NBA DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (5/21/24) - Today's Top Lineups

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Tonight, we've got Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals! The lineup construction is a little bit different than your typical DFS slate as these include a 1.5x multiplier Captain's spot on DK that carries elevated salaries for each player, and MVP (2x), STAR (1.5x), and PRO (1.2x) spots on FanDuel, where player's salaries are the same regardless of roster spot.

The key to being successful in NBA DFS comes down to making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always really important to have a game plan, and the best players and spots circled first before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/21/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EDT on FanDuel and DraftKings. As always, feel free to follow my X/Twitter (@Maxadelphia) to keep up to date with NBA news and for my nightly NBA bets if you're into that sort of thing. Let's go!

Today's NBA DFS Core Picks (Captain/MVP/STAR)

Jayson Tatum was awesome against the Pacers this year, posting 30+ points in all four games he played against his ECF foes. Tatum is always a great choice for smaller slates because even if he struggles with efficiency, the sheer number of shots he takes is usually enough to provide a solid fantasy output. The other Celtic I'm interested in captaining is Derrick White. White has been great at home during these playoffs, averaging 32.7 fantasy points per game. Captaining White allows for more unique lineup combinations and will allow you to more easily roll out a Celtics onslaught lineup if you think they'll roll tonight.

For the Pacers, the only player with true explosion potential is Tyrese Haliburton. He led the way for the Pacers to come back and win the series when down 3-2, posting 40+ fantasy points in both Game 6 & 7. The Pacers have made it this far off the back of a deep roster, which is not exactly ideal for DFS purposes.

Top Captain's Spot/MVP Plays:

1. Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. CLE - SF/PF ($16.8K DK; $16K FD)
2. Tyrese Haliburton, IND at BOS – PG ($14.4K DK; $14.5K FD)
3. Derrick White, BOS vs. IND - PG/SG ($12K DK; $11.5K FD)

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Today's NBA DFS Value Picks (Utility/PRO)

Haliburton may have led the way from a statistical point of view, but anyone who watched Games 6 & 7 of the Pacers-Knicks series saw Andrew Nembhard impact all facets of the game en route to back-to-back 35+ fantasy point games. Another Pacers' guard, Ben Sheppard, figures to be widely owned tonight as a sub-$3k player who sees legitimate playing time. If you think the Celtics will roll tonight with their rest advantage, Sheppard is a must-play, as he'll get all the blowout minutes in the 4th quarter and enables lineups with three or more Celtics' starters without having to play two of the dirt-cheap options.

Top Utility/PRO Plays:

1. Andrew Nembhard, IND at BOS - PG/SG ($5.4K DK; $10K FD)
2. Ben Sheppard, IND at BOS - PG/SG ($2.4K DK; $7.5K FD)
3. Payton Pritchard, BOS vs. IND - PG ($4.4K DK; $8K FD)

Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids

Don't let Al Horford's massive Game 5 against Cleveland fool you; he scored nine more fantasy points that game than his two previous best games of the playoffs combined.

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite overall play on the slate: Jayson Tatum
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Andrew Nembhard
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Jaylen Brown
• My favorite value play: Ben Sheppard

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis