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 and COVID-19 situations. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news and we also have player news updates.
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 take a look at who you should target for Game 4 of the Finals matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, which tips off at 9:00 PM Eastern.
All injury updates are via the NBA's official injury report or numberFire's player news.
Read this piece by Brandon Gdula for some excellent in-depth analysis on how to attack a single-game slate in NBA DFS.
MVP Considerations
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($16,000) - It's pretty simple at this point -- the two-time MVP is a set-and-forget play at the MVP slot. Through the first three games of the series, Giannis has recorded 52.4, 71.4, and 67.6 FanDuel points, which means he's surpassed 57 in six of his last nine healthy outings. numberFire's algorithm projects the Greek Freak to drop 65.1 fantasy points tonight, 17.6 more than the next-closest player.
Khris Middleton ($13,500) - After eclipsing 40 FanDuel points in 8 of his 11 games entering the Finals -- including outputs of 49.3, 51.5, 56.0, 57.7, 61.6, and 68.5 -- Middleton has been limited to 38.4, 34.2, and 36.4 fantasy points in the three games against Phoenix. Those three underwhelming performances could keep Midd's rostership down, and we should take all the leverage we can get on a single-game slate.
Deandre Ayton ($13,000) - Prior to posting 32.8 fantasy points in Game 3, Ayton had amassed at least in five of his previous seven efforts. While Chris Paul and Devin Booker have been on and off, the big man has been a more consistent producer for the Suns. Paul has been limited to 36.8 and 31.5 FanDuel points since the Bucks started hounding him with Jrue Holiday, and Booker has maxed out at 44.4 fantasy points in his last eight outings. Ayton is my preferred play here.
Other Players to Consider: Jrue Holiday ($12,000), Devin Booker ($14,000), Chris Paul ($14,000)
Utility Considerations
Jae Crowder ($9,500) - After failing to hit a single shot in Game 1, Crowder has hit 10 in the last two games (9 from downtown), resulting in fantasy outputs of 30.5 and 29.7. With a projection of 28.4, the veteran is our model's top-projected point-per-dollar play among the non-"top six" players. Crowder's ability to stuff the stat-sheet in a variety of different ways makes him one of the better bets at the utility slots.
Bobby Portis ($8,000) - After looking like he was headed for some more "DNP-CD" games, Crazy Eyes came alive in Game 3 with 11 real-life points, 8 rebounds, and 21.1 FanDuel points. Portis has surpassed 21 fantasy points in fewer than 20 minutes of action three times since the start of the Conference Finals, so it's not as if he has to play a ton in order to return value. The 26-year-old is averaging 26.4 FanDuel points in his last four home games for the Bucks.
Other Utility Options: Mikal Bridges ($10,000), Cam Johnson ($9,000), Pat Connaughton ($8,500)