NBA

NBA DFS Picks: Top OwnersBox Plays for Friday (May 10)

By Zach Thompson @ZT_Sports
May 10, 2024

OwnersBox is one of the unique DFS sites that still has traditional daily salary cap contests in addition to their Lightning Lineups contests.

In Lightning Lineups, the OwnersBox app will provide three sets of lineups for a given sport and slate, each lineup with three players. From there, users pick which lineup they think will score the most points. If you don’t like the options, you can spin for new lineups.

Spin. Pick. Win. OwnersBox innovative Lighting Lineups format is the most electric way to play daily fantasy sports.

However, they also have a traditional DFS format, which will be the focus of this article.

For OwnersBox, you use four guards, four forwards/centers, and one Superflex.

Also, our OwnersBox promo code delivers new users a $500 sign-up offer. Their 100% deposit match of up to $500 is by far the best among DFS sites.

Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.

Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.

Note: Projections may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.

Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.

NBA DFS Guard Picks

Jalen Brunson ($8,600) at Indiana Pacers

The Knicks have a commanding 2-0 lead in the series thanks to big games from Brunson at Madison Square Garden. He’s questionable with a foot injury that forced him to miss part of Game 2, but he returned to close things out effectively, finishing with 29 points, five assists, and three steals in 33 minutes.

On Friday’s slate, he brings the highest ceiling, median, and floor projections of all guards. Brunson has a massive 37.3% usage rate in the postseason and has averaged 35.6 points, 8.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game while playing 42.3 minutes per contest. As long as he plays through his injury tag, he’ll be a safe play since he carries so much of the offensive work.

His ceiling is extremely high, and his Pts/Sal value is also very good. He has the second-highest Pts/Sal of all the guards on this slate and the fourth most overall. Even though he’s the most expensive guard, he is worth building around since he has been so reliably excellent thus far in the playoffs.

T.J. McConnell ($4,200) vs. New York Knicks

McConnell is the only guard that has a higher Pts/Sal on Friday’s slate than Brunson. He slowed Brunson down to some degree in Game 2 but was left on the bench down the stretch. His minutes projection for Game 3 is 22.9 minutes, which is consistent with the time he has been getting in Rick Carlisle’s rotation. Even if he stays with that amount of work, though, he brings the potential to be a top value.

McConnell finished the Pacers’ first-round win over the Bucks with 20 points, nine assists, and four steals in a massive performance in just 23 minutes. He started this series with two games of double-digit points as well and finished with a double-double of 10 points and 12 assists in Game 2. Whenever he has been called upon to step into a larger role, he has shown a high ceiling and good potential upside.

With his excellent play, he may have earned more playing time going forward, or he may simply continue to play extremely well in his limited minutes. Either way, he should be a very solid option at a guard spot or in the Superflex at this salary. He has the third-highest Pts/Sal projections on the entire two-game slate.

Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:

NBA DFS Forward/Center Picks

Karl-Anthony Towns ($6,100) vs. Denver Nuggets

MVP Nikola Jokic definitely deserves the highest ceiling, median ,and floor projections on this slate, and he brings them by a wide margin. However, he comes at an elevated salary of $10,000, which makes him extremely hard to build around. Jokic is a great play who could break the slate, but there are other strong options who cost much less, including Towns on the other side of the same Game 3 matchup in the West.

Towns’ workload has ramped up throughout the playoffs, and his salary remains low compared to his recent production. In the close-out game against the Suns, he played 39 minutes and had 28 points and 10 rebounds. After scoring 20 points in Game 1 in Denver, KAT posted an even more impressive 27 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes in Game 2. He got extra work without Rudy Gobert, who will return on Friday, but KAT showed he’s ready for the larger workload and brings a high ceiling as a result.

In each of his last three games, Towns has shot over 60% from the field and made multiple three-pointers. With Minnesota looking to go up 3-0 on their home floor, Towns and Anthony Edwards will be fired up and ready to roll for the biggest home game in a long time. Towns seems dramatically underpriced at barely over $6,000 and is a strong alternative to Jokic at $10,000. Towns has the third-highest Pts/Sal of all forward/centers, ranking higher than Jokic, Myles Turner, and Pascal Siakam in that category.

Precious Achuiwa ($3,400) at Indiana Pacers

The Knicks have shortened their rotation and relied heavily on their starters in the playoffs. Coach Tom Thibodeau has earned his reputation for playing his starters heavy minutes, but that workload may be taking its toll. In addition to Brunson’s injury, OG Anunoby (hamstring) is out for Game 3 and will likely miss Game 4 as well. With Anunoby joining Mitchell Robinson (ankle) on the sideline, the Knicks will have to rely heavily on Isaiah Hartenstein and Achiuwa in the frontcourt. The added work gives Hartenstein and Achiuwa the top two Pts/Sal on the slate, with Hartenstein having a slight edge but Achiuwa coming at an extremely attractive salary under $3,500.

Achiuwa at either a forward/center or superflex spot can be the key to having the salary you need for other stars. His minutes projection of 33.6 is a big increase from his average so far in the playoffs. He didn’t even play in four of six games against the Sixers and only played four minutes in Game 1. In Game 2, though, Achiuwa stepped up with eight points and five boards in 28 minutes.

The Knicks acquired Achiuwa in the same trade as OG, and he stepped into a larger role after Julius Randle’s injury. He started 18 straight games at one point for the Knicks, averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 36.5 minutes per game over that stretch. Coach Thibs trusts Achiuwa and has played the defensive stopper for heavy minutes, so look for most of Anunoby’s minutes to go to Achiuwa. He doesn’t bring the same offensive upside but stuffs the stat sheet in multiple categories, which gives him a chance to be a strong value at this extremely affordable salary.