FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Lakers at Nuggets (Game 1)

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 choose 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 essential in more than one way; 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.

Lakers-Nuggets Overview

There's traffic on today's injury report. It's just not notable.

Anthony Davis (foot) and LeBron James (foot) are probable for the Lakers -- as they have been all season. We'd also presume Jamal Murray (illness) is good to go after he played Thursday through his sickness and has had plenty of time off since then.

Player Breakdowns

At The Top

This slate starts and ends with what to do with Nikola Jokic ($17,500) at the top.

Phoenix's lack of quality size allowed Jokic to average 63.5 FanDuel points per 36 in the last series, but things should change in this one. Los Angeles' 59.1% at-rim field-goal rate allowed is second-best in the playoffs, and the Lakers' 105.1 defensive rating overall in the playoffs has been dominant.

He was at just 55.1 FanDuel points per 36 in the Minnesota series, and that type of rate (or lower) would open the door for Anthony Davis ($16,500), LeBron James ($15,500), or Jamal Murray ($13,000) at MVP.

Davis is my favorite MVP candidate on the slate. Denver allowed a 70.0% field-goal rate at the rim last series, and 92.7% of Davis' shots have come from inside 19 feet during the playoffs. He's also likely around the rim more this series against Jokic, and remember, he logged 26 blocks in six games against Memphis before Golden State drew him outside.

James should have a plus matchup on the remaining Nuggets, and he can get to the rim, too. Perhaps LeBron is shifting into overdrive with the trophy nearing; he posted a 22.8% usage rate and 13 potential assists in the masterclass that closed out the Dubs.

The Suns' inability to stop Jokic hurt Murray's fantasy production, but it could always return. Against the T-Wolves, Murray's usage rate (28.3%) and FanDuel-point-per-36-minute average (45.1) were both considerably higher. He's also had time off to rest that ankle and recover from his illness.

In The Middle

The remaining truly secure roles on the slate are here.

That said, D'Angelo Russell ($11,500) does have a bit of volatility. He's eclipsed 30 minutes just twice in his past eight games. No other player on the slate has as many playoff games above 30 FanDuel points (6) as Russell, though. This was also a plus matchup for point guards in the regular season.

Austin Reaves ($10,500) seemed to rediscover his touch at the end of the Golden State series, which really was all that was holding him back. In any game decided by fewer than 10 points this postseason, Reaves has logged a minimum of 35 minutes on the floor, crushing anyone else in this tier.

We've got good reason to be wary of Michael Porter Jr. ($10,000) despite knowing the obvious upside. He's been held below 28 minutes in consecutive contests with other Denver wings taking his spot. Conceptually, he has upside, but averaging just 15.7 points per 36 in the playoffs, its realistic fruition is dwindling.

Aaron Gordon ($9,500) is the last name in this tier, but Gordon -- despite his full role -- has tanked with Jokic acting as such a menace on the glass. He posted just 5.2 rebounds and 25.4 FanDuel points per 36 minutes in the Phoenix series. If you're fading Jokic at the top, he makes a lot more sense to emerge in a quiet game on the glass from Denver's star.

At The Bottom

Porter Jr.'s downtick came at the hands of Bruce Brown Jr. ($9,000) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($8,500), who head the tier behind him.

The inactive KCP was an afterthought in 22.3 FanDuel points per 36 in his full role for the first five games against Phoenix, but he exploded for 40.5 FanDuel points in the rout. Personally, his popularity will likely outweigh the chances it happens again.

Brown is an interesting look at a blowout angle, but he also scored 25 points off the bench in a competitive Game 5. He's likely the least popular player in this tier of Nuggets, and his upside comes from a healthy 2.26 stocks (steals plus blocks) per 36 minutes.

When D'Lo's minutes decreased, it was at the hands of Dennis Schroder ($8,000). I'm not sure Schroder sticks in the lineup with Denver's much larger opposing cast, but he's eclipsed 28 minutes in three of his past five off the bench as is. His 41.5% field-goal rate from the regular season just isn't super helpful with reduced chances during the postseason.

Finally, Rui Hachimura ($7,500) and Jarred Vanderbilt ($7,000) could make returns in this series. Lonnie Walker ($7,500) saw the bulk of the run as the Lakers' sixth option against the guard-heavy Warriors, but the Nuggets are loaded with wings. As one of the NBA's best defenders in a lock-and-trail position with size to guard bigs, Vanderbilt could see heavy minutes this series chasing after Jokic and Murray's patented two-man game.