NBA

FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Heat at Celtics (5/21/22)

At his most expensive salary point this postseason, Marcus Smart is a key decision point against the Heat. Who else is worth targeting for Saturday's Game 3 matchup?

In a traditional FanDuel NBA lineup, you have a $60,000 salary cap to roster nine players. In the single-game setup, the salary cap is the same, 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 select 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 important in more than one way, as 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-Heat Overview

TeamImplied TotalO/USpreadPaceKey Injuries
BOS107207.5-6.596.6Robert Williams questionable
MIA100.5207.56.595.9Lowry, Strus, Tucker questionable

Player Breakdowns

At The Top

Jimmy Butler ($15,500): Despite scoring 29 real-life points in Game 2, Butler's FanDuel salary has moved down 3.1% to his second lowest point this series. Miami's superstar has been superb against a tough Boston Celtics' unit ranked first among playoff teams in defensive rating, recording 1.60 FanDuel points and 0.94 real-life points in 74 minutes.

Jayson Tatum ($15,000): At his lowest salary point this series, Tatum stands as numberFire's second ranked player with a 47.0 FanDuel point projection and a 3.13 value rating. Boston's forward has been a complete force on both ends of the floor, averaging 1.26 FanDuel points, 0.14 assists, and 0.06 steals in a 76 minute sample size.

Jaylen Brown ($14,000): Since the start of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brown's FanDuel salary has increased each game by $500. The 25-year old has displayed consistent scoring abilities against the Heat, producing 0.70 real-life points and 0.51 shot attempts in 174.1 minutes including his regular season matchups.

In The Middle

Marcus Smart ($13,000): After a 63.8 fantasy performance, Smart's FanDuel salary has skyrocketed 13.0% to his most expensive point this postseason. Boston's vocal point guard was extremely active with his usage, recording 0.59 real-life points, 0.29 assists, and 0.54 field goal attempts in 40.3 minutes.

Bam Adebayo ($12,500): Despite his struggles against a Celtics' team allowing 42.6 points in the paint this postseason, Adebayo stands as numberFire's fourth ranked player with a 34.2 FanDuel point expectation and a 2.7 value rating.

Al Horford ($12,000): In his last four playoff contests, Horford is still averaging 0.80 FanDuel points even though the veteran has decreased his field goal attempts to 0.15 per minute. With Robert Williams now listed as questionable. Horford has seen a noticeable 0.08 increase to 1.10 FanDuel points in 1219.9 regular season minutes.

Robert Williams ($11,500): "Time Lord" ranks sixth among forwards with a 2.32 value rating. Boston's big man saw a nine minute dip during Game 2 with Al Horford back in the starting lineup.

Tyler Herro ($10,500): numberFire's third rated guard with a 23.3 fantasy expectation and a 2.22 value rating.

Kyle Lowry ($10,000): In 53.1 regular season minutes with Miami's projected starting lineup, the veteran recorded 0.98 FanDuel points and a 15.1% usage rate.

At The Bottom

Grant Williams ($9,500): Even in a second unit role, Williams still logged 0.83 FanDuel points in a 32 minute sample size. If "Time Lord" is inactive, Williams has produced 0.68 FanDuel points and 0.30 real-life points in a 1255.2 regular season minute sample size.

Max Strus ($9,000): With Kyle Lowry on track to play in Game 3, Strus is still a viable value option against a Boston unit allowing 36.3 FanDuel points per game to shooting guards during the regular season, averaging 0.87 FanDuel points and 0.32 field goal attempts per minute.