NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Anthony Edwards vs. Jimmy Butler (May 6)

Monday brings a new series as well as a Game 2, with the fun tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks: Anthony Edwards and Jimmy Butler look like strong plays in the nightcap, while Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton are the go-to options in the opener.

These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page.

NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Tuesday, May 6

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Edwards was outstanding in the first round, tallying 22-plus point in four games, highlighted by a 43 point masterpiece. He also had eight or more rebounds in four of the five games, with eight-plus assists in three of the tilts. Expectations are that he plays around 40 minutes tonight, with the chance for a few more in a competitive contest. The Timberwolves are 6.5-point home favorites, but as we saw last night, there is a reason they still play the games.

Golden State will likely put Gary Payton II on Edwards, though considering that the pedigreed player was not able to slow down Fred VanVleet, it is hard to envision him being more than a nuisance to the Ant Man.

Julius Randle was a nice complementary scorer, putting up 22-plus points in four of the five games, which helped take pressure off of Edwards, who pulls double-duty as a key on-ball defender for Minnesota. The NBA nomad has had solid success against the Warriors, with several different teams and he should continue to be a key cog in the Minny attack. Currently Randle is the second-most popular player on DraftKings ($7,500, 35.2%) and in the top-ten on FanDuel ($7,200, 39.8%).

Rudy Gobert is a wild card, having laid down a monster game in Los Angles with 27 points, 24 rebounds and two blocks to close out the series. In the preceding four games, he had 14 points, 25 rebounds and two blocks. We know that the Warriors will have no issues putting out a lineup that can run the Stiffle Tower off the court, the main question is how will coach Chris Finch counter that strategy, if it comes to fruition. There also is the feud between Draymond Green and Gobert, mostly instigated by the former Michigan State Spartan, which increases and already elevated risk of the mercurial player being ejected and or suspended.

Jaden McDaniels is a steal on FanDuel ($5,900, 42.6%), with the blue site awarding three fantasy points for stocks (combined steals and blocks). DraftKings is a little different, where he needs to be an offensive contributor to unlock his DFS potential. He is going to be tasked with guarding Curry and Jimmy Butler, forming a strong point of attack defense with Edwards. That could take away from his scoring potential and while he has improved that facet of his game, it is a better matchup for Randle to be more effective. Donte DiVincenzo is a wild card, coming off a disappointing first round effort. The one time Warrior does have more appeal against Golden State than he did against the bigger Los Angeles roster.

Butler gets to come back to one of his many former teams, not that he needs additional motivation. He has had another 48-hours to receive treatment for his glute issue and he is not on the injury report. He and Curry will have to carry the offense, since it is unlikely Buddy Hield continues his heater. Brandin Podziemski is always in play, though it will be fun to see how coach Steve Kerr manipulates his malleable rotation in this new series.

Stokastic’s NBA DFS Single Lineup Simulator is a groundbreaking tool that revolutionizes lineup building by providing data-driven simulations, making it a must-have for serious players. Check out how the Simulator evaluates this single lineup for this sample slate:

Per the Stokastic Boom/Bust tool, Mitchell has the highest “positive” leverage for Tuesday’s player pool, though that is operating under the assumption that all of the injured players return to action. Depending on who is out, Mitchell’s DFS projection and popularity will increase, so be sure to tune into Stokastic’s NBA Live Before Lock Show on YouTube at 6:00 p.m. ET for all of the updated analysis. Depending on who is available, there are a myriad of If/Then decision points that will dramatically impact the entire slate.

If Tyrese Haliburton remains aggressive on offense, this could be a spicy series. If he chooses to be more of a facilitator, the Pacers will be hard pressed to win another game, if Cleveland is healthy. Sunday’s surprise victory was a total team effort, with four of the five starters producing 17 or more points. That balance was nice, however, at least two Indiana players are going to need to step up regularly, to help out Haliburton and it has been hard to pinpoint which player that will be. That is not a problem in the regular season, but without another alpha-scorer, it will be tough sledding against the efficient Cleveland defense.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks

If you’re serious about winning in NBA DFS, you know the edge comes from having the right tools. The same principle applies to sports betting — and that’s where Portfolio EV steps in.

Take Jarrett Allen under 27.5 points+rebounds+assists tonight, for example. It’s a +EV bet, meaning it has positive expected value when compared to the best odds available across the market. But the real strength of Portfolio EV isn’t about finding just one good bet — it’s about consistently finding dozens. With the Mass Entry tool, you can scale up, place a high volume of +EV bets, and let the math do the heavy lifting.

Just like you wouldn’t count on one DFS lineup to ship a GPP, you don’t count on one bet to carry your night.

Portfolio EV is built for long-term profitability. It helps you spot market inefficiencies, compare lines across books and generate a steady stream of +EV bets. It doesn’t chase heaters, but rather trusts the numbers, follows a process and builds sustainable profit over time.

In the five postseason games with Mobley, Allen has recorded PRAs of 25, 18, 33 and 28 in the first round, with 18 in Game 1 of this series. He gets a boost for both rebounds and post scoring when Mobley is out and that seems to be baked into this line. With everyone in for Cleveland, Allen projects for 24.6 PRA, so getting this line early has potential value. Mobley tweaked his ankle in the final frame Sunday and word is that he will be a game-time decision based on how he feels warming up.