This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Just when it looked like we might be without basketball for more than a week, the Celtics staved off elimination by defeating the Heat on Tuesday. Thursday's Game 5 brings us another single-game contest to enjoy on Yahoo.
In addition to selecting two flex players, there are three multiplier positions in this single-game format. A player slotted into the Megastar spot will earn double their fantasy points scored. The Superstar spot will earn 1.5X their fantasy points scored. Finally, the Star will earn 1.2X their fantasy points scored. With that in mind, let's highlight some players to target.
MULTIPLIERS
Jayson Tatum ($45): Tatum and the Celtics did not go down without a fight. After a miserable performance in Game 3, Tatum rebounded to score 60.7 Yahoo points in Game 4. He recorded his third straight double-double of the series and shot 4-for-9 from behind the arc. If the Celtics are going to have any hope of forcing a Game 6 in Miami, they will need Tatum to have another scoring outburst. Expect him to receive all of the shot attempts that he can handle again, while also racking up a lot of rebounds.
Jimmy Butler ($45): Butler was his aggressive self Tuesday, getting to the free-throw line 12 times. He also took 21 shots from the field, so the combination propelled him to score 29 points. With his stellar play being why the Heat are in the surprising position of being one win away from the finals, expect them to rely heavily on Butler to try and close out the Celtics and avoid a Game 6.
Bam Adebayo ($26): One of the reasons why the Heat lost Game 4 was because they received very few contributions from Adebayo. Despite playing 35 minutes, he only chipped in 10 points and five rebounds. The lopsided score in Game 3 limited his playing time, but he scored 37.1 and 54.9 Yahoo points, respectively, the first two games of this series. While he's not someone to target for the Megastar or Superstar positions, he is a viable option for the Star spot.
FLEX PLAYS
Caleb Martin ($15): Kevin Love is basically a token starter for the Heat. He has been abused on the defensive end, so the Heat can't afford to stick with him for long. He logged just 12 minutes in Game 4 and has not played more than 16 minutes in any of the games in the series. The Heat have turned more to Martin, who has averaged 33 minutes. That has helped him score at least 23.3 Yahoo points in each game. Expect him to continue to play a ton in this matchup.
Kyle Lowry ($15): Lowry isn't putting up eye-popping numbers at this stage of his career, but the Heat still rely on him to log significant minutes off the bench. The result has been him scoring at least 21.0 Yahoo points in three of the four games against the Celtics. Gabe Vincent (ankle) is listed as questionable, and if he can't play, Lowry could move into the starting five. Even if he does play, his minutes could be limited. At this salary, Lowry is well worth the risk.
PLAYER TO AVOID
Malcolm Brogdon ($15): Brogdon can't buy a bucket right now. He is 1-for-11 from the field over the last two games and 1-for-10 from behind the arc over the last three. As important as he was to the Celtics during the regular season, his playing time is dwindling. There was also a report that he is dealing with a partially torn tendon in his right elbow. Tuesday, he played just 17 minutes after logging 18 minutes in Game 3. He's too risky to deploy in DFS right now.
