NBA

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 4/26/22

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.

The Slate and Key Injuries

Away Home Game
Total
Away
Implied
Total
Home
Implied
Total
Away
Pace
Home
Pace
AtlantaMiami217.5105.25112.251929
MinnesotaMemphis232.5113.25119.2513
New OrleansPhoenix215104.5110.5219


By far, the most traffic on Tuesday's injury report is in Miami. Those who regularly spend time on I-95 can relate.

The Heat have already ruled out Kyle Lowry (hamstring), and P.J. Tucker (calf) is listed questionable with the status he's played through all series.

On the other side, Atlanta has Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic listed as questionable with knee injuries. Both played through them in Game 4.

Devin Booker remains out for the Phoenix Suns entering Game 5, too.

Guards

Trae Young ($8,200): For those who have lost patience and don't want to go here again, I can't blame you. The suffocating Miami defense has dropped Young to just 0.74 FanDuel points per minute after posting a 1.41 mark in the regular season. He still has a 28.3% usage rate, but his struggles have come from just 32.1% shooting from the field. An efficiency leap back to normal isn't likely but would be a must-have at this salary.

D'Angelo Russell ($7,300): Russell might dictate his own upside. In the two contests he's exceeded 40 FanDuel points in his last five, he took at least 18 shots. He didn't eclipse 12 shots in any of the other three. Of course, there's no real way to plan for D'Lo's aggressiveness, but it does demonstrate there's plenty of scoring potential from the Minnesota guard. On the road, Karl-Anthony Towns is at higher risk for foul trouble, too.

Others to Consider:
Chris Paul ($10,300): Double-digit assists in five straight. Expect a bounce-back in the scoring column at home.
Victor Oladipo ($3,900): No telling what Miami does with the Lowry minutes, but Oladipo's a better player than Gabe Vincent and may spend less time battling Jimmy Butler for usage off the bench.

Wings

Cameron Johnson ($5,100): In mostly a bench role, Johnson burst out for 20-plus points on 10 separate occasions this season. Now in the starting lineup for Booker, that scoring upside has been muted by 36.8% shooting across the contests. Expect a rebound today if the North Carolina product's aggressiveness (12 shots in Game 4) continues to hold strong.

De'Andre Hunter ($4,600): Speaking of aggressiveness, Hunter has found his voice in the Hawks' offense. He's taken at least 13 shots in three straight games and remains the one Atlanta player performing well (59.5% from the field) in this series. Hunter's usage rate is now 20.9% in this series compared to 19.8% in the regular season, yet he remains at a salary mark around what he's held all year.

Others to Consider:
Anthony Edwards ($8,000): Butler and Brandon Ingram need to drop a 30-piece to just reach minimum value at their new salaries. At least if Edwards does, it comes with upside.
Mikal Bridges ($5,900): Two poor performances without Booker, but his absurd minute totals will produce a monstrous outing. Played 40-plus minutes in three straight.

Bigs

Bam Adebayo ($7,100): Factoring in Butler's salary, Adebayo's salary, and their prospective potential together, Adebayo is the top play on the entire slate. Bam's biggest issue is the Hawks haven't been competitive enough to keep him on the court, and he's nursing a quad injury. He nearly eclipsed 40 FanDuel points on just nine shots in the one game that stayed close. With a seven-point spread, I'm willing to say this one will be the second.

Herbert Jones ($4,800): Jones' role and style will always be feast or famine, but realistically, there's not much risk to allocating this salary to a full-time player on a slate that could crash and burn anyway. He'll likely be popular after Game 4's viral performance in New Orleans, but keep in mind that he's needed at least five blocks plus steals to eclipse value in any of the last seven games. He's not a must in this spot.

Others to Consider:
Jonas Valanciunas ($7,800): He's been phenomenal when on the court this series. Good play if he sees 30-plus minutes. Huge "if", though. Tournaments only.
Jae Crowder ($4,800): All five Suns have an argument as under-salaried, including center Deandre Ayton.