FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Sunday 5/8/22
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 basketball is very reliant on a player's 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.
| Team | Implied Total | O/U | Spread | Key Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | 106 | 214.5 | 2.5 | |
| MIA | 102.5 | 207 | 2 | |
| PHI | 104.5 | 207 | -2 | Embiid questionable |
| PHX | 108.5 | 214.5 | -2.5 |
Guards
Luka Doncic ($11,500) - Even at his second highest salary point during this series, Doncic ranks as numberFire's top option with a 59.0 FanDuel point projection and second in value with a 5.27 rating. The Mavericks' superstar is having a monster series, recording 1.50 FanDuel points and 0.92 real-life points per minute.
Chris Paul ($9,700) - In 754.2 regular season minutes with today's injuries, Paul ranks first among his team in fantasy output (1.13 FanDuel points) and assists (0.35).
Devin Booker ($9,000) - Since his return on April 28th, Booker is producing 0.92 FanDuel points and 0.43 field goal attempts per minute.
James Harden ($8,500) - After a 13.2% decrease in his FanDuel salary since the start of Philadelphia's second-round series, Harden stands as numberFire's top value option with a 5.27 rating and a 44.8 FanDuel point expectation.
Tyrese Maxey ($7,300) - Philly's young guard has provided an offensive spark against a tough Miami Heat unit allowing a 104.7 defensive rating, averaging 0.63 real-life points and 0.40 shot attempts in 117.37 minutes this series.
Jalen Brunson ($6,700) - Despite a 8.0% salary increase, Brunson still ranks fourth among guards in value with a 4.89 rating. In 94.7 playoff minutes against a Phoenix Suns' team ranked eighth among current playoff teams in defensive rating, Brunson has accounted for 0.89 FanDuel points and 0.51 field goal attempts per minute.
Reggie Bullock ($5,200) - Another value option to consider with a 4.22 rating and a 21.9 FanDuel point projection. In 348.1 minutes this regular season with the Mavericks' current starting lineup, the veteran averaged 0.55 FanDuel points per minute and a 14.3% usage rate.
Danny Green ($4,100) - numberFire's sixth rated guard in value with a 4.74 rating and a 19.5 FanDuel expectation.
Forwards
Jimmy Butler ($10,400) - Despite a 1.9% increase in his FanDuel salary, Butler ranks third among forwards with a 42.3 FanDuel projection. Miami's offensive leader is averaging 1.28 FanDuel points and 0.51 real-life points in 136.15 minutes against his former team.
Bam Adebayo ($8,500) - In 257.3 minutes this postseason, the 24-year old has accounted for 0.98 FanDuel points and 0.24 rebounds per minute.
Tobias Harris ($8,300) - Harris' FanDuel salary has moved up 3.75% to his highest point since February. Philadelphia's forward has been in good form against a Miami unit allowing 37.8 points in the paint this postseason, recording 1.02 FanDuel points and 0.50 real-life points in 113.98 minutes.
Mikal Bridges ($6,300) - numberFire's fifth rated forward in value with a 4.57 rating and a 28.8 FanDuel point projection.
Jae Crowder ($5,800) - Since May 2nd, Crowder's FanDuel salary has increased by 13.7%. Phoenix's veteran forward has flashed his versatile skill-set throughout the series, producing 0.48 real-life points, 0.23 rebounds, and 0.11 assists per minute .
Dorian Finney-Smith ($5,500) - Finney-Smith ranks sixth among his positions in value with a 4.54 rating and a 25.0 FanDuel projection. The 29-year old has been a big part of their playoff rotation, logging 40.2 minutes per game.
Centers
Joel Embiid ($10,000) - At his lowest salary point this month, Philadelphia's superstar center is an enticing play in all formats after he played 36 minutes in his return on Friday. Despite a challenging spot against a Heat team ranked second among playoff teams in defensive rating, Embiid currently ranks second and third respectively in fantasy (49.8) and real-life point (24.4) expectation.
Deandre Ayton ($7,400) - After a 8.6% decrease in his FanDuel salary since the start of their second-round series, Ayton rates third overall in value with a 5.06 rating and a 37.5 FanDuel point projection. Phoenix's center has an underrated matchup against a Dallas unit allowing 45.8 points inside this postseason.
