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 | GameTotal | AwayTotal | HomeTotal | AwayPace | HomePace |
| Boston | Golden State | 212.5 | 104.25 | 108.25 | 24 | 14 |
Any traffic on Game 2's injury report should be effectively considered white noise.
Robert Williams (knee) started and played his normal role for the Celtics. The Warriors put Otto Porter (foot) and Andre Iguodala (neck) back on the court in Game 1, and while Gary Payton II (elbow) was active, he did not see any playing time.
It's that time of year when guys will power through anything they possibly can.
Player Breakdowns
At The Top
Jayson Tatum ($16,000): Tatum shot 3-for-17 (17.6%) in Game 1, and the Celtics won going away. Tatum has always been a scoring and rebounding threat, but his increased playmaking might be what puts Boston on top when this series is over. He had 19 potential assists in Game 1, which is a mark you're used to seeing from Chris Paul versus the scoring wing. If the shots start falling at his normal rate, he should comfortably become Sunday's optimal MVP.
Al Horford ($13,000): While he's unlikely to replicate a 26-point night on 75% shooting, Horford also was well below his rebounding pace entering potential regression in Game 2. He only hauled down 6 rebounds, but he's averaged 9.4 per contest in the playoffs. He also had just one steal and zero blocks averaging 2.1 combined in the postseason. He's an interesting STAR or PRO candidate that many may ignore because they're expecting fewer shots to fall.
Others to Consider: Stephen Curry ($15,500), Jaylen Brown ($14,000)
In The Middle
Draymond Green ($12,500): Note the salary increase here. Green's role was actually exceptional in Game 1. He posted just 4 points, but it came on pretty solid shot volume (12). He also posted just five assists and zero blocks when averaging 6.2 and 1.1 of each, respectively, throughout the playoffs. Better days will be ahead for the Michigan State alum, and it could be as soon as a Game 2 that Golden State -- obviously -- needs in the most desperate fashion.
Andrew Wiggins ($11,000): While he's often the afterthought of the Dubs' scoring hierarchy, Wiggins' 21.0% usage rate was the second-highest amongst starters. Even though Steph Curry had a nuclear evening drilling seven threes, I feel the optimal strategy is to leave him behind in favor of Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole. After all, Curry just scored 13 points in Game 1's final three quarters. His role -- primarily built on scoring -- just isn't as stable as Tatum or Jaylen Brown's.
Others to Consider: Marcus Smart ($12,000), Klay Thompson ($11,500), Jordan Poole ($10,000)
At The Bottom
Derrick White ($8,500): It's easy to forget Grant Williams is just a second-year player, and Ime Udoka leaned more heavily on the veteran White. He played 32 minutes, and that's a far more impactful reason to consider White than his 21-point scoring effort. It's just not realistic that the 31.8% three-point shooter during the playoffs cans four straight triples off the bench again, but averaging 0.81 FanDuel points per minute in that same time, he can put up a solid FanDuel score with that role.
Otto Porter ($7,500): Personally, I was surprised Porter played such a pronounced role through his nagging foot injury. He logged 24 minutes and was on the floor during crunch time in favor of Jordan Poole. That dings Poole's appeal, and Porter is a tough player to project for that court time. He took just five shots -- all three-pointers -- and made four of them, but there is the potential he can also contribute better than just four rebounds in the Dubs' frontcourt.
Others to Consider: Kevon Looney ($9,500), Robert Williams ($9,000), Grant Williams ($8,000)