This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
That Boston-Toronto Game 6 represented one of the best games all year and it has us in line for a special Game 7. Both teams are going to leave it all on the floor and we have to assume that all the big players will be playing 40-plus minutes. The other matchup isn't quite as exciting, but it's equally as important with only two games on the ledger.
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Slate Overview
BOS-TOR: Boston enters this Game 7 as a 2.5-point favorite. The total of 204 represents the lowest total I've seen since the restart.
DEN-LAC: The Clippers comes into Game 5 as an 8.5-point favorite, with a chance to close out the series. The total is currently sitting at 217.
Positional Breakdown
PG: Kyle Lowry has been amazing and sits up top here at $8,900. Jamal Murray has hit a regression wall and sits at $8,200. Kemba Walker is next at $7,600, while Lou Williams is only $5,500. Patrick Beverley and Monte Morris are both interesting south of $5K.
SG: Fred VanVleet and Paul George are the kings here just below $8K. Marcus Smart has finally gotten the salary increase he deserves at $6,400. Norman Powell and Gary Harris are both solid plays at $5,000.
SF: Kawhi Leonard enters as the best player on the slate, sitting at $11,000. Pascal Siakam and Jaylen Brown are both great options around $8,000. OG Anunoby is at $6,000 while Jerami Grant makes a nice value at $4,900.
PF: Jayson Tatum is going to be widely used up top here at $9,600. Serge Ibaka is next at $6,000. Daniel Theis remains too cheap at $5,600, while Michael Porter Jr, Marcus Morris and Paul Millsap all hover around $5K.
C: Nikola Jokic will be in almost everyone's lineup at $9,900. The reason for that is because Montrezl Harrell follows him up at $5,000. You could use Ivica Zubac at $4,700 or Marc Gasol at $4,400 if you're feeling risky.
Injuries to Monitor
We actually don't have anything new to report here, so, the rotations should remain the same.
Gordon Hayward (BOS)
Hayward remains out with an ankle issue, but is likely to return if the Celtics advance to the next round.
Will Barton (DEN)
Barton has departed the bubble with a knee injury and obviously won't play here.
Elite Players
The elite players and expected chalk sections are going to look similar because we're playing two elimination games, forcing the superstars into even bigger roles than usual. For this slate, we have Kawhi Leonard up top, with Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum right behind. All three represent fantastic plays in elimination games and you're going to have to pick two of them for your lineup. If you can squeeze all three, I'd try to do that but it's going to leave you very thin everywhere else.
Expected Chalk
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($11,000)
If you're not using Kawhi Leonard, you really don't know what you're doing. He's been the best player in the NBA since the playoffs started and it's amazing how much he turns it on when the game start to matter. That's really evident when you see Leonard has scored at least 43 FD points in all 10 playoff games, averaging 57 fantasy points per contest. You simply can't pass that up and it will have Kawhi featured in nearly every lineup out there and rightfully so.
Nikola Jokic, DEN ($9,900)
Jokic is the only Denver player who's performing well right now and he's going to be used universally. He's also the only viable center out there. The second-highest center is Montrezl Harrell and that tells you everything you need to know. It's hard to fade Jokic the way he's playing, scoring at least 44 FD points in seven of his last eight games.
Key Values
Daniel Theis, BOS ($5,600)
It's hard to understand why Theis remains so cheap. We're talking about a guy who's produced at least 23 FD points in seven straight, averaging 29 fantasy points per game over that span. That looks even better when you consider there's not much at the power forward position and he makes a great pairing with Tatum. Using a $5,600 player with a 23-point floor is really all you can ask for on a two-game slate and Theis may be playing 40 minutes again in this must-win matchup.
Jerami Grant, DEN ($4,900)
Grant can post some ugly lines every once in a while, but he's playing too many minutes to fade below $5K by averaging 36 minutes over his last eight games. Good luck finding anyone below $5K who plays that much, especially someone who's averaging over 21 FD points per game across his last 16 outings. The simple fact is, Grant offers huge upside at a reasonable salary and makes it much easier to get guys like Tatum, Kawhi and Jokic into your lineup.
