NBA

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 5/26/21

Is Donovan Mitchell worth rostering in his return to the lineup for the Utah Jazz? Which players should we build around on Wednesday's three-game slate?

The NBA scene changes 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 bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy NBA is very reliant on opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries and COVID-19 situations. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news and we also have player news updates.

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

Please note: When I'm referencing a player's value figure, it is the number of fantasy points scored for every $1,000 in salary. Typically, a value figure of 5.0 (meaning, 5.0 FanDuel points for every $1,000 in salary) is the minimum baseline we'll be targeting.

Let's take a look at who you should target on tonight's three-game playoff slate, which locks at 7:00 PM Eastern.

All injury updates are via the NBA's official injury report or numberFire's player news.

Point Guard

Ben Simmons ($8,100) - A matchup with the Washington Wizards did wonders for Simmons in Game 1. Against a defense that ranked 29th against point guards during the regular season, per numberFire's DvP tool, Simmons dropped 15 rebounds and the same number of assists en route to a 50.5-FanDuel-point performance. Simmons would only need 40.5 fantasy points for five-times value at his salary (or 5.0 fantasy points for every $1,000 in salary), and that's a number he can easily reach against this defense.

Derrick Rose ($5,900) - Rose racked up 31.5 FanDuel points in 37.7 minutes in the series opener against the Atlanta Hawks, and if he'll be seeing those kinds of minutes, value shouldn't be too far behind. in the 2020-21 campaign, the Hawks ceded the 10th-most fantasy points to the opposition's floor generals, as Trae Young remains one of the weaker defensive point guards that the league has to offer.

Shooting Guard

Donovan Mitchell ($8,000) - After the Utah Jazz medical staff forces him to sit out the first game of the series -- a game they subsequently lost -- I'll be willing to bet that Mitchell will come out fired up in his first game in nearly six weeks. The Memphis Grizzlies came in 20th against two-guards during the regular season, and Mitchell himself dropped 47.9 and 52 FanDuel points in his two outings against them this season. A performance in that range would likely make him one of the best plays on the slate.

Seth Curry ($4,900) - Simmons isn't the only one who benefits from a matchup with the Wiz, as Curry's in a great spot as well. In his last eight games, Seth has eclipsed 27 FanDuel points five times, and given that he surpassed 30 minutes of action in Game 1, he should be able to do so once again tonight.

Small Forward

Kyle Anderson ($6,600) - Anderson has come up big in the last two games for the Grizzlies, with his production resulting in 39.0 and 40.3 FanDuel points, respectively. Given his ability to rack up stats in a number of different categories, he's one of the safer bets we can get in DFS, especially on this small slate.

Danny Green ($4,100) - Green is our algorithm's top-projected point-per-dollar play on the entire slate, regardless of position. The seasoned veteran filled the stat sheet in Game 1 on Sunday, with the ultimate result being 24.4 fantasy points. numberFire's models have him putting up 23.4, which would have him surpass our baseline value with ease.

Power Forward

Tobias Harris ($7,400) - Given that Philadelphia's implied total tonight is four points higher than any other team, it should come as no surprise that I keep going back there. Harris was huge in the series opener, dropping 37 real-life points and 51.2 of the fantasy variety. According to FantasyPros, the Wizards allowed the second-most fantasy points to power forwards over their final 15 games, so Harris should be in for a big series. He's our algorithm's top-projected value at the position.

Taj Gibson ($4,100) - Nerlens Noel is questionable to suit up tonight, but whether or not he plays, Gibson is a player to strongly consider for your lineups. The veteran amassed 24.8 fantasy points in 24.3 minutes on Sunday, which marked the fifth time in his last nine games that he'd put up at least 21.6. The Hawks were the seventh-most generous team in the league to power forwards over their final 30 games, and even though they're a tough matchup for centers, he should be able to produce in a number of different categories in order to return solid value.

Center

Rudy Gobert ($8,000) - If you can't get up to Joel Embiid ($10,100), I'd recommend rolling with Gobert. Memphis ceded the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers over their final 30 games of the regular season, and Gobert should be able to take advantage of this delicious matchup -- especially since the Jazz will have their backs up against the wall not wanting to go down 0-2 to the 8 seed. numberFire's models have Gobert putting up 41.2 FanDuel points, exceeding five-times value in the process.