This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
With much of the sports world focused on the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the League is only offering one game for Thursday. FanDuel's single-game format is unique in that there is no salary multiplier for the players and three tiers of point multipliers.
SLATE OVERVIEW
ORL (-3.5) vs. DET O/U: 219
INJURIES
DET Cade Cunningham (illness) - QUESTIONABLE
DET Jerami Grant (knee) - OUT
DET Hamidou Diallo (finger) - OUT
DET Rodney McGruder (hamstring) - QUESTIONABLE
A lot hinges on Cunningham's status, especially if we are fielding several lineups. His status won't be clear until the pre-game shootaround. Killian Hayes ($8,500) would likely come in for Cunningham, and Marvin Bagley's ($12,500) role will continue to increase in Grant's absence.
ORL Jalen Suggs (ankle) - OUT
ORL Wendell Carter (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE
ORL Chuma Okeke (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
It's the same tale on the Orlando end, as Carter and Okeke could drastically change the landscape. Mo Bamba ($10,000) and Moritz Wagner ($8,500) would see increased run if these tags hold.
MULTIPLIER CANDIDATES
There are three multiplier slots for FanDuel single-game contests.
MVP: 2x
STAR: 1.5x
PRO: 1.2x
What is often overlooked, and very important about this method, is just how wide the gap is between a 2x and a 1.2x multiplier. With a 1.2x multiplier, you aren't getting much more than the standard score, but 2x is a huge difference-maker. Since there are no salary adjustments for each slot, you're really trying to make your best effort to find the highest scorer for 2x alongside smart budget plays for your two UTIL slots. Your average salary for all five slots is $12,000.
MVP, STAR: Cade Cunningham, DET ($14,500) and Wendell Carter, ORL ($14,000)
If these guys suit up, they have to be considered. Conversely, you are able to get great discounts on utility options if they don't play. It's unfortunate, but so much rides on the status of these two stars, it's very difficult to continue lineup construction without more information.
MVP, STAR, PRO: Saddiq Bey, DET ($12,000)
Bey is right at the median salary and I think his value stands alone, but it's definitely enhanced further with a Cunningham absence. I would be inclined to put him at the PRO multiplier if Cunningham plays, but if he is out, I'm perfectly fine with moving Bey into the 1.5/2x slots. He's had two strong games against Orlando this season.
PRO: Cole Anthony, ORL ($13,000)
Anthony has displayed an excellent floor over the past three games with fantasy point totals of 35, 34 and 32 FDFP. That stability makes him a good candidate for the 1.2 multiplier. Although he could end up as the leading scorer, it's less likely that he will explode for upside, and we want to reserve to top two multipliers for players with that potential.
STAR, PRO: Marvin Bagley, DET ($12,500)
We've already singled Bagley out, and his output won't be greatly affected by Cunningham's status. The Grant scratch is really all we need here, and that injury also helps out our utility prospects, which we will outline below. My only hesitation with Bagley is the status of Isaiah Stewart ($12,500). We have no business rostering him at this inflated salary, but he could start and cut into Bagley's output.
ALL SLOTS: Franz Wagner, ORL ($10,500)
Since he is below the median, we can definitely consider him as a high-end utility pick. I'm more inclined to place him there because his recent production hasn't been quite up to snuff, and we wouldn't want to waste a multiplier on him.
Additonal all-slot players: Mo Bamba, ORL ($10,000),
UTILITY CANDIDATES
As you can see, you only need to get fancy with your utility slots if you opt for Cunningham or Carter. The quality of both teams kept the elite picks at a lower salary, so we don't really need to dip into the 7k range to make many combinations work.
UTIL Moritz Wagner, ORL ($8,500) and Killian Hayes, DET ($8,500)
As we said before, these two players are contingency plans for Carter and Cunningham, respectively. I believe Carter will play, and that would render Wanger moot, but in the off-chance that he sits, you should also give a look at who starts. Robin Lopez ($6,000) could possibly sneak his way in.
UTIL Kelly Olynyk, DET ($7,000)
I had Olynyk highlighted as a value play before even looking at the player pool. His numbers won't wow you, and we only need to go this low if you are utilizing Cunningham or Carter, but Olynyk has the kind of upside potential we look for in single-game contests. If we could get 20 FP out of him without Grant taking minutes away, he'd be well worth it.
Other UTIL candidates include:
Markelle Fultz, ORL ($9,500)
Cory Joseph, DET ($7,500)
