DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS: Monday, May 9

These last few days have been crazy. We had the other series close out their Game 4s on Sunday, and we’re getting into the final Game 4s here. That makes these the most important games of the season, and it’ll be fun to see what these teams do!

Injury Report

• Ja Morant (knee) Doubtful
• Gary Payton II (shoulder) OUT
• James Wiseman (knee) OUT
• Khris Middleton (MCL) OUT

Core Plays

Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $9,400 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel

Chef Curry has been cooking recently. The former MVP has at least 38 DraftKings points in seven straight outings, averaging 45 fantasy points per game in that span. That makes him tough to fade on a two-game slate, especially since he’s well below $10K. He’s always been better at home, too, and one has to believe he’s going off for 50 sooner rather than later.

Tyus Jones (PG – MEM): $3,400 DraftKings, $3,700 FanDuel

This is one of the easiest plays of the season. Jones has had plenty of experience subbing in for Ja Morant, and he’s likely looking at another start here. He’s been the starting point guard in 23 games this season, averaging 30 DraftKings points per game. That’s genuinely absurd from a sub-$4K player, with Tyus seeing an increase in minutes played, usage, assists, and shot attempts. All you need is 20 fantasy points for Jones to be a good value, and he scored 23 or more DK points in 19 of those starts!

Cash Game Considerations

Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF/C – MIL): $11,400 DraftKings, $11,300 FanDuel

If you’re going to use Tyus, Giannis should be the next player you put in your build. The former MVP has been one of the most consistent players all season, scoring at least 39 DK points in all but three games. He’s also averaging 58 fantasy points per game for the season, dropping 78 DK points in his most recent outing. He’s also seen his role increase in the absence of Middleton, and it makes Giannis the safest play on the slate.

Desmond Bane (SG/SF – MEM): $6,200 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel

Bane has struggled in this series, but they’re going to need him to step up. We expect him to take over primary ball-handling duties in the absence of Morant, posting a 29 percent usage rate with him off the floor this season. We’re talking about a guy who averaged 36 DK points per game over the final two months of the regular season, and that alone would make him a brilliant value in this $6K price range.

GPP Targets

Jaren Jackson Jr.(PF/C – MEM): $6,300 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel

There might not be another sub-$7K player who has the upside of JJJ. This guy has scored at least 28 DK points in each of his last four games, averaging nearly 40 fantasy points per game in that stretch. That’s ridiculous from a player in this price range, and we haven’t even discussed the best part. JJJ leads the team in usage with Ja off the floor, averaging over 1.3 DK points per minute.

Otto Porter (SF/PF – GSW): $4,100 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel

Porter started the second half of Game 3, and it looks like he’s going to fill the Payton role. Porter provided 29 DK points across 24 minutes in that win, seeing his minutes limited due to the blowout nature of that game. The former Wizard is averaging 21 DK points per game across 22 minutes a night in the regular season, and he’d be a heck of a value below $5,000 even if he does that. The increased role makes him a great GPP play because he’s one of the only guys that have 8X upside in this price range.

Value Plays

De’Anthony Melton (PG/SG – MEM): $4,800 DraftKings, $4,700 FanDuel

Fantasy managers have been waiting for Melton to get minutes throughout his career. We’ve finally seen some of that recently, with De’Anthony averaging 27 DK points per game across 26 minutes a night over his last three outings. He’s proven to be a per-minute stud in the past, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him play 30 with Morant out of the picture.

Grant Williams (SF/PF – BOS): $4,300 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel

Williams has been covering Giannis on nearly every play in this series, and it will guarantee him a monster role. He’s averaging 25 DK points per game across 31 minutes a night over his last six outings. That might not sound like much, but it’s all you can hope for from such an affordable player. It also makes it much easier to get Giannis into your lineup, and stacking guys like Jones and Williams with superstars like Antetokounmpo and Curry is the way to go!

Advantageous Pricing

• Desmond Bane (SG/SF – MEM): $6,200 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
• Jaren Jackson Jr. (PF/C – MEM): $6,300 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
• Otto Porter (SF/PF – GSW): $4,100 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
• Jaylen Brown (SG/SF – BOS): $8,200 DraftKings, $8,900 FanDuel
• Jrue Holiday (PG/SG – MIL): $8,000 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel
• Klay Thompson (SG/SF – GSW): $7,400 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
• Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $6,600 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.