FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Pacers at Wizards (5/20/21)

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.

Please note: When I'm referencing a player's value figure, it is the number of fantasy points scored for every $1,000 in salary. Typically, a value figure of 5.0 (meaning, 5.0 FanDuel points for every $1,000 in salary) is the minimum baseline we'll be targeting.

Let's take a look at who you should target for tonight's matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards, which locks at 8:00 PM Eastern.

All injury updates are via the NBA's official injury report or numberFire's player news.

MVP Considerations

Russell Westbrook ($16,000) - You can bet your bottom dollar that Russ will be the highest-rostered player in the "MVP" slot, and any attempts at differentiation should probably start with the STAR spot. Westbrook has recorded at least 54.9 FanDuel points (without a multiplier) in 10 straight outings, and that includes seven outputs of 67.5-plus. That combination of floor and ceiling can hardly be matched on any normal slate, let alone a one-gamer. If you need extra convincing -- in his last three games versus Indiana, Westbrook has produced 75.2, 80.3, and 88.3 fantasy points. Yeah...that's real.

Domantas Sabonis ($15,000) - Again, this play will be deservedly chalky. Sabonis has racked up more than 52 FanDuel points in 8 of his last 10 games, which includes four performances of 67 or more. In his last three outings against this porous Washington defense, the big man has dropped 58.2, 70.1, and 71.3 fantasy points. The Wiz ranked 28th against centers this season, according to numberFire's DvP tool.

Bradley Beal ($14,500) - Once again, this pick won't cause anyone to gasp in surprise. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else on the slate who can match the floor or ceiling of any of the three players covered so far. Despite being banged up, Beal has amassed 38.2 and 44.8 fantasy points in his last two, and the 38.2 is his low-water mark for his last seven games. In fact, in two games against Indiana this campaign, Beal has pegged them for 45.0 and 65.5 FanDuel points.

Malcolm Brogdon ($13,500) - If he's at full health, Brogdon is probably the lone other player who can score in the range of the three mentioned above. That's a big "if" though, as the 28-year-old saw just 21.3 minutes of action in the first play-in game against the Charlotte Hornets. Brogdon accrued 42.8 fantasy points in his only meeting with the Wizards this season.

Other options: Oshae Brissett ($11,500), T.J. McConnell ($12,500 - bump if Brogdon is out)

Utility Considerations

Oshae Brissett ($11,500) - Brissett would make for an interesting contrarian play in the PRO slot. After all, the 22-year-old has trumped 40 fantasy points 5 times in his last 16 games, though there's also a very real possibility that he'll tank your lineups. But hey, that is how we make money in tournaments, is it not?

Ish Smith ($9,000) - Smith has garnered 36.1 and 38.1 FanDuel points in his last two, and that's despite Beal playing his usual load of minutes and Raul Neto ($8,500) returning against Charlotte. In total, the veteran point guard has put up at least 22.5 fantasy points in five straight contests.

Alex Len ($7,500) - Attempting to decipher Washington's rotation at center is migraine-inducing, but if you'll want to fit in all of those high salaries, you'll likely have to take a swing at either Len or Robin Lopez ($8,000). Len saw 17.1 and 19.9 minutes in his two outings versus Indiana and those resulted in outputs of 17.4 and 28.5 FanDuel points. The Pacers were the third-most-generous team to opposing fives over their last 30 games, according to FantasyPros, so Len could provide solid value.

Other options: Goga Bitadze ($9,500), Aaron Holiday ($8,000)