This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for just one game Thursday night as the Warriors look to atone for a surprising Game 1 loss to the Lakers. Injuries shouldn't affect Thursday's player pool whatsoever, meaning the plethora of explosive, high-upside assets on either end will all be available for the various multiplier spots.
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 strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding key value plays for the two utility spots is undoubtedly vital, enabling you to fill out the multiplier spots with some of the top projected producers.
Slate Overview
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The Warriors are favored by 5.5 points as of early Thursday despite the Game 1 outcome. After Game 1 finished with a total of 229 points, the projected figure for Game 2 sits at 227.5 points as of early Thursday.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Davis is fully expected to play through his injury designation as usual and is coming off having scored 76.1 non-multiplier FD points in Game 1.
LeBron James, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
James is also slated to suit up despite the probable tag and is coming off a double-double in Game 1.
Elite Players
The three highest-salaried players on the slate are Anthony Davis ($17,500), LeBron James ($16,000) and Stephen Curry ($15,500). All three are excellent candidates for the MVP spot, and whichever two don't make the cut in your lineup are naturally very viable for the STAR spot.
As just alluded to, Davis scored 76.1 non-multiplier FD points in Game 1 on the strength of a 30-point, 23-rebound double-double that also included four blocks. He's had several such spike performances already this postseason and is the top candidate for this spot.
James was a bit less spectacular in his production in Game 1 but still churned out 46.2 FD points over 40 minutes, marking his sixth time over 45 FD points since the play-in round.
Curry was notably stymied by the Lakers in terms of his efficiency, shooting 10-for-24 from the field, albeit 6-for-13 from distance, after shooting a modest 42.9 percent against Los Angeles in the regular season. However, Curry still carries upside well north of 50 non-multiplier FD points and shot 45.3 percent from three-point range at home during the regular season.
Expected Chalk
With only one game on the ledger, the likes of Draymond Green ($13,500), Kevon Looney ($12,000), D'Angelo Russell ($11,000) and Andrew Wiggins ($10,000) should also be very popular. All four players make for very viable options for the STAR or PRO spots.
Green has scored 31.8 or more non-multiplier FD points in five straight postseason games, including 33.3 in Game 1.
Looney's run of monstrous performances on the glass continued in Game 1 despite the matchup against Anthony Davis, as he generated a 10-point, 23-rebound double-double that helped lead to 44.1 FD points, his fourth tally of over 40 FD points this postseason.
Russell has gotten into a rhythm with his shot after early struggles in the postseason, draining 51.6 percent of his shots, including 40.7 percent of those from three-point range, over the last four contests while posting tallies of 32.8 to 42.4 FD points in his last three.
Wiggins posted a modest 20.2 FD points in Game 1, but he'd scored no fewer than 29 in the Warriors' seven prior postseason games and may be benefitting from the fact he had a two-month non-injury absence in the post-All-Star-break portion of the season.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Klay Thompson, GSW ($9,500)
Thompson overdelivered on his salary in Game 1, producing 34.6 FD points across 37 minutes while putting up a postseason-high 25 shots. Granted, Thompson wasn't efficient with that usage – he made just nine of those attempts – but he got plenty of opportunity with the Lakers clearly focusing plenty of resources on Stephen Curry. A repeat of that pattern could certainly unfold in Game 2, and it's therefore worth rolling the dice on Thompson again at a discounted salary.
Austin Reaves, LAL ($8,500)
Reaves dipped to a modest 20.5 FD points in Game 1, but that was primarily due to his offensive usage taking a bit of a hit. Reaves still sunk four of his nine attempts, and prior to Tuesday, he'd averaged 35.2 FD points in the three prior postseason games. Reaves is capable of checking off every box on the stat sheet, and at his salary, that makes him a very appealing value play on such a small player pool.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jordan Poole, GSW ($9,000)
