This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Most of the NBA has the night off, but Portland and Oklahoma City will meet up at 6:00 p.m. EST. FanDuel has corresponding single-game contests, and we'll run down the nuts and bolts of this format before offering up recommendations.
SLATE OVERVIEW
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We encounter a lot of single-game scenarios during the playoffs, but Sunday's slate gives us a unique opportunity to try our luck with this format midseason. First, let's run down FanDuel's single-game structure.
FanDuel's roster has five slots. Three of the slots are MULTIPLIER positions The MVP (2X), STAR (1.5X), and PRO (1.2X) slots multiply a player's final score with the corresponding number. Unlike DraftKings - where salary is also multiplied accordingly - FanDuel's salaries are STATIC, meaning that a player has no salary difference in any of the slots, including the two UTIL spots which have no multiplier. The goal is to find the the five highest-scoring players that the $60,000 salary cap will allow, preferably in order of highest to lowest to maximize the multiplier value.
INJURIES
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report. Below are some of the most recent and relevant injuries for Sunday. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list. Use your best judgment when evaluating ongoing injury scenarios elsewhere on the slate.
The injuries for both teams will have minimal impact, though Deandre Ayton's knee injury is the most recent. Robert Williams and Donovan Clingan have been sharing the load to make up for Ayton's absence. But with both players off the injury report, calculating the top producer is a difficult prospect. Luguentz Dort (knee) will also miss out, which will result in slight usage bumps for Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe.
MULTIPLIER CANDIDATES
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC ($18,000)
Jalen Williams, OKC ($15,000)
Anfernee Simons, POR ($12,000)
Scoot Henderson, POR ($9,000)
Your margin for error in single-game contests is very slim, and you're in danger of falling off the pace if you don't properly play the multipliers. SGA is the obvious MVP, and for good reason. His scoring average is far beyond the rest of the slate, and there's no sense excluding him despite the expense. The key to minimizing the cap hit is to offset with an upside candidate at a low cost, and Henderson is my antidote. I believe Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons will be more popular, though Henderson has outscored both in a sixth-man role a few times this season. I foresee using him in one of the multiplier spots, yet I think he's equally utile as a non-multilpier. Both Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein are clear candidates based on a forgiving Portland frontcourt, but Hartenstein is returning after a significant absence and I'm not entirely confident in his usage. If we guarantee candidacy to SG for Williams and Henderson, we'll have an average of $9,000 per player on the final two spots and that's more than enough to work with.
UTILITY CANDIDATES
Shaedon Sharpe, POR ($10,500)
Toumani Camara, POR ($9,500)
Alex Caruso, OKC ($8,000)
Aaron Wiggins, OKC ($7,500)
I think taking a bet on Donovan Clingan or Robert Williams carries too much risk. It's definitely a contrarian way to go, but it's a gamble I'm not willing to take since I'm unsure who'll be the better producer. I'm also bearish on Wiggins' production with Dort out as Isaiah Joe could step in and outplay him. Though I like Sharpe, you'll probably be forced to go in one of the aforementioned directions to fit him in. The Camara/Caruso build fits almost exactly, and I think their public exposure will be comparatively low.
RECOMMENDED BUILDS
SGA/Williams/Henderson/Camara/Caruso
SGA/Williams/Sharpe/Henderson/Clingan
