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NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 4/16/18

Rudy Gay led the Spurs in usage rate in Game 1, and his cheap salary makes him a terrific option in Game 2. Who else should you target on a two-game slate?

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes hugely on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a ton of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each price point.

Let's take a look at who you should target on today's two-game slate.

Best of the Best

Kevin Durant ($11,800): The series between the Warriors and Spurs isn't likely to be a close one, but the Warriors are only 9.5-point favorites tonight. A spread like that does mean there's some blowout risk, but it's also close enough that we could easily see starters play good minutes in the fourth quarter, which didn't happen in Game 1. Durant didn't see the court at all in the fourth quarter of the opener, but he still finished with 31.6 minutes played. It's clear that the Warriors are going to lean on him while Stephen Curry remains on the shelf (KD had a 33.3% usage rate in Game 1), and if tonight's meeting stays close, his volume is going to be massive. KD is averaging 49.9 FanDuel points per game in contests without Curry this season, and with a playoff-volume boost, he has by far the highest upside among anyone in action on tonight's two-game slate.

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