FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Monday 5/6/24

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Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. Our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- update throughout the day to reflect current news. You can also turn to numberFire for player news updates as well as a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks

Monday's main slate on FanDuel features two games. For a full breakdown, see numberFire's matchup heat map.

7:30 p.m. ET | Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks (-5.5), 217.5 total
10:00 p.m. ET | Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets (-6.5), 208.0 total

Guards

Top Plays

Jalen Brunson ($10,500) -- After struggling in the first two games of the first round, Jalen Brunson exploded for 41.8 real-world points, 10.3 assists, and 61.0 FanDuel points (FPs) per game over the final four outings. Indy held him under 50 FPs in all three regular season meetings, but Brunson still averaged 35.7 real-world points per game against them. Brunson's clearly the top guard tonight. Given Indiana's lackluster defense and frenetic pace, he's my favorite play, regardless of position.

OG Anunoby ($6,400) -- OG Anunoby also struggled in the first two games of the first round before averaging 17.3 actual and 35.1 FanDuel points over the final four games. He averaged an absurd 45.3 minutes per game in that stretch, and I'd expect more of the same against the offensive-savvy Pacers. Our projections have Anunoby racking up 38.1 FPs, making him the top point-per-dollar value on the slate (5.95 FPs per $1,000).

Mike Conley ($6,300) -- There isn't a crazy ceiling here, but there's no denying how solid Mike Conley's floor has been this postseason. He dropped a casual 14-point, 10-assist double-double in Game 1 and has now scored between 26 and 33 FPs in four straight games. I typically want to reach for a bit more upside at this salary, but he's the lowest-salaried point guard I trust on this two-game slate.

Others to Consider

Tyrese Haliburton ($8,900) -- If you're fading Brunson as your high-salary guard, I prefer Tyrese Haliburton to Jamal Murray ($8,400), even if the former boasts a steeper salary. Haliburton didn't have a great first round series considering his high salary, averaging just 37.3 FPPG. However, he still has a sizable ceiling given the gaudy assist totals, and he exceeded 45 FPs in two of three regular season meetings with New York.

Andrew Nembhard ($5,900) -- Andrew Nembhard was quietly rock-solid in Round 1. The combo guard averaged 13.8 real-world points on 59.6% shooting, chipping in 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists en route to 26 FPPG. Like Conley, there's not much of a ceiling here, but Nembhard at least benefits from his SG eligibility and sizable workload.

Wings

Top Plays

Anthony Edwards ($10,200) -- Anthony Edwards's floor isn't quite as high as the other five-figure names on tonight's slate, but his upside is right there with the best of them. After dropping 40 actual and 66.8 FanDuel points in Minnesota's closeout win against Phoenix, ANT stayed hot with 43 actual and 62.9 FanDuel points in their Game 1 win over Denver. Edwards' points prop is set at 28.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Josh Hart ($7,700) -- Josh Hart continues to be a reliable, high-end fantasy producer. The combo forward scored at least 35 FPs in all six of New York's first round games, averaging 41.2 FPPG. I'm not sure we can expect him to shoot 43.2% from three for another series, but his 12.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists are more than replicable. The Pacers did hold him under 30 FPs in all three regular season meetings, though he still notched double-digit boards in all three.

Aaron Nesmith ($5,000) -- It's difficult to decipher which Indiana Pacer will shoulder the scoring load on a night-to-night basis, but I'm happy to take a shot at Aaron Nesmith given his friendly salary. Nesmith averaged just 24.8 FPPG in the first round, largely thanks to an abysmal 35.1% field goal percentage. But he still played 35.2 minutes per game and squeaked out 2.0 stocks (steals plus blocks), so he's a quality salary-saver with upside at $5K.

Others to Consider

Donte DiVincenzo ($5,900) -- Donte DiVincenzo boasted a $7.9K FanDuel salary just one month ago. After putting up 25.2 FPPG in the first round, that's dipped dramatically. Still, he ended the series on a high note with 23 actual and 52.3 FanDuel points and should fare much better in a softer matchup. Indiana is a bottom-10 fantasy defense against SGs and SFs, per FantasyPros, while DiVincenzo exploded for 62.2 FPs in a December matchup with them. There's upside here.

Jaden McDaniels ($4,800) -- The bad news is that Jaden McDaniels went 0-for-7 and failed to score a single point in Game 1. The good news is that he still played 39 minutes, grabbed 8 rebounds, and blocked a shot. He averaged 14.3 actual and 25.5 FanDuel points across 35.8 minutes per game in the first round, so I'm happy to get in on his discounted salary.

Bigs

Top Plays

Nikola Jokic ($12,500) -- Of the three five-figure salary guys, I was least excited about Nikola Jokic... until Rudy Gobert was downgraded to questionable. Jokic is a strong play regardless of Gobert's status, but if the soon-to-be four-time Defensive Player of the Year were to miss, Jokic's ceiling could be fully unlocked. Either way, you're getting our highest-projected player on the slate. His points prop is set at 29.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook, and Jokic has +185 odds to record a triple-double.

Michael Porter ($7,500) -- This Michael Porter Jr. guy, he's pretty good, huh? After averaging 22.8 real-world points per game in the first round, Porter cruised to 20 actual and 38.7 FanDuel points in Game 1 against the Wolves. He's scored 34 FPs in all six playoff games thus far and continues to flirt with 40 minutes per game. Even in a tough matchup, Porter's proven to be a reliable fantasy option with 50-FP upside.

Isaiah Hartenstein ($5,700) -- I'm fascinated to see how the Knicks handle their big man rotation this series, but the matchup certainly lends itself to Isaiah Hartenstein over Mitchell Robinson ($4,800). Hartenstein was solid in their first round series, averaging 25.5 FPPG. He hit 30 minutes only twice in six games but should benefit from a Pacers defense that's allowed the most points in the paint this season.

Others to Consider

Myles Turner ($7,200) -- After averaging 45.5 FPPG in the first four games of the first round, Myles Turner cooled off with just 22.5 and 14.5 FPs in Games 5 and 6. Still, that coincided with a pair of blowouts where his minutes dipped, so we should expect him to be more productive in a tighter game environment tonight. We project Turner for 38.8 FPs, making him the top point-per-dollar value at C and the second-best overall (5.39 FPs per $1,000).

Obi Toppin ($4,500) -- You're going to need to take a shot on some true values on a two-game slate, so I'm again intrigued by Obi Toppin off the Indiana bench. Toppin has exceeded 20 FPs in four of his last five games, notably leading the Pacers in scoring in their closeout win. He still averaged only 19.2 minutes per game in the first round but did rank fourth on the team in field goal attempts.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.