FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Friday 4/22/22

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 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 basketball is very reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

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 break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

Beyond daily fantasy, injury news may upset the NBA's title picture.

The Bucks lost Khris Middleton on Wednesday to a sprained MCL for at least the rest of this series with Chicago.

On Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns lost Devin Booker for an undefined period with a hamstring strain.

But, that's not all, as Miami's Bam Adebayo is questionable for tonight's game with a quad issue. P.J. Tucker (calf) is also on the report. Both played through these issues on Tuesday.

The Hawks are also still without Clint Capela (knee).

Guards

Chris Paul ($10,200): FanDuel proactively increased CP3's salary, but it was to just a fair mark. Paul saw massive lifts in usage rate (3.1 percentage points) and FanDuel points per minute (+0.06) when Booker was off the floor this season, and he's one of three stars that comes with a supremely high floor. Miami, Chicago, and New Orleans all have multiple stars with paths to a huge night. We know Phoenix will fare how Paul does.

Alex Caruso ($5,000): Even considering the bump, Caruso stands as the best value at guard by a country mile. Any questions of him losing court time to Javonte Green were annexed as he logged 37 minutes in Game 2. He took just eight shots and was able to use defense, rebounding, and ball movement to post 37.4 FanDuel points, which puts very little volatility in his ability to meet requisite value here.

Others to Consider:
Trae Young ($9,000): Salary is in the tank after two poor efforts in Miami, but his 32.7% usage is elite if more shots fall at home.
Jrue Holiday ($8,000): Boost to 1.25 FanDuel points per minute with no Middleton this season. Don't forget about him, either.

Wings

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,000): The lofty salary here isn't a mistake not outrageous. Middleton's absence only boosts his floor to a superhuman level. Giannis and Holiday both average over 1.25 FanDuel points per minute during floor situations without Khris, and the next-highest Bucks contributor is Bobby Portis (1.06) off the bench. Milwaukee will become incredibly reliant on production from its two remaining stars.

Cameron Johnson ($5,100): It's possible low-production guard Landry Shamet slots into the starting lineup, but Johnson will realistically now see most of Booker's minutes in a much more talented package. Johnson saw a lift of 0.07 FanDuel points per minute when Booker was off the floor this season -- the best on the Suns' roster. Shamet will be popular, but Johnson's salary increase likely keeps him under the radar.

Others to Consider:
Patrick Williams ($4,700): Even after missing most of the season, Chicago is leaning on him. Saw 31 minutes in Game 2. A key value piece.
De'Andre Hunter ($4,300): Regardless of which players emerge from the scoring column, Hunter will be on the court for 35-plus minutes. Hard to get picky with that.

Bigs

John Collins ($5,900): In a total flip from my usual strategy, I see the center spot as an opportunity for value today outside of sprinkles of Deandre Ayton. Collins is the singular best per-dollar option on the board. He lept into Atlanta's starting five and logged 29 minutes in Game 2, setting the stage for a full role in Game 3. Young and Collins are super interesting tournament options; they struggled in Miami, but they're just 1.5-point underdogs tonight.

Brook Lopez ($5,700): Bobby Portis only was able to muster five minutes in Game 2 after getting hit in the eye, so Lopez's role may not be as solid with Portis' return. Still, he played 32 minutes in Game 1. Lopez missed most of the season due to injury, but one has to imagine that he'll also benefit from the additional offensive volume without Middleton. He's got the same tertiary scoring role that Nikola Vucevic has at a much lower salary.

Others to Consider:
Herbert Jones ($4,500): Still yet to produce that multiple block-or-steal upside game, but role players generally rise at home.
Jae Crowder ($4,300): His role of 30-plus minutes is now set in stone with no DBook. Like Hunter, it's hard to get picky.