NBA DFS Picks for June 1, 2021

We have a three-game slate to breakdown for tonight, and we have a ton of value to talk about for this one. We are used to being limited in our value for the playoffs, however a few huge guys are out tonight. Anthony Davis is not expected to play for the Lakers, and Kemba Walker is doubtful for the Celtics. We have some great opportunities at both ends of the slate here. As some stars are going to have to do everything for there teams in must win games, while some bench guys are going to have to play some extra minutes. We are looking at a stars and scrubs roster for today, as we have great budget plays and priorities at the top end. We are looking to roster a lot of guys from both the Lakers and Celtics tonight, but we have a few plays we really like from other squads as well.

Here’s a stars and scrubs lineup For DFS Basketball 6/1/21 (using DraftKings Values)

We have a ton of value on Boston tonight with Walker out. We really like getting to Payton Pritchard tonight, as his $3,200 price tag allows us to pay up for a lot of the studs we like. Pritchard looks fantastic for value tonight, as he has a lot more potential than anyone else in his price range. Pritchard was solid last time without Walker, scoring 21.5 FPTS in 24 minutes. We expect to see Pritchard play around 20 minutes with upside for a lot more, and we do not need much here. If Pritchard goes for even 20 FPTS, he will likely be a must have at this price.

Marcus Smart is one of our favorite plays on tonight’s slate, as he has looks fantastic without Walker. We have been all over Smart all playoffs, as he has consistently been cheap for his production. Smart over 37 FPTS in three straight games, and we saw him go for 41 FPTS last time without Walker. Smart will surely be in for another big minutes night, and he plays a much bigger offensive role when Walker is off the floor. Smart is only $6,500 here, and we know he has the potential to blow away this price tag. Smart has a great floor tonight with the role he is playing, while also giving us fantastic upside for his price tag.

Davis is out for the Lakers tonight, and the series is tied and two games apiece. Tonight’s game is important for the Lakers, which is why we really like paying up for Lebron James. James is much more enticing a play with Davis off the floor, as he will have to take the game into his own hands. We like the $9,800 price tag for James, as he could easily be the top performer on the slate tonight. If the Lakers lose tonight, they will be in a dangerous place in the series. Every NBA fan has seen what James can do in must win playoff games, and it is to go elsewhere with Davis out. James will have to put out a monster performance for the Lakers to beat a healthy suns tonight, and we know he is very capable of doing that.

With Davis not playing his 40 minutes for the Lakers, we have no doubt some value plays from Los Angeles are going to go off tonight. The tricky part is figuring out who that is going to be. We saw Kyle Kuzma start the second half after Davis went down last game, and we expect him to start at power forward tonight. Kuzma is a fantastic tournament option tonight, as he has some real upside with Davis out of the rotation. Kuzma played a series high 25 minutes last game, and we expect to see a lot more run tonight with Davis fully out. Kuzma has been seeing nice usage the last few games and struggling to finish on opportunities. If Kuzma has a decent shooting night, he will crush his $4,600 price tag.

Marc Gasol – C ($3,600 DK)With Davis out for the Lakers tonight, it is hard not to like getting to some of there center rotation. We really like Gasol today as he is giving us another strong play at a sub $4,000 price. Gasol really benefited from the floor time without Davis last game, as he went for 35.5 FPTS in 23 minutes. We are not expecting quite as high a score tonight, but the upside is certainly there. The Lakers will need Gasol’s defense tonight and he has some great minutes potential. Regardless, we just need around 20 FPTS from him to work in our lineups tonight.

Chris Paul – G ($6,600 DK) Paul has been an interesting play all series, as injury troubles have caused his price to fall dramatically. Paul is yet to miss a game, but we only saw him play 23 and 27 minutes respectively in the second and third games of the series. However, Paul was able to play 32 minutes and score 41.25 FPTS last game. For tonight, Paul’s price has continued to drop significantly as we can now roster him for a mere $6.600. The Suns have a must win game tonight, and there is so much upside we see a huge opportunity from Paul. If Paul can play mid 30’s minutes tonight, he will likely be a must have tonight at this price tag.

Norman Powell  – F ($5,600 DK) Powell is more of a tournament play for us tonight, as he offers a lot of variance in his production. We saw a massive outing from Powell last time out, as he scored 40.5 FPTS in 34 minutes. We saw him play 36 minutes to go for 32 FPTS the game before that. We expect a lot of floor time again for Powell tonight, and he has great upside for another big night.

Jayson Tatum – Util ($10,000 DK) It is hard not to be all over Tatum tonight, given the situation without Walker. Tatum will have to be monstrous for tonight’s game to even stay close. We have seen him score 73.5, 76 and 62.75 FPT outings in his last give games, and his upside is the best on the slate right now. Brooklyn offer a fantastic matchup with there weak defense, and Tatum is playing with no other stars tonight. We have seen Tatum take north of 30 shots recently, and that would not be a surprise for this game.

Here’s a balance lineup For DFS Basketball 6/1/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Devin Booker – SG ($7,500 FD) This is a good price to be paying for all the upside we get from Booker. The suns need to win tonight, and Booker will have to do a lot of scoring to get past the Lakers. If Paul’s injuries act up again tonight, that could lead to a massive opportunity for Booker.

Jae Crowder – SF (5,500 FD) Crowder is not the most exciting play in the world, but the minutes are always solid. He has been showing some good upside lately, scoring over 40 FPTS last time around. Crowder has been playing more and more minutes for the Suns, and we expect a nice opportunities from him for tonight’s crucial game five.

Tristan Thompson – C (5,600 FD) Thompson was a huge disappointment last time around, when he only played 22 minutes to score 19.7 FPTS. However, as the Celtics have a few injuries there is potential for Thompson to see much more floor time tonight. He has decent upside and is a solid tournament play on both sites.

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