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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on May 11, 2021. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Tuesday, RotoBallers! The final week of the regular season is well and truly underway. It means the league is slamming games in left and right, so I was stunned to see 11 games on the schedule. Thanks to the play-in game, a ton of these games mean something, and we can rely on solid lineups to take the court.
Usually, a Tuesday slate gives us a standout game to target and avoid. However, with 11 games to choose from, there will be a few falling into each bucket. One of the matchups to target is the Philadelphia-Indiana game. The Pacers are plummeting down the standings but doing it at a fantasy-friendly pace. The 76ers are also top-10 in the pace standings, and it’s resulted in Vegas giving this game a slate-leading 234.5 point over/under. Brooklyn-Chicago (232.5) and Phoenix-Golden State (230) round out the top three game totals for Tuesday.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/11/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Kemba Walker - PG, BOS vs. MIA ($7,700)
With Jaylen Brown (wrist) on the sidelines for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, Walker will need to continue to step up for the Celtics. Over his last three games, the 31-year has moved away from his role as a distributor. Instead, Walker has become a secondary scoring option for Boston next to Jayson Tatum. In that trio of contests, the four-time All-Star is averaging 27.7 points on 50 percent shooting, along with 4.3 assists, three rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 4.3 three-pointers. While this isn't the best DFS matchup on the slate by any means, the Celtic's need for Walker to help them steady the ship amid his recent form gives me confidence he will grab his sixth 40-point DFS performance in his last nine games.
Seth Curry - SG, PHI at IND ($4,500)
Curry (rest) returns to the 76ers lineup tonight and will have the green light to rack up the real-life and fantasy points against a freefalling Pacers team. Indianapolis is playing at a neck-breaking pace over the second half of the season. It should offer every player in this tilt a massive chance at a productive fantasy outing. Over Curry's last four games, the veteran guard is averaging 17.3 points on 62.5 percent shooting, with 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, one steal, and four three-pointers. Over those same four matchups, Curry is 16-for-26 behind the three-point line and has drained at least three in every contest. At $4,500, the 30-year old sharpshooter will more than return the five-times value we shoot for on any given DFS night.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Michael Porter Jr. - SF/PF, DEN at CHA ($8,500)
Despite several critical injuries to their frontcourt rotation, the Nuggets continue to roll along as they look to grab a top-four seed in the Western Conference playoff race for the third-straight season. Outside of the play from the future MVP, Nikola Jokic, the main reason for Denver's dominance is the ascension of Porter Jr. In the 14 games since Jamal Murray went down for the year, MPJ is averaging 25.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and four three-pointers per game. His shooting line is .572/.500/.842, and he's gone from a good shooter with a smooth stroke to one of the best jump shooters in the game. The Hornets are a bottom-10 defense against small forwards and bottom-four against power forwards over their last 15 games, so wherever Denver deploys Porter, he will be a plus matchup for the sophomore talent.
Buddy Hield - SG/SF, SAC vs. OKC ($8,200)
If you don't want to go all the way up to MPJ at $8,500, you can save a few DFS dollars with a slight pivot down to Buddy Hield. The King's wing provides some all-around performances for fantasy as his team struggles to find playmaking towards the end of the 72-game campaign. Over his previous 10 games, the 28-year old is averaging 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 4.3 threes, and 1.2 steals in 35.6 minutes per game. Hield has topped 40 DraftKings fantasy points in six of those 10 contests and is finishing the season strong. Tonight, he will play the Thunder and their third-worst defense against shooting guards for the second game in a row. Hield is expensive, but he has a solid floor with all his contributions to the box score for a depleted Kings squad.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Domantas Sabonis - PF/C, IND vs. PHI ($10,400)
Sabonis returned from his back injury six games ago, and he seems to be making up for lost time as the regular season enters the final week. Since his return, Indiana's big man is averaging a ridiculous 66.8 fantasy points per game thanks to 26 points, 15.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists, two steals, and 1.1 three-pointers per night. As I mentioned earlier, the Pacers are running up and down the court like no other team in the league right now. Their 106.89 possessions per game lead this 11-game slate by almost two and a half possessions over Oklahoma City. There are also rumblings that Joel Embiid could sit tonight because the 76ers have the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. His absence would add fuel to the fire of reasons to roster Sabonis in your DFS lineup.
Maxi Kleber - PF/C, DAL at MEM ($3,400)
Kleber (Achilles) is questionable for tonight's Southwest division showdown against the Grizzlies but will have an exciting chance to accrue fantasy points if he can get on the court. His teammate, Kristaps Porzingis (knee), is already ruled out, and it will give the German all the minutes he can handle against Memphis' third-worst defense against centers. At $3,400, the 29-year old barely needs to crack 20 fantasy points to return six times his value. He's accomplished that feat three times in the last four games where he's shot at least six times. Against a Grizzlies team averaging 102.7 possessions per game this season, Kleber should get to that total and provide good fantasy returns on Tuesday.
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