NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Friday Playbook
Published: May 01, 2026
It's Friday, May 1st, and we have a 3-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel as the NBA Playoffs are in full swing.
We have three elimination games as the Magic, Cavaliers, and Lakers look to close out their series while the Pistons, Raptors, and Rockets try and stave off elimination. We'll see what Cade Cunningham, LeBron James, Alperen Sengun, and Paolo Banchero have in store for us.
Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.
- News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
- Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
- Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
- NBA DFS Projections
- Lineup Generator
- NBA Ownership
NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, May 1st
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Pre/Post-Lock Update Section
This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock.
Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.
All status updates after contest roster lock will be made in the Fantasy Alarm Discord: https://discord.gg/2yATJxXe8G
NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 5/1
- Luka Doncic - OUT
- Kevin Durant - DOUBT
- Franz Wagner - OUT
- Tobias Harris - QUEST
- Brandon Ingram - DOUBT, downgrade
- Immanuel Quickley - OUT
- Kevin Huerter - QUEST
- Jonathan Isaac - OUT
NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews
In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads. Not every game is listed, but every game listed has the pace and defensive numbers listed.
NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks
Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.
High
Mid
- Amen Thompson, Austin Reaves, Evan Mobley, RJ Barrett, Desmond Bane, Jabari Smith., Ausar Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Wendell Carter, Tari Eason, Collin Murray-Boyles
Value
Stacks
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