This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
As someone who lives in Denver, I can't wait for this slate. The Toronto-Boston series is one of the most interesting matchups out there and we obviously get to witness the beautiful Game 7 between the Jazz and Nuggets. Game 7 is a word that resonates with everyone and it will make this one of the best days of basketball all year. With that in mind, let's get into it!
If you have any comments or questions, reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel
Slate Overview
TOR-BOS: After a Boston blowout in Game 1, Toronto still enters this matchup as a 1.5-point favorite. The total is currently sitting at 217.
UTA-DEN: Despite Denver winning the last two games, Utah was a 1.5-point opening line favorite. Since then, the line has switched to Denver as a 0.5-point favorite. The total is at 218.
Positional Breakdown
PG: Jamal Murray is absolutely killing it right now and is up top here at $9,400. Kemba Walker and Kyle Lowry follow him up in the mid $7,000s. Mike Conley is the last trustworthy option at $6,600 while Monte Morris is a sneaky pick at $4K.
SG: Donovan Mitchell is playing the best basketball of his career right now and sits at $8,500. Fred VanVleet is sitting at $7,600. Marcus Smart was our value play of the day Sunday and remains too cheap at $5,700. Jordan Clarkson and Norman Powell sit in the mid-$5000s while Gary Harris could be valuable at $4,500.
SF: Pascal Siakam is up top here at $8,200. Jaylen Brown is currently at $6,300. OG Anunoby, Jerami Grant and Joe Ingles all have value around $5K. Don't trust anyone outside of them.
PF: Jayson Tatum represents the elite here at $9,000. Serge Ibaka follows him up at $6,500. Michael Porter and Daniel Theis are good values in the low $5000s. Paul Millsap and Royce O'Neale are nice values below $5,000 as well.
C: Nikola Jokic remains just below $10,000 but is up top at center and the most expensive player on the slate. Rudy Gobert is also a great pick at $7,300. One of those two will be used in almost every lineup. Marc Gasol is the only other viable option at $4,500.
Injuries to Monitor
Gordon Hayward (BOS)
Hayward has left the bubble to rehab his ankle issue. That means he'll miss at least the first three games of this series. Look for Marcus Smart to continue to start.
Bojan Bogdanovic (UTA)
Bogdanovic remains out due to a wrist injury.
Will Barton (DEN)
Barton is out for the rest of the season with a knee issue.
Gary Harris (DEN)
Harris returned from his hip injury in Game 6 and played 20 minutes. He took away minutes from Monte Morris and Torrey Craig and may get up to 25 or so here.
Elite Players
It's strange to see no players above $10,000 at this point in the playoffs, but here we are. Nikola Jokic is the most expensive player at $9,800 and it's hard to fade him in a must-win Game 7. Jamal Murray and Jayson Tatum are both in the $9,000s and both have been amazing in these playoffs. It will be critical to get at least two of those guys into your lineup and build from there.
Expected Chalk
Nikola Jokic, DEN ($9,800)
There are only two centers worth using. You have to pick between Jokic and Gobert, and people will surely be using Jokic far more. In fact, I truly believe that he'll be in over half of the lineups out there in this two-game slate. The reason for that is he's averaging 40 minutes a game in the postseason and averaged 62 FD points across 43 minutes of action in the Nuggets' two Game 7's last season. He might be chalky, but don't fade Jokic just because of his salary. Jamal Murray is also playing the best ball of his career right now and that'll make him one of the most widely-used players as well.
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,000)
This is yet another chalky play because of the lack of PF options available. The next player on the salary scale at the position is Serge Ibaka, and that tells you everything you need to know. That's going to force Tatum onto a lot of rosters, and that's no surprise when you see that he's averaging nearly 50 fantasy points per game in these playoffs.
Key Values
Marcus Smart, BOS ($5,700)
Smart was in this article Sunday and I'm going right back to the well. The simple fact is, Smart is still $1,000 too cheap. This guy has been a stud whenever he starts and that's going to continue with Gordon Hayward sidelined. Not only did he drop 32.2 FD points in Game 1, Smart also averaged 31.4 fantasy points per game in his 44 starts during the year. That makes this salary hard to understand, especially when you consider that he's playing over 35 minutes a game in those outings too.
Daniel Theis, BOS ($5,300)
Theis really struggled in the Philly series but he looked like a different player in Game 1 versus Toronto. In fact, Theis collected 13 points and 15 rebounds in that Game 1, en route to 38 FanDuel points. That's his second straight game with over 31 FD points against this team, and it's clear that he's a huge factor against a stout Raptors front line. The power forward position is also very weak, and getting to use a cheap guy like Theis there is simply the icing on the cake.
Jerami Grant, DEN ($5,100)
Grant might not score a whole lot but his hustle statistics have forced Mike Malone to play him a ton. If you take out the final game of the regular season in which Grant was rested, he's actually averaging 26 FanDuel points across nearly 35 minutes of action over his last 10 games. That's all you can hope for from a player barely cracking $5K and it makes him one of the best value plays out there.
