This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have Game 3 of the Hawks-Bucks Eastern Conference Finals on tap with the Hawks looking to bounce back from an embarrassing 34-point defeat on Friday. Atlanta will hope State Farm Arena will help to recover from what would appear to be an outlier defeat, but Trae Young and company are actually just 3-2 on their home floor thus far this postseason.
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 the valuation 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
Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks (Projected total: 223.5 points)
After Game 1 finished with a total of 229 points, Game 2 featured a total of 216 - although 125 of those points were contributed by the Bucks. Tonight figures to be a much more competitive affair with the Hawks at home as they've averaged 106.2 points there during the playoffs while Milwaukee has put up 108.2 per road postseason contest, so the projected total here could be a bit on the high side. However, with Jrue Holiday running hot right alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Trae Young and teammates sure to turn in better performances than in Game 2, this should be a much more balanced battle.
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): Giannis Antetokounmpo ($16,500) and Trae Young ($16,000) are once again the clear top candidates for this spot. Giannis enjoyed another fruitful fantasy night in Game 2 by posting 49.8 FD points in only 29 minutes before taking an early seat. And although Young had his first clunker of the postseason with just 18.9 FD points across 28 minutes, he'll naturally be primed for a much better night in what should be a much more normal game script at home.
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 could also reasonably be made for Jrue Holiday ($13,500), Khris Middleton ($12,500) or John Collins ($12,000). Holiday produced another strong performance in Game 2 with 37.9 FD points over 32 minutes and has shot 59.0 percent - including 50.0 percent from three-point range - during this series. Middleton made the same amount of buckets (six) in 10 less attempts than Game 1's 23 and has averaged 34.2 FD points over the first two outings. But he's got something to prove on the road, where he's only shot 33.0 percent since the start of the semifinal round. Collins, like Young, also suffered a downturn in Game 2 due to reduced minutes, but he certainly offers upside with four tallies of greater than 34 FD points in four of his last six postseason contests.
PRO (1.2x): Whichever of the trio mentioned for the STAR position doesn't make that spot for you would be the top two candidates for this slot. Clint Capela ($11,500) would also be another very viable consideration, factoring in his double-double potential any time he takes the floor and his tallies of 24.7 to 43.8 FD points in five of the last seven postseason games.
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 serves as 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.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (calf)/ Status: PROBABLE
Antetokounmpo is fully expected to take the floor and log his usual workload.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Even if Bogdanovic plays through his ongoing knee issues again, he could well be limited in both minutes and production as has been the case of late. In such a scenario, Kevin Huerter and Solomon Hill could enjoy bigger roles.
Elite Players
The two healthy highest-salaried players on the slate are Giannis Antetokounmpo ($16,500) and Trae Young ($16,000). As already detailed in Positional Breakdown section, each player boasts sky-high upside and should once again log very heavy usage.
Expected Chalk
With only one game on the ledger, Antetokounmpo's and Young's rostering rates should be through the roof while the likes of Jrue Holiday ($13,500), Khris Middleton ($12,500), John Collins ($12,000) and Clint Capela ($11,500) 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:
Brook Lopez, MIL ($11,000)
Lopez was a pleasant surprise for the Bucks in Game 2 with 28.2 FD points across 23 minutes. The big man has certainly seen his spikes in fantasy production this postseason as he also posted 45.1 FD points three games ago in the series-clinching win versus the Nets and has exceeded 20 FD points in 11 playoff games. Lopez is averaging 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks across 30 minutes and could pay off nicely again with a locked-in workload.
Danilo Gallinari, ATL ($9,500)
Gallinari logged just 16 minutes in the Game 2 blowout loss, but he parlayed that allotment into a quick 12 points thanks to a 4-for-7 tally from the field. The veteran's sparse playing time was a direct byproduct of game script, as he'd seen no fewer than 23 minutes and as many as 30 in the previous seven playoff contests. Gallinari should be back to a more normal workload tonight, when he'll look to hit or exceed 20 FD points for the eighth time this postseason as a key offensive contributor off the bench.
