NBA
FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Warriors at Mavericks (5/24/22)

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 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.

Warriors-Mavericks Overview

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Golden StateDallas215.5107.25108.251430


I'm supposed to be like a parent and not pick favorites, but it's hard not to with Tuesday's injury report juxtaposed with the laundry list in Miami every other day.

Just Otto Porter of the Warriors is listed questionable with a foot issue. He played just six minutes in Game 3 and got x-rays during the game. I'd believe him closer to doubtful.

The Mavericks are at full strength facing elimination.

Player Breakdowns

At The Top

Luka Doncic ($16,500): It's hard to see Luka going backward after back-to-back 40-point efforts when their season is on the line, but single-game variance can always come knocking. He's been the optimal MVP in the last two contests, and the Warriors appear to have struck a balance between letting Luka get his and still maintaining excellent defense on the others (106.3 defensive rating in this series). Any other optimal MVP in this one would be tremendously surprising.

Stephen Curry ($15,500): I've been averse to using Steph in this upper tier with Luka because of the opportunity cost when Jordan Poole or Klay Thompson can lead the Dubs in scoring instead. However, when you see Jalen Brunson and Andrew Wiggins next door in salary, it's a different story. This series has a gaggle of 30-point FanDuel scorers at descending salaries, but Steph -- who's posted back-to-back 30-point scoring efforts -- is not amongst them. It's still brutally difficult to pair him with Luka and get a quality player in your fifth spot, though.

Others to Consider: Jalen Brunson ($13,500), Andrew Wiggins ($13,000)

In The Middle

Klay Thompson ($11,500): In a game where motivation can absolutely be a question for the Warriors (remember, they got drubbed by Memphis in a non-essential road closeout game), Klay is their most reliable target. He's posted at least 25 FanDuel points in 14 straight contests, and it's the same formula of about 15 points, a handful of rebounds, and a few assists each contest. He's done in through a usage rate (22.1%) that has lagged well behind his season-long mark, too.

Draymond Green ($10,500): Not sure what parallel, zany universe I'm living in where Kevon Looney is comfortably salaried ahead of Draymond, but this lineup with two big men for the Warriors has punished Dallas on the boards. It's definitely hurt Green's rebounding totals; he's yet to post double-digit boards in this series. However, this salary is no longer even a concern sandwiched between two bench players with Draymond always having tremendous blocks-plus-steals upside.

Others to Consider: Kevon Looney ($12,500), Jordan Poole ($11,000), Spencer Dinwiddie ($10,000)

At The Bottom

Reggie Bullock ($9,500): There's no doubt about it -- Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith have cost Dallas immensely with their shooting in this series. Bullock went 0-for-10 from the field (and 0-for-7 from deep) in the Mavs' Game 3 loss, and there's just not a better option for them with Davis Bertans also struggling but simultaneously getting cooked on the defensive end. It's still brutally difficult to turn down 40.0 minutes per game in the series at this salary.

Dorian Finney-Smith ($9,000): Finney-Smith's efficiency isn't really the issue like it is for Bullock. It's been his volume. He's shot 41.1% from deep in this series, but he's only attempted 6.3 total shots per game. That's crazy for a guy averaging 39.3 minutes per game in this series. Dallas likely needs the Game 4 version of DFS -- where he canned eight triples against Phoenix -- to make a return in order to avoid elimination, and he's certainly on the court enough to make it happen.

Others to Consider: Maxi Kleber ($8,000)

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