NBA

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Sunday 4/17/22

At his lowest salary in April, Giannis Antetokounmpo is today's top projected player. Which other players are important to Sunday's four-game slate?

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.

TeamImplied TotalO/USpread
ATL106.252196.5
NO107224.510.5
CHI109.522910
BKN110.25224.54
MIA112.75219-6.5
BOS114.25224.5-4
PHX117.5224.5-10.5
MIL119.5229-10

Guards

Trae Young ($10,200) - Despite a 54.1 fantasy performance on Friday, Young's FanDuel salary has moved down $200 against a tough Miami Heat unit rated first among today's playoff teams in FanDuel points (41.7) allowed to point guards this season. In four previous encounters, Atlanta's lead offensive producer was held to 36.1 FanDuel points and 16.5 shot attempts in 34.8 minutes.

Kyrie Irving ($10,100) - Irving's FanDuel salary has increased to his second highest point this month after Brooklyn's superstar averaged 49.9 FanDuel points in his six games during April. In a difficult spot against a Boston Celtics team ranked first among today's slate in defensive rating, the 30-year old currently stands as numberFire's third ranked player with a 46.4 FanDuel point projection.

Devin Booker ($9,000) - The Phoenix Suns have an underrated opportunity against a Pelicans team ranked fourth among Sunday's slate in pace and defensive rating. Booker has produced big games in the past against New Orleans, accounting for 43.7 FanDuel points in 33.3 minutes.

Chris Paul ($8,600) - Since April 8th, Paul's FanDuel salary has jumped 13.1% to his highest point this month. In 754.2 minutes this season with Phoenix's starting lineup, Paul ranks first among his team in assists (0.35 per minute) and fantasy production (1.13).

C.J. McCollum ($8,000) - After a 15.7% decrease to his lowest salary point in April, McCollum stands as an optimal play even in a tough spot against a Suns' team allowing 43.9 FanDuel points to point guards this season. In 386.0 minutes with Brandon Ingram on the floor this season, McCollum is second among his team in fantasy production with a 1.12 mark per minute.

Jrue Holiday ($7,800) - Since his last meeting against Chicago on March 22nd, Holiday's FanDuel salary has moved down $300 to his lowest point in the past two months. The Bucks' versatile guard is averaging 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in four prior games against the Bulls.

Marcus Smart ($6,200) - In 399.5 minutes with today's injuries, Smart has accounted for 0.88 FanDuel points per minute and a 20.4% usage rate. Boston's defensive leader should thrive against a somewhat wreckless Nets' team allowing 17.2 points off turnovers per game this season.

Alex Caruso ($4,200) - With a slate full of higher salaries, Caruso stands out as a potential value play with a 4.93 rating and a 20.7 FanDuel point projection. In 685.4 minutes with Chicago's inactives, Caruso is averaging 0.75 FanDuel points, 0.12 rebounds, and 0.15 assists per minute.

Max Strus ($3,800) - In his last six starts, Strus is producing 0.79 FanDuel points and 0.30 shot attempts per minute with Miami's first unit.

Forwards

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500) - Since his last clash against the Bulls on April 5th, Antetokounmpo's FanDuel salary has moved down 4.9%. In a great spot against a Bulls' team allowing 49.6 points in the paint this season, Milwaukee's superstar forward stands as numberFire's top play with 62.3 FanDuel point projection.

Kevin Durant ($11,300) - Despite a difficult matchup against a Boston team allowing 43.0 FanDuel points to the four position this season, Durant is an ideal option in all formats at his second lowest salary point this month. In two prior contests, Brooklyn's explosive forward has been unstoppable, averaging 50.7 FanDuel points on 38.0 minutes.

Jayson Tatum ($9,500) - Tatum is first among his team in almost every offensive categories in 507.1 minutes with today's splits including fantasy production (1.34), real-life points (0.78), usage (32.2%), and assists (0.16).

Bam Adebayo ($8,300) - Miami's big man has a favorable opportunity against a Hawks' team rated fifth among today's slate in defensive rating and last in points allowed inside. In his last two games versus Atlanta, Adebayo is averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 33.5 minutes.

Brandon Ingram ($8,200) - New Orleans' forward sees a huge 0.23 increase to 1.41 FanDuel points in 43.2 minutes with New Orleans' projected lineup mostly due to a 0.04 increase in real-life points and a 5.4% bump in assist rate.

Jaylen Brown ($8,100) - In 471.4 minutes with Robert Williams sitting, Brown ranks second among his team in production, averaging 1.20 FanDuel points and a 30.3% usage rate.

Al Horford ($7,200) - Even at an elevated salary, Horford sees a noticeable 0.09 increase to 1.10 FanDuel points per minute in 470.8 minutes with Sunday's inactives mostly due to a 1.0% jump in his assist rate and 2.1% boost in his rebound percentage.

Khris Middleton ($7,100) - At his lowest salary point against the Chicago Bulls this season, Middleton' ranks fourth in value with a 5.17 rating and a 36.7 FanDuel point projection.

Daniel Theis ($4,100) - Boston's veteran has seen an uptick to 28.2 minutes in five games during April. In 357.5 minutes this season with Robert Williams off the floor, Theis is producing 0.93 FanDuel points and a 16.5% usage rate.

Centers

Deandre Ayton ($7,400) - Despite a 17.4% increase in his FanDuel salary, Ayton has a great spot against a Pelicans' team ranked last among today's teams in FanDuel points allowed (54.2) to centers this season.

Nikola Vucevic ($6,900) - At his second lowest salary during April, Chicago's big man currently ranks first in value among centers with a 6.44 rating and a 44.5 FanDuel point expectation.

Onyeka Okongwu ($5,800) - In 968.4 minutes with Clint Capela off the floor, Okongwu's output stands at 1.05 FanDuel points and 0.28 rebounds per minute.

Brook Lopez ($5,300) - Since his return on March 14th, Milwaukee's center is averaging 1.03 FanDuel points, 0.19 rebounds, 0.47 field goal attempts, and a 23.6% usage rate in a 240.3 minute sample size.