This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
It's Game 2 of the Hawks-Bucks Eastern Conference Finals with Milwaukee looking to rebound from a series-opening loss for the second consecutive round. The DFS spotlight won't shine any brighter than on Trae Young, who's coming off a career-high 48-point effort. However, there are naturally plenty of other appealing candidates of lower salary on either side to consider in what should be another close affair.
With just one game on the ledger, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters, which are comprised as follows:
· MVP- (Garners points at 2x the normal rate)
· STAR- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
· PRO- (Garners points at 1.2x the normal rate)
· Two Utility spots- (Garner points at normal rate)
With the valuation also being different than in conventional FanDuel contests on multi-game slates and top players inevitably headed for heavy rostering, there are definitely strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding key value plays for the two utility spots is undoubtedly key as it enables you to fill out the multiplier spots with some of the top projected producers.
Slate Overview
Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks (Projected total: 225.0 points):
Wednesday finished with 229 total points while the three regular-season meetings between the teams finished with counts of 244, 229 and 215. That means the projected total seems very much within the potential range of outcomes, considering each team boasts a superstar in Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo that the other side pretty much has no real answer for. It's also worth noting if Khris Middleton -- who had shot well at home but quite poorly on the road in the last round -- is able to bounce back Friday from his 6-for-23 showing in Game 1, the Bucks' contribution to this total should see a boost over the 113 they previously produced.
Positional Breakdown
FanDuel single-game rosters don't have traditional positions that match those on a starting five, so we'll instead break down some candidates for the top three multiplier positions instead:
MVP (2x): Giannis Antetokounmpo ($16,500) and Trae Young ($16,000) are the clear top candidates for this spot under any circumstance, but even more so following their Game 1 performances. Even in what has been an outstanding first career playoff run, Young outdid himself Wednesday by delivering 69.9 FD points on the strength of a 48-point, 11-assist double-double, and he's now eclipsed 50 FD points on six occasions across 13 playoff appearances. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo has been a machine throughout the postseason and compiled a postseason-high 70.9 FD points in Game 1 by filling out the stat sheet with 34 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks. He's yet to fail to produce a double-double in 12 playoff games and has also posted one triple-double.
STAR (1.5x): Whichever of the two mega-stars mentioned above doesn't make your MVP spot is naturally the prime candidate here, but a case could also reasonably be made for Jrue Holiday ($13,500), John Collins ($12,500) or Khris Middleton ($12,000). Holiday looked great in Game 1 with 58.8 FD points on the back of a 33-point, 10-assist double-double. He's seen fluctuations in production this postseason, but he still boasts a 40-FD-point ceiling at minimum any time he takes the floor. Collins has mostly been trustworthy save for a couple of clunkers and has now scored 34.9 to 40.5 FD points in the last four contests, the latter figure coming in Game 1 of this series. Finally, there's certainly a chance Middleton straightens out his shooting troubles and bounces back in Game 2, and it's worth remembering he scored 68.5 and 56.0 FD points in the last two versus Brooklyn.
PRO (1.2x): Whichever of the trio mentioned for the STAR position doesn't make that spot for you would be the top two candidates for this slot. Clint Capela ($11,500) would also be another viable consideration considering he just offered a reminder of his upside by putting up 43.8 FD points in Game 1. The big man's fantasy production has admittedly been volatile during the playoffs, so he's likely best suited for this multiplier or a Utility spot as a hedge.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written (usually late morning Eastern time), check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Even if Bogdanovic once again plays through his ongoing knee issue, he could well be limited in both minutes and production as has been the case in each of the last four games. In such a scenario, Kevin Huerter and Solomon Hill could enjoy bigger roles.
Elite Players
The two healthy highest-salaried players on the slate are Giannis Antetokounmpo ($16,500) and Trae Young ($16,000). As already detailed in Positional Breakdown section, each has already produced multiple elite FD-point tallies during the postseason and should see very heavy usage once again.
Expected Chalk
With only one game on the ledger, Antetokounmpo's and Young's rostering rates should be through the roof while the likes of Jrue Holiday ($13,500), John Collins ($12,500), Khris Middleton ($12,000), and Clint Capela ($11,500) should also be very popular.
Key Values
Note: On a multi-game slate, I typically try to highlight players that would be considered under-the-radar plays in this section. Naturally, with such a limited player pool, there will be very few low-rostered players that are likely to also be viable from a DFS perspective, so I'll instead focus on two of the best candidates to provide a strong return relative to salary for the two Utility spots in single-game lineups:
Kevin Huerter, ATL ($10,000)
Huerter should remain in the starting five at small forward and brings some upside via his three-point shot and ability to fill out the stat sheet elsewhere. Those attributes helped him eclipse 40 FD points in each of the last two against the 76ers, and he also posted 23.8 to 29.0 FD points in three other appearances during that series. Huerter has also been playing heavy minutes of late by logging 36 to 44 in the last three postseason contests, while the Bucks check in allowing 51.7 FD points per game to small forwards over the last five.
Danilo Gallinari ($9,500)
Gallinari is exclusively a tournament play, but one who offers the ability for a nice return. The veteran produced five double-digit scoring performances in the most recent six playoff outings prior to Game 1, when he fell just short with a nine-point effort. Nevertheless, he's been locked into minutes in the low 20s at minimum, and he's shooting an impressive 42.9 percent from behind the arc in his last seven while averaging a solid 10.3 attempts overall during that span. With Milwaukee now allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency to power forwards (26.1 percent) and 53.1 FD points per contest to PFs across the last five, Gallinari should be on the radar in GPPs.
