NBA Post Season Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for May 1, 2025
Last updated: Apr 30, 2025, 1:57PM | Published: Apr 30, 2025, 8:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Post Season Thursday DFS contest kicks off at 9:30am AEST on May 1, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you put together your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Thursday and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Post Season Thursday slate features the following games:
- Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
- Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to deliver some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the latest NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best choices on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Luka Dončić (LAL, PG) | $19,210 | 64.2 | 3.3 |
| Value | Luka Dončić (LAL, PG) | $19,210 | 64.2 | 3.3 |
| Fade | Fred VanVleet (HOU, PG) | $11,970 | 32.2 | 2.7 |
| Cheapie | Rui Hachimura (LAL, SF/PF) | $9,970 | 30.5 | 3.1 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Luka Dončić (LAL) | $19,210 | 64.2 | 3.3 |
| Value | Luka Dončić (LAL) | $19,210 | 64.2 | 3.3 |
| Fade | Fred VanVleet (HOU) | $11,970 | 32.2 | 2.7 |
| Cheapie | Donte DiVincenzo (MIN) | $9,740 | 29.1 | 3 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Anthony Edwards (MIN) | $19,690 | 57.1 | 2.9 |
| Value | Austin Reaves (LAL) | $14,220 | 44.2 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Jalen Green (HOU) | $12,590 | 34 | 2.7 |
| Cheapie | Donte DiVincenzo (MIN) | $9,740 | 29.1 | 3 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | LeBron James (LAL) | $20,640 | 57 | 2.8 |
| Value | Rui Hachimura (LAL) | $9,970 | 30.5 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Jaden McDaniels (MIN) | $13,130 | 35.7 | 2.7 |
| Cheapie | Buddy Hield (GSW) | $7,810 | 22.2 | 2.8 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | LeBron James (LAL) | $20,640 | 57 | 2.8 |
| Value | Rui Hachimura (LAL) | $9,970 | 30.5 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Draymond Green (GSW) | $10,980 | 32.8 | 3 |
| Cheapie | Dorian Finney-Smith (LAL) | $8,160 | 22.5 | 2.8 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Alperen Şengün (HOU) | $16,990 | 49.8 | 2.9 |
| Value | Steven Adams (HOU) | $7,790 | 23.8 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Draymond Green (GSW) | $10,980 | 32.8 | 3 |
| Cheapie | Quinten Post (GSW) | $6,980 | 21.3 | 3 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NBA Post Season Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Luka Dončić. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Luka Dončić is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, check out our cheapie options, including Rui Hachimura.
On the other hand, according to our model, Fred VanVleet is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Post Season Thursday slate closes at 9:30am AEST on Thursday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Post Season Thursday slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Post Season Thursday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
