NBA

FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: NBA Finals Game 5

Jayson Tatum has been more aggressive when the Celtics have been tied or behind later in a series. Which other players should you roster in single-game DFS on Monday?

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.

Celtics-Warriors Overview

Away Home Game
Total
Away
Total
Home
Total
Away
Pace
Home
Pace
BostonGolden State210.5103.25107.252414


The injury report for Game 5 looks the same as Game 4's.

Robert Williams (knee) is listed as questionable again for Boston, but he played a postseason-high 31 minutes through it on Friday.

Otto Porter (foot) got the start through his questionable listing as well for Golden State, but he played just 14 minutes. He's still a safer bet than Andre Iguodala (knee), who missed Game 2 altogether with the injury.

Today's total has dropped considerably from the ones in Boston. Oddsmakers are likely expecting a slower, more physical contest as the stakes are even greater.

Player Breakdowns

At The Top

Jayson Tatum ($16,000): The lone reason this series is still going is one squad's star has been phenomenal, and one team's star has been a no-show. Tatum is the latter, shooting just 33.4% for the series even with a 42.5% mark from downtown. J.T. averaged 30.5 shots in the two games Boston tied or was trailing Milwaukee, so expect the Celtics' leader to aggressively try to carry them again with this series in the balance. He'll likely not be popular at MVP due to his struggles.

Stephen Curry ($15,500): On absurd volume, Curry has a 66.4% true shooting percentage in this series. He's been absolutely masterful, and the Warriors have needed him to be to compete in any of the four games. Still, there are plenty of pitfalls to the point guard at MVP, including a foot issue that was allegedly an issue entering Game 4. Plus, 68.1% of Curry's FanDuel output in this series has come from his scoring, so a cold night from the field is possible, but that's just hard to envision at his current pace.

Others to Consider: Jaylen Brown ($14,500), Andrew Wiggins ($12,500)

In The Middle

Draymond Green ($11,000): At this salary, it's noteworthy that Draymond found the 30-point range on FanDuel again while still just scoring two real-life points. Green's four steals seems less lucky when he's posted 2.1 blocks plus steals combined in a postseason in which he's not playing well. He pairs better with Steph than Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, or even Andrew Wiggins just because their upside comes -- at least a good chunk -- from scoring the ball as well.

Robert Williams ($10,000): Minutes are the end-all, be-all in single-game daily fantasy this time of year. That's why Williams stands out here more than his production, which has also been tremendous with two straight games above 30 FanDuel points. Williams now saw 31 minutes in a tight Game 4, so he's essentially got Boston's sixth full-time role. That's squeezed out Grant Williams a bit, but at $10,000, "Time Lord" still brings some salary savings in his stead.

Others to Consider: Marcus Smart ($12,000), Klay Thompson ($11,500), Al Horford ($10,500)

At The Bottom

Kevon Looney ($9,500): A quick Boston start killed Steve Kerr's adjustment entering Game 4. He opened the game with Otto Porter in the starting five over Looney, but Looney played double the minutes (28) that Porter did (14). Safely, one can assume that Looney will still see a bulk of the court time -- especially with Robert Williams on the floor more often. Ol' Reliable has done his thing on the glass this series, posting 11 boards in Game 4. He's exceeded 7 rebounds in every game as a high-floor value plug.

Derrick White ($8,500): Sometimes, the peripheral stats just don't correlate with scoring to form a big night on FanDuel. White dropped in 16 points -- and a pair of crucial late threes -- on Friday, but he added just one assist and one rebound to an uninspiring FanDuel total. Importantly, in the first truly close ending of the series, White saw 35 minutes for the C's, who have dropped to essentially a six-man rotation. Given his salary, he's the best value play in terms of both floor and upside.

Others to Consider: Jordan Poole ($9,000), Grant Williams ($8,500), Otto Porter ($7,500)