FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Friday 5/12/23

Since it's much simpler to predict than baseball or football, daily fantasy basketball would get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right?

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure 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.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also come at you with this primer daily, 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 and Key Injuries

Like yesterday, we got a surprise wrinkle to Friday's injury report -- and it's not the one you'd think.

Anthony Davis (head) should be good to go for Game 6. He's officially probable after leaving Game 5, sharing that status with LeBron James (foot). It's Andrew Wiggins (rib) on the Warriors' side that is a question mark to play tonight.

In the earlier game, we see the same listings as in Game 5. Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Caleb Martin (back) both played sizable minutes for Miami through these listings. For New York, Immanuel Quickley (ankle) is once again doubtful; he's missed the past two contests.

Guards

If Stephen Curry ($10,400) just needs to make threes to become a lethal target in DFS, we probably shouldn't ignore him.

Curry's 6-for-25 (24.0%) effort from deep in the past two games has hindered what's otherwise been a dominant on-ball role. Other Golden State role players stepped up to make shots, but his new on-ball role has led to 15.5 potential assists per game. If the shots start falling, it's over.

In that game, D'Angelo Russell ($6,400), Klay Thompson ($6,000), and Dennis Schroder ($4,500) are the others we can project for roles exceeding 25 minutes. Thompson is the one I'd especially peg for room to grow in his role, shooting just 6-for-25 (24.0%) in his past two games. He's nearly doubling Russell and Schroder in shot volume and missing.

In the other, the question remains how much gas does Jalen Brunson ($9,500) has left in the tank after 48 minutes in Game 5? Brunson posted 31 points (on 54.5% shooting) with 9 boards and 7 assists. I know he's on the court a ton, but I prefer Curry because the field-goal rate and free-throw attempts (12) should both drop on the road. That was his apex performance.

Quentin Grimes ($5,000) manned all 48 minutes beside him, so the remaining value would come from Miami. Their guard platoon got even messier with a hot Duncan Robinson earning 22 minutes and closing the game.

Personally, that just dropped Kyle Lowry ($5,700) and Gabe Vincent ($4,500) to more forgiving salaries, and the pair comfortably lead this backcourt in minutes this postseason. Vincent still saw 23 minutes as a starter at this tiny salary.

Wings

Jimmy Butler ($10,800) used six stocks (steals plus blocks) to still pay off on FanDuel with a clunky scoring effort (19 points). As this series returns to Miami, does Jimmy put it on ice? Well, his 30.4% usage rate at home in the playoffs is the fifth-highest in the NBA (minimum 100 minutes played). He should certainly get up enough shots to try.

Surprisingly, he should be a bit less popular with LeBron James ($9,900) at a four-digit salary for this must-win contest. We haven't seen James with that same usage and on-ball role yet; does it change tonight when they need him most?

Wiggins' injury could have a sizable impact here. Instead of flocking to him in droves in the mid-range, Jordan Poole ($4,900), Donte DiVincenzo ($3,900), and Moses Moody ($3,800) would all have an argument for additional playing time. Personally, I'd expect the Dubs to turn to Poole with his size offset by more Kevon Looney ($4,800).

With New York's backcourt fully stocked by starters, RJ Barrett ($6,700) and Josh Hart ($5,400) shared the 48 minutes at small forward. Hart played just nine minutes due to four fouls, but he's played ahead of Grimes as recently as Game 3. I think he's a sharp pivot in tournaments with a chance at 30-plus minutes.

Max Strus hit 4 of his 10 three-pointers and was still benched late, so I've got no interest in the experience if he's missing, but Caleb Martin ($4,700) logged an appealing 27 minutes at his salary. With just a 14.6% usage rate in the playoffs, Martin doesn't need to score to produce.

The reliable Austin Reaves ($5,900) and Lonnie Walker ($4,600) also played at least 28 minutes for the Lakers on Wednesday, so they're likely the last two pieces to consider here today.

Bigs

Cleared from his head issue, Anthony Davis ($11,200) has averaged 63.1 FanDuel points in L.A. wins this series. I'd be a fool to not consider him as a three-point favorite.

He's also likely pushed to maximum minutes tonight with a subpar chance the Lakers would win Game 7 if they blew it tonight, and that helps. At just 37.0 per game in the series, he's been a bit behind the other stars on these slates.

Julius Randle ($7,600) is salaried based on results in this series, but I do see a path where a better night could send him to the moon. He's had at least three turnovers in every game, and that's come with just one total stock in four games. A tidier offensive showing with a block or two could go a long way.

I'd point to Draymond Green ($7,000) as the catalyst that propelled the Dubs in Game 5, and Green's aggression directly correlates with his FanDuel production. He's posted at least 35 FanDuel points in every game he's taken double-digit shots.

If Draymond stays aggressive, he'll be an excellent play at his salary. Next to him, the aforementioned Looney would be a much safer play if Wiggins sat, but he appeared back up to speed from his illness even if Wiggins play. He posted 8 rebounds in 20 minutes on Wednesday.

All of these guys except Looney are forward-eligible, so Bam Adebayo ($8,000) and Mitchell Robinson ($5,600) are the two other options who broke 20 minutes played in Game 5. I just can't get excited about Adebayo when he's deferred even more to Butler at home.