NBA Fantasy: DFS picks & advice for May 26
Published: May 26, 2025
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DFS picks for Monday night's Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
Welcome to the Monday NBA DFS slate for this Memorial Day. It’s been a great season and I hope to continue the winning ways tonight in this showdown slate as the Thunder look to take a 3-1 series lead over the Timberwolves in Minnesota.
If you’re going to do NBA DFS, you have to keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That is going to be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. Obviously that won’t be as prevalent tonight or during the playoffs but it’s a good idea to keep in mind for all your DFS playing. In the end, it’s about making the right choices and picking your spots, which is why I’m here.
Let’s break down the top plays for this slate. Here are my top NBA DFS picks and lineup advice for tonight.
NBA DFS picks: Captain/MVP Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC)
DraftKings: $12,000
FanDuel: $16,000
My last article was a showdown game for Oklahoma City-Minnesota, and you might see some overlapping strategies and options. SGA is coming off his worst outing of the entire playoffs. After a 29 fantasy point outing to open the playoffs, the OKC guard hasn’t dipped below 40 again up until Saturday. Now he has a bit of a price dip, and there’s no way he shoots 31% from the field two games in a row. SGA clearly has the highest ceiling of anyone else and I can’t imagine they get blown out again by 40 tonight. He only played 27 minutes last game and tonight I project him closer to 38 or 39 minutes. I wouldn’t think too much about this one but in the deeper field GPP’s I might change it up just because he will be the highest owned captain tonight by far.
Anthony Edwards (PG/SG/SF – MIN)
DraftKings: $11,200
FanDuel: $15,000
The next clear option is going to be Anthony Edwards. He’s not nearly as high owned as SGA so he can offer you some leverage on the deeper fields but he still has shown his ability for ceiling outputs with two straight 54.75 DK point outings if we’re getting specific. The impressive thing is he only did it in 30 minutes on Saturday. Imagine if he played the entire game. It would be surprising for Minnesota to tally 143 points again tonight and ANT won’t shoot 70 percent but somehow his price is lower now than last time. This is my leverage GPP captain option but I likely won’t be over ownership on him against the field as the Thunder still sit as slight favorite.
NBA DFS picks: core targets
Luguentz Dort (SG/SF – OKC)
DraftKings: $3,200
FanDuel: $3,200
While Dort starts every night, he still only averaged a 13 percent usage rate throughout the season. But in the playoffs it’s bumped up closer to 15 and got over 20 consistently in the Denver series. Despite playing 21 minutes last game from the blowout, he’s averaged over 28 minutes a game in the playoffs. His fantasy output isn’t exactly consistent but his price tag has continued to drop and is at a playoff low. In Game 2 he managed 30 fantasy points and that’s the kind of ceiling output we’re looking for here with his expected minutes to get a bigger bump. But keep in mind the next game he only managed seven DK point so he isn’t the most consistent. I expect him to be a great value tonight but the higher risk slots him more as a GPP option.
Jalen Williams (SF/PF – OKC)
DraftKings: $9,400
FanDuel: $12,600
Another popular option but one I’m going to be over the field on in terms of ownership, will be Jalen Williams. He’s coming off a similarly disappointing effort with just 25 minutes played in Game 3 and 20 fantasy points managed. Now, I’m picking him for a nice game. He’s taken plenty of shots this series with 38 attempts across the first two games of the series and only nine on Saturday. His usage also saw a playoff high last time out and a lot of the attention will be on SGA. Williams is capable of taking over himself in this game and after last game, OKC clearly needs to change something up. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle him in your captain spot to spice up your lineup.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (SG/SF – MIN)
DraftKings: $3,600
FanDuel: $2,200
Another popular value option that I am also buying into tonight is Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Minnesota guard sees a 20 percent usage rate and should play around 24 minutes in this one. His ownership has been consistently high but hopefully with his price taking a bit of a bump, on DraftKings especially, he won’t be as highly owned. He projects around 20 fantasy points and that’s exactly what I expect from him. It won’t be another blowout but Alexander-Walker should get his full level of play tonight.
Cason Wallace (PG/SG – OKC)
DraftKings: $4,000
FanDuel: $3,800
Finally, after a mere five-point DK effort Saturday, I’m going right back to the well for Cason Wallace. His 16 minutes played in game three is the lowest he’s played since February 1st. He didn’t even attempt a shot. Considering he averages nearly seven a night, he’s obviously due for a bounce-back performance and his price is still reasonable. The usage for Minnesota is pretty straightforward and I expect both teams to keep it around or below 110 points. The value lies on the Oklahoma City side with any one of them, like Isaiah Joe or Alex Caruso. Odds are one of them will be in the optimal lineup, it’s just a matter of finding who.
If you’re going to do NBA DFS, you have to keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That is going to be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. Obviously that won’t be as prevalent tonight or during the playoffs but it’s a good idea to keep in mind for all your DFS playing. In the end, it’s about making the right choices and picking your spots, which is why I’m here.
Let’s break down the top plays for this slate. Here are my top NBA DFS picks and lineup advice for tonight.
NBA DFS picks: Captain/MVP Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC)
DraftKings: $12,000
FanDuel: $16,000
My last article was a showdown game for Oklahoma City-Minnesota, and you might see some overlapping strategies and options. SGA is coming off his worst outing of the entire playoffs. After a 29 fantasy point outing to open the playoffs, the OKC guard hasn’t dipped below 40 again up until Saturday. Now he has a bit of a price dip, and there’s no way he shoots 31% from the field two games in a row. SGA clearly has the highest ceiling of anyone else and I can’t imagine they get blown out again by 40 tonight. He only played 27 minutes last game and tonight I project him closer to 38 or 39 minutes. I wouldn’t think too much about this one but in the deeper field GPP’s I might change it up just because he will be the highest owned captain tonight by far.
Anthony Edwards (PG/SG/SF – MIN)
DraftKings: $11,200
FanDuel: $15,000
The next clear option is going to be Anthony Edwards. He’s not nearly as high owned as SGA so he can offer you some leverage on the deeper fields but he still has shown his ability for ceiling outputs with two straight 54.75 DK point outings if we’re getting specific. The impressive thing is he only did it in 30 minutes on Saturday. Imagine if he played the entire game. It would be surprising for Minnesota to tally 143 points again tonight and ANT won’t shoot 70 percent but somehow his price is lower now than last time. This is my leverage GPP captain option but I likely won’t be over ownership on him against the field as the Thunder still sit as slight favorite.
NBA DFS picks: core targets
Luguentz Dort (SG/SF – OKC)
DraftKings: $3,200
FanDuel: $3,200
While Dort starts every night, he still only averaged a 13 percent usage rate throughout the season. But in the playoffs it’s bumped up closer to 15 and got over 20 consistently in the Denver series. Despite playing 21 minutes last game from the blowout, he’s averaged over 28 minutes a game in the playoffs. His fantasy output isn’t exactly consistent but his price tag has continued to drop and is at a playoff low. In Game 2 he managed 30 fantasy points and that’s the kind of ceiling output we’re looking for here with his expected minutes to get a bigger bump. But keep in mind the next game he only managed seven DK point so he isn’t the most consistent. I expect him to be a great value tonight but the higher risk slots him more as a GPP option.
Jalen Williams (SF/PF – OKC)
DraftKings: $9,400
FanDuel: $12,600
Another popular option but one I’m going to be over the field on in terms of ownership, will be Jalen Williams. He’s coming off a similarly disappointing effort with just 25 minutes played in Game 3 and 20 fantasy points managed. Now, I’m picking him for a nice game. He’s taken plenty of shots this series with 38 attempts across the first two games of the series and only nine on Saturday. His usage also saw a playoff high last time out and a lot of the attention will be on SGA. Williams is capable of taking over himself in this game and after last game, OKC clearly needs to change something up. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle him in your captain spot to spice up your lineup.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (SG/SF – MIN)
DraftKings: $3,600
FanDuel: $2,200
Another popular value option that I am also buying into tonight is Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Minnesota guard sees a 20 percent usage rate and should play around 24 minutes in this one. His ownership has been consistently high but hopefully with his price taking a bit of a bump, on DraftKings especially, he won’t be as highly owned. He projects around 20 fantasy points and that’s exactly what I expect from him. It won’t be another blowout but Alexander-Walker should get his full level of play tonight.
Cason Wallace (PG/SG – OKC)
DraftKings: $4,000
FanDuel: $3,800
Finally, after a mere five-point DK effort Saturday, I’m going right back to the well for Cason Wallace. His 16 minutes played in game three is the lowest he’s played since February 1st. He didn’t even attempt a shot. Considering he averages nearly seven a night, he’s obviously due for a bounce-back performance and his price is still reasonable. The usage for Minnesota is pretty straightforward and I expect both teams to keep it around or below 110 points. The value lies on the Oklahoma City side with any one of them, like Isaiah Joe or Alex Caruso. Odds are one of them will be in the optimal lineup, it’s just a matter of finding who.
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