FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Wednesday 5/1/24

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. Our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- update throughout the day to reflect current news. You can also turn to numberFire for player news updates as well as a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks

Wednesday's main slate on FanDuel features two games. For a full breakdown, see numberFire's matchup heat map.

• 7:30 p.m. ET | Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics (-14.0), 200.0 total
• 10:00 p.m. ET | Dallas Mavericks (-3.0) vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 209.0 total

Guards

Top Plays

Kyrie Irving ($9,300) -- Kyrie Irving is coming off a monster 40-point outing that saw him notch 48.9 FanDuel points (FPs). He's averaged 28.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game this series, culminating in 44.7 FPPG. With Luka Doncic ($12,000) nursing a knee sprain, expect another busy night for Kyrie. Given how this series has gone, I much prefer Irving at $9.3K than Luka at $12K -- even if the latter has a higher ceiling.

Derrick White ($7,600) -- Derrick White feasted on both sides of the ball in Game 4, putting up 38 actual and 55.3 FanDuel points in addition to 3 blocks. We shouldn't expect him to flirt with 40 real-world points again, but he'd established a stable floor with 27.1 FPPG the first three games. White's PG/SG eligibility aids his case as a viable mid-range target tonight, especially given Boston's slate-best 107.25 implied team total.

Russell Westbrook ($4,800) -- The Clippers' visit to Dallas did not bode well for Russell Westbrook. He totaled 27.2 FPs combined between two games and had nearly as many turnovers (4) as points (6). But he still played 19 and 22 minutes across those two outings, so his salary dropping below $5K might be an overreaction. He was plenty viable in the first two home games, recording 25.8 and 27.3 FPs, so I'm certainly interested in him given the shallow slate.

Others to Consider

James Harden ($9,100) -- James Harden has exceeded 45 FPs in three of four games this series and is coming off his best fantasy outing (54.7 FPs) since early February. He's averaging 41.3 minutes per game this series and should again serve as LA's focal point.

Delon Wright ($4,100) -- Delon Wright went for only 11.3 FPs in his return to action in Game 4, but he notably played 29 minutes. At $4.1K, that's about as much as you can ask for, especially given the upside (28.7 FPs) he flashed in Game 1. Our projections have Wright scoring 21.4 FPs in 24.2 minutes, making him the third-best point-per-dollar value on the slate (5.21 FPs per $1,000).

Wings

Top Plays

Paul George ($8,600) -- After a dud in Game 3, Paul George exploded for 33 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists in Game 4. He chipped in 4 steals and a block, as well, resulting in 63.2 FPs. PG-13 reminded us of his immense fantasy upside, and he'll be hard to pass up in a critical Game 5 tonight. On a two-game slate, George is one of just six players projected for more than 40 FPs. Our model projects him for 41.7 FPs, including 6.5 rebounds. His rebounds prop is set at 5.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Caleb Martin ($5,500) -- There is just one SF salaried between $4.8K and $8.3K tonight: Caleb Martin. Expect to see plenty of Martin across lineups, especially with Jaime Jaquez Jr. out. While Martin's been up and down this series, he's exceeded 25 FPs twice and has played at least 36 minutes in three straight games. He should again be a primary option for the injury-riddled Heat.

Norman Powell ($4,500) -- Norman Powell has exceeded 15 FPs only once in four games this series, but that hasn't been due to a lack of opportunities. Powell's seen at least 25 minutes in all four games, peaking with 32 in Game 4. He's averaging 8.8 field goal attempts per game this series but just 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists. Expect the periphery stats to even out tonight as long as the minutes hold steady. With a 25-FP projection, Powell is our projections' top point-per-dollar value of the slate (5.56 FPs per $1,000).

Others to Consider

Jaylen Brown ($8,400) -- Jaylen Brown had his worst game of the series in Game 4, scoring just 17 actual and 26 FanDuel points. Still, he'd gone for 47.1 and 44.1 FPs the two games prior and should see a slight usage uptick with Kristaps Porzingis out. Per Rotogrinders' CourtIQ, Brown averaged 41.5 FPPG and registered a 30.7% usage rate in 18 regular season games without Porzingis.

Derrick Jones ($4,200) -- You're going to have to take some chances with low-salary role players on a two-game slate, so Derrick Jones Jr. has my eye. He's coming off his best game of the series (29.9 FPs) but has quietly averaged 30.7 minutes over the last three games. There's not much of a ceiling, but his minutes appear safe.

Bigs

Top Plays

Bam Adebayo ($8,500) -- Bam Adebayo had his best game of the postseason last time out, scoring 25 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, and dishing out 5 assists. He finished with 49.9 FPs despite failing to record a steal or block for the fourth consecutive game. Bam averaged 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game during the regular season, so there could be even more upside if he chips in some defensive numbers. With a 42.9-FP projection, he's easily our top big man tonight.

Al Horford ($5,900) -- With Porzingis sidelined, Al Horford figures to be a heavily rostered name at either PF or C. Horford hasn't been great for fantasy this series, averaging just 20.7 FPPG, but he saw his most minutes of the series on Monday (34) and has notably averaged 29.6 FPPG with Porzingis out this season. There's a chance Luke Kornet ($3,600) gets more run if Boston gets up big, but Kornet has played only 8 total minutes this series. Horford is a rock-solid mid-range play.

P.J. Washington ($5,800) -- PJ Washington doesn't offer much of a ceiling, but he's averaging 36.8 minutes and 28.1 FPPG this series. He's exceeded 28 FPs in three of four games, and his salary his plenty friendly enough to help you fit in a few high-salary names. Notably, Washington has been a menace on defense, averaging 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He has -260 odds to record 1+ block and +160 odds to record 2+ blocks on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Others to Consider

Jayson Tatum ($9,900) -- Jayson Tatum has exceeded 50 FPs just once in four games this series, but he offers upside few players on the slate can match. You're likely banking on the Heat to keep things close for Tatum to reach that ceiling, but we did see him rack up a 23-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in Game 1 when Boston won by 14. The Celtics are 14.0-point favorites tonight.

Daniel Gafford ($4,400) -- Pick your poison between Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively ($4,000). Gafford has flashed more upside with a 27.8-FP game, but that was the only game he exceeded 12 FPs. Lively, meanwhile, has exceeded 16 FPs in all four outings but has sniffed 20 minutes just once. Either Dallas center is viable tonight as a value option, though they both keep you from rostering Bam.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.