Ten of the 12 teams in action Wednesday can impact their playoff positions based on tonight’s games. There may be some stars getting a night off on their back-to-back game sets, with Kemba Walker, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis potential candidates. New Orleans, Houston, Boston and Cleveland will be providing potential value plays. Let’s look at the six-game daily fantasy basketball slate and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Don’t forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS for more great written daily fantasy basketball content, including the FREE Deep Dive — the most in-depth article in the industry.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Wednesday, May 12th
Yahoo Play of the Day — Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 50.5 | DraftKings: 52.95
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 33.8% | FanDuel 43.6% | DraftKings 36.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $44 | FanDuel $9,500 | DraftKings $9,400
Boston has lost three straight and four of its last five, and Jaylen Brown is out for the remainder of the season. This is a back-to-back, and Kemba Walker is getting the night off against a Cleveland squad that is just going through the motions. The Celtics have a slim chance of escaping the play-in tournament, but they will need to win out at the same time the Knicks drop their final three games. Jayson Tatum is at a very friendly salary on Yahoo, and it is a bit of a surprise to see his projected popularity below the 40 to 45% range. Tonight, anything less than 50 fantasy points is going to be a disappointment, especially since Walker, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are all out.
Russell Westbrook: Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 59.13 | DraftKings: 64.24
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 33.4% | FanDuel 38.8% | DraftKings 32.8%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $60 | FanDuel $12,600 | DraftKings $12,400
Bradley Beal is out again tonight, and while Washington only needs to win one more game to assure it will be in the play-in tournament, it can still move in front of both Charlotte and Indiana. Russell Westbrook should flirt with 60-plus fantasy points in the three main DFS scoring systems, and he is also the highest-projected player.
For perspective, it helps to understand just how discounted his salary still is even though it is the highest it has been all season. In the 2016-17 season, just after Kevin Durant went to Golden State, Westbrook was in his prime and carrying the Thunder by himself. Down the stretch of the final few weeks, his salary was between $62 and $65 on Yahoo, $13,500 and $13,900 on FanDuel, and $13,200 and $14,000 on DraftKings. He is still at an 8 to 10% discount from where it should be, and there are plenty of NBA DFS value picks available, so rolling with Westbrook is not going to be difficult.
Jordan Clarkson: Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 36.55 | DraftKings: 39.49
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 27.2% | FanDuel 19.6% | DraftKings 19.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $27 | FanDuel $7,600 | DraftKings $7,500
Tonight is an “all hands on deck” game for Utah, who will once again be without Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. The Jazz are favored by only a bucket against Portland, who is battling to stay out of the play-in tournament. While arguments could be made for Joe Ingles — the primary facilitator with Mitchell and Conley out — he is not taking enough field-goal attempts as he is running the offense. Rudy Gobert has a safe floor, but he too does not take enough shots, with double-digit attempts in just two of his last 23 games. Bojan Bogdanovic is combining with Jordan Clarkson to carry the Jazz offensively, but Clarkson offers more upside.
Over his last four games, Clarkson is averaging 31.3 minutes and 21.8 field-goal attempts, including 10.3 from behind the arc. This has resulted in 28.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, four assists and one combined blocks/steals for 42.6 Yahoo fantasy points per game. While Clarkson is unlikely to drop 41 points like he did in his last outing, Portland plays fast and has been a bottom-five defense all season.
Good Value
Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers
It sounds like Christian Wood may miss a fifth straight game with his ankle injury. Kevin Porter Jr. is still in the health and safety protocol, and both DaQuan Jeffries and Danuel House are dinged up once again. While this is not an easy matchup against the Lakers, the Houston understudies have provided excellent fantasy results over the last fortnight when the rotation is extremely limited. Kenyon Martin Jr. is a solid NBA DFS pick regardless of who is in, even with his increasing salary. Kelly Olynyk is an excellent option if Wood is out again and he becomes a viable differentiation play if Wood returns. D.J. Augustin, Jae’Sean Tate, Armoni Brooks and Kyri Thomas are mix-and-match options, though if Wood, Jeffries and/or House are out, those value plays should see a workload similar to the last four games. The Lakers’ goal will be to get up big in this game and then turn things over to Kyle Kuzma, Talon Horton-Tucker and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while getting their key players a chance to heal.
Risky Value
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
The Lakers are on the second night of a back-to-back, and last night Alex Caruso left after playing just seven minutes before aggravating his foot issue. Anthony Davis played 43.5 minutes on top of 40.8 and 39.1 the previous two games. There is a good chance that LeBron James will return, though there may not be a minutes indicator. Kuzma, Horton-Tucker and Caldwell-Pope are solid plays tonight, but the other Lakers feel very risky in the absence of additional information.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Khyri Thomas: HOU at LALÂ – $10
- Lonnie Walker: SAS at BKN – $10
- Naji Marshall: NOP at DAL – $12
Final Thoughts on the Wednesday, May 12th NBA DFS Slate
Tonight there may not be Lakers news until after lock, with Davis and Caruso questionable and the potential LeBron return. They are double-digit favorites, so it is likely everyone will be available — playing time will be a different story. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
