breakout run throughout this year’s play-ins and playoffs. Brooks is averaging 27 real life points per game over the playoffs, while playing vital defense for the Grizzlies. Except for one game with foul trouble, Brooks has been playing massive minutes every game, as Memphis rely on him to defend the top scoring options. Brooks has been showing fantastic upside lately, going for 51.25 FPTS in game on and scoring 43.25 FPTS in one of the play-ins. Brooks went for 37.25 FPTS last game, and is a little too cheap here at $6,400. On a slate this small, Brooks will be an absolute must if he has one of his big shooting nights.

Of all the value plays we are taking today, the riskiest punt is certainly Davis Bertans, as he has been putting out some disastrous shooting games lately. Bertans relies on his shooting for DFS production, so we do not recommend going here for Cash games. However, Bertans has a lot of upside for his $3,700 price tag. Bertans started last game and played 31 minutes. He only hit one of his five three’s, leading to a 10 FPTS performance. However, if Bertans has a decent or even good shooting night, he could be a slate breaker for this one. Bertans fits at the power forward for so cheap, that if he puts together a decent game he will provide massive upside for our lineups. Bertans is seeing the opportunity consistently, and just needs to knock down a few shots. 

From a DFS perspective, it has been a strange series for Joel Embiid. Embiid was in some foul trouble for game one, and game two and three were massive blowouts. As a result, Embiid has not played more than 30 minutes this series. Embiid has been priced down to $9,500, which makes him a priority for us tonight. This matchup still does offer a fantastic opportunity for Embiid, as the Wizards are still playing at a fast pace with weak defense. Embiid managed to put up 57.5 FPTS in only 27.5 minutes last game. If this stays close Embiid will see much more floor time and he has some fantastic upside. We do not have a lot of superstars tonight, so we really like getting to guys like Embiid. If Embiid has a big night, he will likely be a must play here due to the raw FPTS.

Mike Conley – PG ($7,000 DK)Conley is one of our favorite plays on the slate given how amazing he has been this series. Conley has scored 52, 49.5 and 49 FPTS respectively in the three games this series. It does not make sense that Conley has not been priced up more for the immense role and production he has seen coming into the playoffs. Conley has been playing mid to high 30’s in minutes per game, while taking a ton of offensive responsibilities for the Jazz. Donnovan Mitchell has been playing limited minutes since coming back from injury, which has led to extra opportunity for Conley. 

Russell Westbrook – G ($11,000 DK) Westbrook went on a ridiculous tear at the end of the regular season to get the Wizards into the playoffs. Consequently, he was way too expensive coming into this series. However, his price has fallen and now he is around where other top end studs get priced. Westbrook gives us some of the best upside through huge triple doubles. We saw him go for over 60 FPTS last game and we know he has upside for a lot more. Westbrook and Embiid are the only true top echelon plays tonight, and we really like the idea of taking them both. If this game stays close tonight, these two guys could easily both end up in the optimal lineup for this slate.

Grayson Allen – F ($3,600 DK) Allen is another one of those guys that we would be weary of for cash games, as he has showed us an incredibly low floor. However, he has been playing decent minutes lately and his upside is great for this price point. Allen has played between 19 and 30 minutes per game this series, with a handful of shot opportunities in each contest. We saw Allen go for 24.75 FPTS last game, which is what we are chasing again here.

Daniel Gafford – Util ($4,300 DK) Gafford feels very safe at this price, as he has hit scored mid 20’s in FPTS every game this series. Gafford has been surprisingly effective, and we expect him to win over some minutes from the other centers for tonight’s must win game. Gafford went for 44.5 FPTS in the play-in against Indiana, and we have seen that he has some decent upside. The floor is what we really like here, as he has been able to consistently score well over 20 FPTS.

Here’s a balance lineup For DFS Basketball 5/31/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Kyle Anderson – SF ($6,900 FD) Anderson is expensive on FanDuel tonight, but he is still one of our favorite plays on the slate. That is because the small forward position is atrocious on FD tonight, so we are high on anyone who is likely to have a solid game. Anderson has been great throughout the play-ins and playoffs, scoring around 40 FPTS in three of his past four. Anderson has decent upside, and he is the only small forward with consistent production tonight.

Danny Green – SF (4,700 FD) Green is a similar story to Anderson tonight, in that we only like getting to him because of the position. Green and Anderson are the only small forwards who are not likely to disappoint tonight, which makes them obvious plays. These are the two we recommend for cash games, and they will be a popular pairing for all contest types.

Royce O’Neale – PF (4,400 FD) The power forward position is also ugly tonight, though not as bad as SF. We know the minutes are always solid for O’Neale, as his defense is needed for these playoff games. O’Neale fits a tough position with a decent play, which is what we must aim for on FD tonight. O’Neale does have some decent upside and he could get the defensive stats. He is not a glamorous play, but he is an important one for this two-game slate.

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.