This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA Finals have lived up to the hype thus far, with the matchup between the Warriors and Celtics about as hotly contested as expected. Boston appears to be in the driver's seat up 2-1 and with another home game on tap, but it's certainly worth noting Boston has struggled at times at TD Garden this postseason and Golden State will undoubtedly be in desperation mode Friday night.
With just one game on the ledger, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters, which are comprised as follows:
· MVP- (Garners points at 2x the normal rate)
· STAR- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
· PRO- (Garners points at 1.2x the normal rate)
· Two Utility spots- (Garner points at normal rate)
With salaries also being different than in conventional FanDuel contests on multi-game slates and top players inevitably headed for heavy rostering, there are definitely strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding key value plays for the two utility spots is undoubtedly key, as it enables you to fill out the multiplier spots with some of the top projected producers.
Slate Overview
Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics (-4) (Projected total: 214.0 points)
The Warriors have now suffered losses of 12 and 16 points during the series, and they're 3-5 straight up on the road in the postseason with a bloated defensive rating of 117.4. Golden State has taken four double-digit losses when traveling overall since the start of the regular season, and the Celtics, while only 6-4 at home in the playoffs, do have four double-digit victories there during that span.
Games 1 and 3 in this series have also corroborated that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are capable of breaking through against Golden State's defense, even though each has also had one clunker. On the other side, Stephen Curry has gotten the best of Boston's defense to varying degree in all three games, yet he'll go into Game 4 at least somewhat hobbled by the foot injury he suffered in Game 3.
Positional Breakdown
FanDuel single-game rosters don't have traditional positions that match those on a starting five, so we'll instead break down some candidates for the top three multiplier positions instead:
MVP (2x): Stephen Curry ($16,000) and Jayson Tatum ($15,500) remain the clear-cut top candidates for this spot following their Game 3 efforts.
As just alluded to, Curry is technically shaping up as questionable due to his foot injury, but he's already on record stating he'll suit up He could well see his shooting efficiency take a hit if he's a tad slower than usual moving around and has difficulty pushing off his ailing foot, but nevertheless, the fact he's putting up 48.5 FD points per game in the series on averages of 31.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.7 steals makes him a consideration for this spot if he suits up.
Tatum is averaging 41.6 FD points per game in the series despite shooting 33.9 percent overall. However, he's clocking an excellent 43.5 percent success
STAR (1.5x): Whichever of the two mega-stars mentioned above doesn't make your MVP spot is naturally the prime candidate here, but a case is certainly there for Jaylen Brown ($14,000) and Marcus Smart ($10,500).
Brown bounced back in stellar fashion from a difficult Game 2, posting 46.3 FD points on the strength of a 27-point, nine-rebound, five-assist effort that included one block. Brown also generated 44.9 FD points in Game 1 of the series and has eclipsed 40 FD points on nine occasions overall this postseason.
Smart tallied 36 and 34.9 FD points in two of his first three games of the series, performances that he's sandwiched around a forgettable 9.9 FD-point effort in Game 2. He's shot a combined 15-for-28 in Games 1 and 3 while putting in solid contributions in rebounds and assists, so he has the upside in this multiplier spot if he once again has the hot hand offensively.
PRO (1.2x): Whichever of the trio mentioned for the STAR position is certainly a consideration for this spot, as are Andrew Wiggins ($12,000), Al Horford ($10,500) and Klay Thompson ($10,000).
Wiggins scored 37.4 and 38.0 FD points in Games 1 and 3, and he's averaging 31.5 FD points in the 14 games he's played since the start of the semifinal round versus the Grizzlies.
Horford has scored over 35 FD points in three of the past four games, and he's tallied at least 30 in 15 of 20 postseason games while shooting 52.4 percent, including 46.4 percent from three-point range.
Thompson was a bit more in synch in Game 3 than the first two games of the series, as he posted 39.1 FD points while putting up 25 points. However, he'd generated just 21.9 and 20 FD points in the first two games after shooting just 33.3 percent in his one regular-season encounter against Boston.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following is a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written (usually late morning Eastern time), check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate.
Stephen Curry, GSW (foot)/ Status: GTD
Curry has stated he'll be ready for Game 4, but Jordan Poole would likely draw the start at point guard if there's a setback.
Robert Williams, BOS (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Williams continues to manage ongoing knee soreness, and Daniel Theis would likely start at center if he were unable to play.
Other notable injuries:
Otto Porter, GSW (foot)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Andre Iguodala, GSW (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
The two highest-salaried players on the slate are Stephen Curry ($16,000) and Jayson Tatum ($15,500). As already detailed in Positional Breakdown section, each is capable of elite production and should see very heavy usage Friday.
Expected Chalk
With only one game on the ledger, the likes of Jaylen Brown ($14,000), Draymond Green ($13,000), Andrew Wiggins ($12,000), Marcus Smart ($10,500) and Klay Thompson ($10,000) should also be very popular.
Key Values
Note: On a multi-game slate, I typically try to highlight players that would be considered under-the-radar plays in this section. Naturally, with such a limited player pool, there will be very few low-rostered players that are likely to also be viable from a DFS perspective, so I'll instead focus on two of the best candidates to provide a strong return relative to salary for the two Utility spots in single-game lineups:
Derrick White, BOS ($9,000)
White produced a modest 16.2 FD points on Wednesday, but managed 24.7 and 25.8 in the first two installments of the series. The valued second-unit asset is averaging 27.7 FD points and shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range over the last seven postseason games while averaging an encouraging 29.7 minutes. He should be in for a similar level of opportunity in Game 4 due to how valuable he's proven on both ends of the floor this postseason.
Robert Williams, BOS ($8,500)
Williams has played through his questionable tag due to knee soreness without fail since Game 4 of the ECF against the Heat, so we'd expect for him to do the same Friday. The big man is putting up 23.9 FD points per game during that span and is averaging an even better 25.8 FD points since Game 1 of the conference semi-final round versus the Bucks. With Williams' ability to supplement his high-percentage offense with blocks and steals, he holds plenty of appeal as a salary-saving option considering he's already racked up 10 rejections across the first three games.
