FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Helper: NBA Finals Game 2 (7/8/21)
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 Game 2 of the NBA Finals matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, which tips off at 9:00 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
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($16,000) - After being listed as doubtful on Tuesday afternoon, Giannis was upgraded to questionable and subsequently dropped 20 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals plus blocks, and 52.4 FanDuel points in 35.4 minutes. Given that the Greek Freak is not even listed on the injury report tonight, a full allotment of minutes is likely in store for him, which could result in another monster performance. numberFire's algorithm projects the two-time MVP to record 53.8 FanDuel points tonight, 8.9 more than the next closest player.
Devin Booker ($13,500) - Though it was overshadowed by Chris Paul's second consecutive point god performance, Booker has a solid Game 1 in his own right, posting 27 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 44.4 fantasy points. Odds are that CP3 will come back down to earth at some point soon, and we can try to gain a bit of leverage by fading the veteran tonight. Booker's upside makes him a great play in one of the multiplier spots.
Jrue Holiday ($13,000) - Jrue was limited to just 10 real-life points and 28.9 FanDuel points in the opener of this series, but numberFire's models believe a bounce-back effort is in store tonight. Our algorithm has Holiday going for 43.4 fantasy points, which would make him the second-best point-per-dollar play behind Giannis. The Bucks are going to need a better effort from their point guard if they're going to steal a game in Phoenix, and he has shown the ability to come through in a big way this postseason -- Holiday has four outputs of 49.1-plus fantasy points in his last nine games.
Other Players to Consider: Chris Paul ($15,000), Khris Middleton ($14,500), Deandre Ayton ($12,500)
Utility Considerations
Mikal Bridges ($9,000) - I mentioned in Tuesday's column how Milwaukee's one weakness appeared to be opposing small forwards, and the 24-year-old ended up accruing a solid, yet unspectacular 19.7 FanDuel points. Per FantasyPros, the Bucks ceded the second-most real-life points, the sixth-most rebounds, the fifth-most made threes, the fifth-most blocks, and the third-most fantasy points to the position in 2020-21. Look for Bridges to have an even bigger performance tonight.
Cam Johnson ($8,500) - Though he plated just 20.6 minutes in Game 1, Johnson managed to record 22.6 FanDuel points, which means he's accumulated 17.6 or more in five of his last six outings, including at least 22.6 three times. The 25-year-old's ability to produce in short stints makes him a viable play for one of the utility slots.
Other Utility Options: Jae Crowder ($10,500), P.J. Tucker ($7,500)
