This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Thursday's DFS action on FanDuel is another single-game affair featuring Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. We'll do our best to identify ideal Boston and Miami candidates, beginning with a look back to Game 1.
For FanDuel single-game contests, participants are given five positions to fill. While two of them are normal (UTIL) spots, the remaining three allow for a multiplier to be given to the selected player. There are three tiers:
MVP - 2x
STAR- 1.5x
PRO - 1.2x
The common mistake made in this format is a lack of emphasis on the 2x player value, and the over-valuing of the 1.2x multiplier. In reality, adding .2x to a player is not that significant, while picking the wrong 2x player will likely kill your chances of cashing. You can survive most misses at 1.2x and even 1.5x, but getting the 2x spot correctly is essential.
Unlike other sites, the salaries are not weighed according to the slot selected. All of FanDuel's salaries are static, meaning that no matter where you put a player, their value remains the same. This eliminates the challenges of CPTN format games where you must consider the overall value of the multiplied value as you fill a slew of utility spots. Instead, FanDuel's single-game contests are mostly about picking the top three scorers and rounding out the roster with two value utility players.
Here is a winning Game 1 lineup from one of FanDuel's most popular contests.
MVP Jimmy Butler 156.6
STAR Jayson Tatum 83.4
PRO Jaylen Brown 49.8
UTIL Robert Williams 35.3
UTIL Payton Pritchard 32
If you didn't pick Jimmy Butler in the 2x multiplier, chances are that you didn't cash. His massive Game 1 total wasn't a complete surprise, as he's turned in 30-plus points a few times already in the postseason, but standout guys like Tatum and Brown certainly were a threat to be the better 2x candidate.
The winner wisely pivoted later in the day for his UTIL picks, as Al Horford (COVID-19 Protocols) and Marcus Smart (foot) were no-shows for Game 1, leaving room for Williams and Pritchard to make an impact. Smart is expected back this evening, so his presence will add a wrinkle worth accounting for. Gabe Vincent (hamstring) and Max Strus (hamstring) still have injury tags, but they both played in Game 1 and there's no reason to expect a different outcome for Thursday. Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and Horford will remain absent.
MULTIPLIER CANDIDATES
Jimmy Butler ($15,500) - MVP
Jayson Tatum ($16,000) - MVP
Jaylen Brown ($13,500)- STAR, PRO
Bam Adebayo ($12,500) - STAR, PRO
Robert Williams ($12,000) - STAR
Marcus Smart ($11,500) - PRO
Uniqueness is the name of the game for single-game contests, so rather than go back to the well with Butler, it makes more sense to roll with Tatum in the MVP slot for Game 2. The rostership percentage for Butler will understandably be through the roof at the position, so while he may come away with the top score again, the majority of the field will have him. the $500 differential for Tatum doesn't give you much flexibility, but making the Tatum/Butler question a play-or-fade call will probably be the difference maker again tonight. I think it's imperative to weigh Tatum more than Butler for the MVP slot, for uniqueness' sake. I also can't fault using them together, but as you'll see, fitting the best options under the salary cap will be difficult.
Another question mark involves Robert Williams ($12,000) and Bam Adebayo ($12,500). Williams' production boost in Horford's absence was evident, while Adebayo once again failed to find a double-double. Williams' usage rate in the offense makes him a better play, and I'm inclined to move him up into the multiplier category with the anticipation of another decent showing. Until I see a marked improvement from Adebayo, he'll stay out of this format.
Rounding out the multiplier candidates, you have Jaylen Brown ($13,500) and Marcus Smart ($11,500). The usability of these two will most affect how you stack your 1x utility players. Smart's peskiness on defense will certainly help Boston's cause in its quest to even the series on the road, but his DFS effectiveness is an open question against Miami. His five games against the Heat this season present a mixed bag, but he had two solid 30-plus FDFP performances in his last two games against Miami, which makes him quite worthy of some consideration. Can we trust Brown again? Our DFS 8-ball says yes, but if you buy into the Tatum theory, it makes more sense to fade him. Using him in the STAR spot with Butler provides better correlation, but as we saw, the winning lineup included the Tatum/Brown tandem. The inclusion of Smart and the upside for Williams make Brown a tougher call, and if you elect to interchange Butler and Tatum in the top two multipliers, Brown makes even less sense for two reasons. First, you now have Smart to siphon some production away, and two, his rostership will probably be much higher than Williams and Smart.
UTILITY CANDIDATES
Depending on your multiplier selection, you're looking at a range between $7,500 and $10,500 for your utility candidates.
Grant Williams ($8,500)
Gabe Vincent ($8,000)
Max Strus ($10,000)
P.J. Tucker ($9,500)
You can only utilize Strus and/or Tucker if you go with a less-expensive multiplier bundle, which would be something like a Tatum-Butler/Williams/Smart build. They are too cost-prohibitive otherwise. In fact, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to get optimal utility coverage by using Tatum/Butler/Brown because you'll be forced to go really low with Daniel Theis ($7,000), Dewayne Dedmon ($6,500) or Caleb Martin ($6,500) in order to include Grant Williams or Vincent, who I believe are the strongest two utility plays for Game 2. If we want both of them, the most sensible multiplier build would be Tatum/Butler/ Robert Williams or a Tatum/Butler fade that would use Brown or Smart. We mentioned that Strus and Tucker as usable only in lower-priced bundles, but the truest extreme is punting your utility spots with Martin or Theis and taking the max exposure of Butler, Tatum and Brown.
I think the most sensible route is a more balanced, less extreme approach. A Tatum, Butler, R. Williams/Smart, G Williams, Vincent bundle hits all the right notes. If you supplant Tatum or Butler with Brown, you open up the usability of Tucker and Victor Oladipo ($9,000), who also did some damage in Game 1.
Finally, keep in mind that you must use players from both teams, per FanDuel's single-game contest rules.
