FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Hawks at Bucks (7/1/21)
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.
Let's take a look at who you should target for tonight's matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, which tips off at 8:30 PM Eastern.
All injury updates are via the NBA's official injury report or numberFire's player news.
Read this piece by Brandon Gdula for some excellent in-depth analysis on how to attack a single-game slate in NBA DFS.
MVP Considerations
Khris Middleton ($14,500) - With Giannis Antetokounmpo doubtful and Trae Young questionable for tonight's bout, we'll have to get creative at the multiplier spots, and that starts with Middleton at MVP. According to RotoGrinders, with Giannis and Donte DiVincenzo off the court this season, Middleton's usage rate jumped by 7.6 percentage points, and he averaged an additional 0.19 FanDuel points per minute -- for a total of 1.29. I'd lean towards Middleton over Jrue Holiday due to the upside he's showcased this postseason. Khash has amassed at least 56 FanDuel points in three of his last six outings.
Jrue Holiday ($14,000) - numberFire's models actually have Holiday edging Middleton for the game's top scorer by 1.4 FanDuel points tonight. While Khris actually saw the higher usage rate with Antetokounmpo and DiVincenzo off the court this season, Jrue's usage rate jumped by 7.4 percentage points, and he averaged an additional 0.22 FanDuel points per minute. His 48.6 fantasy points per 36 minutes in that split bested Middleton's 46.4. The 31-year-old point guard did drop 58.8 in Game 1 against Atlanta, but that's the only time he's eclipsed 50 this postseason.
Bogdan Bogdanovic ($13,500) - If Young is forced to miss tonight's game, we shouldn't look past Bogdanovic, who should pick up a lot of the slack once again. Bogdan appears to be getting healthier, and he recorded 20 real-life points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 41.1 FanDuel points sans Young on Tuesday. The sharpshooter had some monster performances without Young on the court during the regular season, and he should be asked to do a little of everything once again tonight.
Other Players to Consider: Trae Young ($15,500), Kevin Huerter ($12,500)
Utility Considerations
Lou Williams ($10,000) - Again, this is an "If Trae Young is out" play. With Young inactive in Game 4, Lou Will pegged the Bucks for 21 real-life points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 41 FanDuel points. While it wouldn't be fair to expect a repeat of that, he's still a very viable play at $10,000.
Pat Connaughton ($7,500) - As Mike Budenholzer's go-to option off the bench, Connaughton is our algorithm's top point-per-dollar-play not named Holiday or Middleton. Pat C has already outputs of 18.1, 21.7, and 31.9 FanDuel points this postseason, and that's about as much as we can ask for in this salary range. numberFire has him projected to accrue 22.3 fantasy points tonight.
Other Utility Options: Bobby Portis ($10,500), Cam Reddish ($9,500), Danilo Gallinari ($9,000), Bryn Forbes ($7,000)
