FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Sunday 6/13/21

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 NBA is very reliant on 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

One series could end Sunday night, and another may end in spirit. The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks battle in the afternoon in a pivotal Game 4, likely with relatively similar rotations to the rest of the series. Milwaukee has faced no attrition in the series, and Brooklyn will be missing only James Harden and Jeff Green, who have combined for just one minute played in the series.

No major injuries exist in the nightcap between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. Denver is continuing to push Will Barton, who popped up to 28 minutes in Game 3, into more minutes, which has largely been at the expense of Facundo Campazzo.

Point Guard

Kyrie Irving ($9,200): Off of two stinkers (one blowout induced), Irving's regular season usage without Harden is still worth buying low on at this reduced salary. Irving saw a usage bump of 0.8 percentage points and a 0.07 FanDuel points per minute increase without "The Beard" on the floor this regular season, although Kyrie's 24.6% usage in this series is well behind his 31.1% mark from the regular season without the former league MVP. Still, it should help Irving's case that Mike James, who is occupying 19.6% usage in the series, has now been relegated to an insignificant role.

Jrue Holiday ($7,400): The surrounding elements for Holiday's fantasy production in this series have been far better than the production itself. Holiday saw 46 minutes in Game 3, which is a huge minutes total for a player with a $7,400 salary -- especially considering the 1.13 FanDuel points per minute the guard had in the regular season. He struggled to just 28.6% shooting in Game 3, but his efficiency should return closer to his 48.8% mark from the series against the Miami Heat. He also may have burned enough DFS players last time out to be less popular than he deserves to be as numberFire's top point-per-dollar option at the position.

Other Notable Plays: Chris Paul ($8,500)

Shooting Guard

Devin Booker ($7,900): There really are not many alternatives to a Booker-Bruce Brown Jr. pairing at shooting guard. Booker still relies heavily on his real-world scoring, with 0.60 of his 0.96 FanDuel points per minute this series coming from points, but he still carries 40-point upside from buckets alone. Booker has taken a huge step back to Chris Paul -- who is pacing Phoenix in both usage and FanDuel points per minute this series -- but Paul's opportunity cost is much higher than Booker's at their respective positions.

Bruce Brown Jr. ($5,600): Believe it or not, Brown's massive production increase this series should have been easy to forecast with Harden missing time. Brown averaged 0.94 FanDuel points per minute this season without Harden on the floor, but Brown was seeing well below 28.3 minutes per game -- his average this series -- in many spots. Although it is unlikely that his playing time is reduced given his contributions on both ends, his 17.6% usage may at least see a decrease in gigantic moments given what transpired Thursday.

Other Notable Plays: Will Barton ($5,100)

Small Forward

Kevin Durant ($10,800): It is pretty absurd that Durant's 60.8 FanDuel points on Thursday really wasn't a true ceiling performance. Durant shot just 39.3% from the field but played a boosted 43 minutes and picked up 10 FanDuel points from blocks and steals. KD has become the dominant top option for Brooklyn at 33.7% usage in the series, so if his 52.5% postseason shooting returns, he could post a massive number.

Mikal Bridges ($5,500): Many will turn to Joe Harris for value given his huge minute for Brooklyn, but Bridges is still a worthy alternative in tournaments. Bridges has not played 30 minutes in either of the last two contests -- one being a blowout -- but he still possesses the 34-minute, 44.5 FanDuel-points-per-minute upside he showcased in Game 1. Personally, Bridges' playing time reduction feels more circumstantial than Cameron Johnson actually eating into his role and playing time, as Johnson has yet to break 15 FanDuel points in 18.0 minutes per game this series.

Other Notable Plays: Khris Middleton ($8,200), Joe Harris ($4,500)

Power Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,700): At a reduced salary, Antetokounmpo's scoring potential might be finally unlocked in Game 3. Coach Mike Budenholzer let Giannis play extended minutes in the must-win on Thursday, and "The Greek Freak" logged 43 minutes in a dominant 33-point effort scoring the rock. The problem for the two-time MVP is he has totally lost his production as a facilitator thus far in the series, averaging just 3.3 assists per game against Brooklyn compared to 7.8 versus Miami. If that holds, Giannis could be a worthwhile fade, but his assists return to normal in extended minutes, he will be a must have.

Blake Griffin ($5,200): For me, Griffin is the top value option on the slate. He has averaged 32.5 minutes per game in the two games this series that were competitive, and with backup Nicolas Claxton posting the highest minutes total for a reserve (five), Brooklyn is dead set on handing heavy minutes to their starters. Griffin has come back to life on the boards, averaging 9.7 per game, and he should bounce-back points-wise after scoring only posting five points on Thursday.

Other Notable Plays: Jae Crowder ($5,000)

Center

Deandre Ayton ($7,000): The Brooklyn-Milwaukee clash has a higher total and pace, but Brook Lopez has seen a fairly significant salary increase. So Ayton is where I'll turn for a high-upside pivot off Nikola Jokic in tournaments in favor of using Antetokounmpo or Durant at their positions. Ayton has secured double-digit rebounds in all three games this series, but he hasn't been asked to shoulder much of a load offensively, sporting a 17.4% usage rate and shooting just 10.3 times per game. Ayton uncorked two games of more than 40 FanDuel points in the series versus the Los Angeles Lakers, so it is entirely plausible he does increase his offensive output before the series with the Nuggets ends.

Other Notable Plays: Nikola Jokic ($11,500)

Austin Swaim is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austin Swaim also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username ASwaim3. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.