FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Mavericks at Warriors (5/26/22)

In a traditional FanDuel NBA lineup, you have a $60,000 salary cap to roster nine players. The salary cap is the same in the single-game setup, but the lineup requirements are different.

You select five players of any position. One of your players will be your MVP, whose FanDuel points are multiplied by two. You also choose a STAR player (whose production is multiplied by 1.5) and a PRO (multiplied by 1.2). Two UTIL players round out the roster, and they don't receive a multiplier for their production.

This makes the five players you select essential in more than one way; you need to focus on slotting in the best plays in the multiplier slots rather than just nailing the best overall plays of the game.

Read this piece by Brandon Gdula for some excellent in-depth analysis on how to attack a single-game slate in NBA DFS.

Mavericks-Warriors Overview

Tonight we'll either have a trophy awarded or an eyebrow raised.

The Mavericks finally cashed in on their three-pointers and survived a late surge to win Game 4 in Dallas. The Warriors can still close it out tonight in San Francisco.

This beautiful series has remained injury-free compared to its brother in Miami, only Golden State's Otto Porter is a question mark again. He missed Game 4 after leaving Game 3 early with a foot issue.

There's a seven-point spread here in a series that's seen nothing but wide margins in the fourth quarter. Oddly, building this one as a competitive contest could be slightly contrarian in itself.

Player Breakdowns

At The Top

Luka Doncic ($16,500): In the first three games, a blowout was Luka's path to failure at MVP. In Game 4, he still played 37 minutes in the lopsided affair because the Mavs have no room for error anymore. Outside of a Game 1 clunker, he's cleared 60 FanDuel points in three straight contests. It's becoming apparent Golden State is not as focused on containing Luka as much as it is locking down Dallas' other options, so he's the default MVP once more.

Andrew Wiggins ($13,000): The "forgotten man" can be so crucial in this format, where being different is everything. Derrick White was projected as the worst point-per-dollar play on the slate last night with Marcus Smart returning, but he sunk nearly every shot off the bench and was in the perfect lineup. That's likely Wiggins in this space here when he's got both a great role and a history of production in this series, posting 0.93 FanDuel points per minute. He's as contrarian as a realistic STAR option can be.

Others to Consider: Stephen Curry ($15,500), Jalen Brunson ($13,500)

In The Middle

Draymond Green ($11,500): Green put together a so-so effort in a limited 25 minutes in Dallas on Tuesday. Interestingly, Green has cracked double-digit points in every contest except Game 2, a game when he was mired by foul trouble. I still think he's due for regression dishing dimes. He's averaging 10.7 potential assists per game in this series, but it's translated to only 5.3 actual assists per contest. His salary increase is noteworthy here in a game Golden State is expected to lead.

Jordan Poole ($10,500): It doesn't particularly feel this way, but Jordan Poole has been outstanding in this series. He's shot 59.2% from the field and a tremendous 41.3% from deep. Because Steph has also yet to have a poor shooting night, Poole just hasn't had near the role he did against Memphis. He held a 25.2% usage rate in that series compared to just 19.8% in this one. Like Wiggins, I think he'll largely go overlooked in this space, and a multiplier spot could be sneaky.

Others to Consider: Klay Thompson ($12,000), Kevon Looney ($11,000), Spencer Dinwiddie ($10,000)

At The Bottom

Dorian Finney-Smith ($9,500): Dallas' tandem of low-volume shooters remain the standouts in the bargain bin, but it'll be a tougher sell for a multiplier spot given that Dallas as a team shot just 34.4% from deep in the first two games in San Fran. Finney-Smith is averaging 3.3 three-point makes on 7.6 attempts in Mavericks playoff wins this year, but that drops to just 1.9 makes on 4.5 attempts in losses. He's a crucial piece to the Mavs' offense if they win, so use him exactly in that script.

Reggie Bullock ($8,500): Bullock has not been confined to successful outings in just wins. He drained six triples in Game 2's loss, and he drained six on Tuesday in a win. FanDuel points are not earned in equal, sustainable ways, so take note of the fact Bullock saw a salary decrease after Maxi Kleber's huge outing in Game 4. Kleber's total was just boosted by three blocks. Bullock is still seeing 39.5 minutes per game in this series to Kleber's 24.8 and holds far more realistic 20-point scoring upside.

Others to Consider: Maxi Kleber ($9,000), Jonathan Kuminga ($8,500)