Advice for NBA DFS on Wednesday, May 5 (2021)

Wednesday’s NBA DFS slate gets started off with some news right away as Jaylen Brown won’t suit up against the Orlando Magic.

That could force NBA DFS gamers into rostering Jayson Tatum, and it will be interesting to see what other news pops up. Some rest candidates do exist, after all, with high-profile teams like the Bucks and Suns having played last night.

I’ll help you sort through the madness in Wednesday’s NBA DFS picks, sleepers, and top lineup.

Oh, hey, look, it is a slate with Russell Westbrook. The guy plays literally every day it seems and has been insane lately with 74+ fantasy points in two straight games.

This is a loaded slate with eight guys priced over $10k, but nobody offers the ceiling/floor combination Russ does right now. Fading him is a risk.

You should be able to slide some easy value in your lineup to pay up for Russ, as Delon Wright stands out as a core play again.

Wright was a smash hit last night, and he should get another start tonight. De’Aaron Fox should still be out, while Tyrese Haliburton is done for the year.

ESPN Sources: Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton has no ligament damage to his left knee, an MRI revealed, but likely will miss the rest of the season. Haliburton won’t require surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 5, 2021

Small forward may be a spot where I try to pay down if I feel good about it, but a nice mid-range option is Tobias Harris.

Harris has been spotty or impacted by blowouts, but he finally showed signs of life with 39 fantasy points in his last outing. With another awesome matchup against a bad Rockets team, he could thrive and pay off a discounted salary.

Giannis is an obvious spend. The only hiccup would be if Milwaukee opts to rest him on the second leg of a back-to-back set. The Bucks are now just three games out of first place, though, so I struggle to see why they would sit their best player.

The Greek Freak could be all systems go against a Washington team he has lit up for 73.5 fantasy points per game across two meetings. Yeah, sign me up.

I’ll also mention Sabonis here, as he’s in a terrific spot against the Kings. He’s on fire with 70+ fantasy points in two straight games, and you couldn’t ask for a better matchup.

You certainly can’t pay for everyone on this slate, but Sabonis is as good of a play as anyone, and the options are unlimited. If you’re trying to cram multiple studs in your NBA DFS lineups, though, he could go overlooked with Russ, Giannis, and Nikola Jokic on this slate.

McConnell’s price has come up a little, but he is going to be a tough fade at this salary if Malcolm Brogdon is out again.

Brogdon missed Indiana’s last game, and McConnell used an amazing matchup to churn out 40 fantasy points. In a great spot against Sacramento, he is a potential core play if Brogdon sits.

Mills is a placeholder of sorts, as the Spurs could be a nice source of salary relief. Derrick White is already out, but San Antonio is notorious for resting additional guys.

Okoro was lightning in a bottle with a massive outing last night, and he’s still cheap. He’ll be at home against a suspect Portland defense, so if I get to him, I have no qualms with hoping for an encore.

I know to expect little with Okoro, but this slate is light on NBA DFS sleepers. If he fits in without forcing it, I think he’s a decent try.

The same goes for Taj Gibson. He’s a relic, but minutes are the name of the game. Nerlens Noel is potentially out again, and Mitchell Robinson is still out.

Gibson has logged 32+ minutes in consecutive outings and found a way to get 33.5 fantasy points in his last game. The matchup with Denver isn’t great, but he’s cheap.

Lastly, there’s Ignas Brazdeikis, who made quite the impression in his Magic debut.

I don’t know if he’s going to get 32 minutes again, but Orlando will be down Terrence Ross, Chuma Okeke, James Ennis, Otto Porter, and Michael Carter-Williams.

The opportunity is there for him to keep impressing, so for the bare minimum, he may be worth a roll of the dice.

Unless some superstars sit and really break this slate open, I love the pairing of Russ and Giannis. They’re in the same game, and it’ll have one of the highest totals of the night at the top NBA betting sites.

There is blowout risk there, but both teams have incentive to win, and the last game was wild.

I am totally fine with paying for two studs and just soaking up value with the rest of my NBA DFS picks.

Wright and McConnell are potentially locked into awesome roles and will be tough to fade, Gibson has a solid role, and Bagley is a good price. He’s technically filler until I really make this lineup concrete before lock, but I am fine landing on him.

Ideally better value opens up, so I don’t need to stick on Okoro, but hey, he killed on Tuesday. Ignas is also the bare minimum, so he doesn’t even need to go nuts to pay off and make sense.

If you want to get different, consider fading Russ and Giannis. There are enough viable studs to get away with doing that, but if that game isn’t a housing, pairing them is probably going to be the right move.