NBA DFS Picks Today: FanDuel Plays and Lineup Tips for Monday, May 26

Written by

Jeff Edgerton

Published on May 26, 2025

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The Timberwolves will try to even up the series at home as the Western Conference Finals continue Monday evening. We've had success cashing in all three games of this series, and we'll try to keep the train rolling with our top FanDuel build recommendations. Get your lineups in before tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!

SLATE OVERVIEW

Before we begin, let's take a look at the winning combination for Game 3 from one of FanDuel's most popular contests.

MVP Anthony Edwards

UTIL Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

UTIL Julius Randle

UTIL Rudy Gobert

UTIL Nickeil Alexander-Walker

UTIL Terrence Shannon

The winner took a bet on Shannon, who scored 15 points in just 13 minutes on the floor during the blowout win. Otherwise, the lineup mostly aligned with my own projections, which gave me a min-cash on the day. Jalen Williams was my major deviation from this build, which was ultimately less effective due to the wide margin of defeat. I remain comfortable with Minnesota's ability to win this series, and I suspect they will even things up with another fine game at home. The margins for these single-game contests are so thin that one slip-up puts you outside the cash bubble. Leaning heavily on one team can be dangerous, but after watching the Thunder and their tendency to spread the ball around (especially with their second team), I think the majority of tonight's elite production will come from the Timberwolves.

MVP CANDIDATES

Anthony Edwards (MVP $22,500, UTIL $15,000)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MVP $24,000, UTIL $16,000)

Julius Randle (MVP $15,900, UTIL $10,600)

I'm going to break from Williams and adjust to this trio as the core of my build. Taking SGA or Edwards as the CPTN and using the remaining two at the utility results in a per-slot average ranging from $3,467 and $3,633 per slot. Using Randle gives us more wiggle room, with an average of $4,367 after adding SGA and Edwards. It's important to determine the number of players we can attain south of these numbers.

UTILITY CANDIDATES

Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($2,200)

Let's pause here before moving on. Alexander-Walker's salary represents the primary method to reduce the per-slot average and makes an Edwards or SGA selection more manageable. Taking SGA gives you $4,100 left per slot, and Edwards allows for a $4,350 average. Randle clearly gives you access to another tier of elites, with an impressive $5,450 per player as the MVP. I kept Alexander-Walker at the top because he'll be a 100 percent spread in all of my builds, and a necessity to keep costs down. After watching the numbers drop after his addition, I think Randle's MVP candidacy looks the most attractive for us. Let's look at other UTIL options based on an MVP Randle, Edwards and SGA build.

Rudy Gobert ($5,600)

Naz Reid ($5,400)

Donte DiVincenzo ($4,400)

This trio of Timberwolves will be popular for those who remove Edwards and SGA from MVP consideration, although DiVincenzo will still be viable at the top. Taking DiVincenzo will allow a Randle MVP build with one more expensive option in Isaiah Hartenstein ($5,800).

Cason Wallace ($3,800)

Luguentz Dort ($3,200)

Mike Conley ($3,400)

You'll depend heavily on this trio if you took Edwards or SGA as your multiplier. A Randle build doesn't earn much for spending down, as taking Dort will still restrict you from taking anyone over Hartenstein. Wallace is the most expensive option, but I like his potential upside despite the meager Game 3 result.

ALTERNATE BUILDS

Your contrarian build choice depends on your thoughts about Game 4's end result. If you're a fan of an OKC bounce-back, taking Jalen Williams over Randle is a better way to go. Belief in a Thunder collapse could lead to an SGA fade recommendation, which would bring secondary players like Jaden McDaniels or Chet Holmgren into the fold. I don't think we can get cute with our 1.5x multiplier, however. Potential blow-ups from our top three are too valuable, especially when you hang an extra 25 points on a 50-FDFP game. Below are my top two builds for tonight.

Randle(MVP)/Edwards/SGA/Gobert OR Hartenstein/DiVincenzo/Alexander-Walker

Edwards(MVP)/SGA/Randle/Reid/Dort/Alexander-Walker OR Hartenstein/Wiggins/Alexander-Walker

Agree with these recommendations? Give them a spin with various combinations of other players in RotoWire's NBA DFS Lineup Optimizer.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.