Wednesday’s NBA slate brings Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Contests lock at 8:30 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler and more.
NBA DFS Picks Today: Wednesday, May 17
Core Play of the Day — Jayson Tatum — Boston Celtics
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 53.26 | FanDuel: 50.82
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 69.1% | FanDuel: 60.7%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,200 | FanDuel: $11,000
It has been three days since Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to a resounding victory over the 76ers in front of the Boston faithful. In 42 minutes, he rolled up 51 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals on his way to an 80-fantasy-point performance. While we simply cannot expect that level of production regularly, Tatum has a ceiling as high as anyone still playing, and he has five 60-fantasy-point games in his last eight outings. Clearly he is the core play of the day.
Jaylen Brown continues to be a steady wingman, and he has made his mark in the scoring column with at least 23 points in nine of his last 10 postseason appearances. A lot of his focus is on defense, but he is on the court for nearly 40 minutes per game, which gives him time to compile enough rebounds, assists, blocks and steals to flirt with the 40-fantasy-point plateau more often than not.
We could see Robert Williams III in the starting five for a third consecutive game, which does give him a chance at an extra rotation and a path to 28 to 30 minutes. Coming off the bench, he was typically in the 16- to 20-minute range, for perspective. Al Horford continues chugging along, and gamers have been shying away from the “old man” who is coming off a 72-hour layoff and should be as fresh as we are going to see him for the rest of the series.
Derrick White has played 12 and 19 minutes off the bench since being supplanted in the starting lineup by Williams. He does have a path to extra playing time, but it all depends on his shot falling, and he needs foul trouble from Williams or poor play from Marcus Smart or Malcolm Brogdon to see more action. Smart and Brogdon are secondary options, and it makes sense to not have more than two of this trio on any lineup tonight.
Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard are unlikely to see the court for more than a couple of minutes unless there is mop-up duty in a game this series.
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Jimmy Butler — Miami Heat
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 51.91 | FanDuel: 52.22
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 43.3% | FanDuel: 51.9%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,200 | FanDuel: $11,400
The Heat have won eight of the last nine playoff games where Jimmy Butler was healthy enough to start. Miami last played on Friday, so he should be raring and ready to go in this tricky road matchup. The ball is going to be in his hands on most possessions, and he continues to fill the stat sheet with rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, which makes him the second-best option in the player pool.
Bam Adebayo seems to have a 35-fantasy-point floor this postseason, but he has only four games with more than 40 fantasy points in 11 tilts, with just one of those being more than 46 fantasy points. The Stokastic projections have him as the sixth-best point-per-dollar fantasy option tonight.
DFS gamers have been playing whack-a-mole with the other Miami players as mad scientist/evil genius Erik Spoelstra has kept things moving around. Caleb Martin, Kevin Love, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry all are in the rotation, but with each projecting between 17 and 24 fantasy points, it is hard to vouch for any particular player. Cody Zeller (illness) is a game-time decision, but even if he is out, his 8 to 9 minutes can be absorbed by any number of players.
Keep tabs on the news leading up to lock to see if coach Spoelstra tips his hand. Otherwise, let personal preference and salary cap constraints guide you through this portion of the player pool.
Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
For tonight’s action, looking to Marcus Smart in the wagering market does have merit, with his 14.5 points prop. He has surpassed this threshold five times in his last seven games, but two of those games were with only 15 points.
NBA Bet Pro currently has Smart projected for 38.4 minutes and 12.77 points, giving this wager a 59% expected success rate, with our hero falling short of the 15 points needed to surpass tonight’s milestone. Though this wager is likely to go down to the wire, the -135 at BetMGM for this play projects out to a steady 2.2% expected ROI.
With only one game on tap, the markets are pretty tight today — but with a new series, we will see different matchups and strategies. If you have a strong lean on something you have been watching or noticed, now is the time to pounce, before the sportsbooks get there first.
Did you know that you can get one free month of Stokastic+ Platinum for signing up and making your first bet at BetMGM? Claim here today!
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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