NBA DFS: FanDuel Lineup Plays and Strategy for Saturday, May 6

NBA DFS: FanDuel Lineup Plays and Strategy for Saturday, May 6

This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.

We have a two-game slate on tap Saturday, beginning with a mid-afternoon Knicks-Heat Game 3 battle and the third installment of the Warriors-Lakers series. The injury report is encouragingly light, so we should have a full array of considerable talent on all four teams to choose from.

Slate Overview

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As of early Saturday, the Heat and Lakers are listed as four- and three-point home favorites, respectively, despite each having lost Game 2 of their series.

Projected totals are at either end of the spectrum — the Knicks-Heat game, in line with the low scores over the first two games of the series, is set at 209 points, while the Warriors-Lakers battle has a 227.5-point figure.

Injury Situations to Monitor  

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Jimmy Butler, MIA (ankle): QUESTIONABLE

Butler is officially listed as questionable after sitting out Game 2 but reportedly is set to play Saturday. If he were to reverse course, Caleb Martin would presumably log a start at small forward if he can clear his own questionable tag.

Caleb Martin, MIA (back): QUESTIONABLE

As just mentioned, Martin would be in line for a likely spot start if he played and Jimmy Butler didn't. However, if Martin can't go, Haywood Highsmith would presumably slot into his spot.

Other notable injuries:

Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): PROBABLE

LeBron James, LAL (foot): PROBABLE

Elite Players

We have three players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate: Anthony Davis ($11,600), Jimmy Butler ($10,200) and LeBron James ($10,100).

Davis dipped to 33.4 FD points across 32 minutes in Game 2, but that was largely the byproduct of him taking just 11 shots. The big man recorded 76.1 FD points in Game 1 and is likely to be much more aggressive in Game 3.

As mentioned previously, Butler is expected to take the floor in Game 3 and will look to build on his tally of 48.2 FD points from Game 1.

James has scored 46.2 and 38.9 FD points in the first two games of the series, and he hasn't scored under 35.5 in any postseason contest.

Expected Chalk

Other likely chalk plays include:

Stephen Curry, GSW ($9,900)

Curry totaled 42.8 FD points in Game 2 and should naturally be in plenty of lineups on the two-game slate.

Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,900)

Brunson carries the upside of a much higher-salaried player and just posed 44 FD points in Game 2, his third tally of over 40 FD points in the postseason.

Julius Randle, NYK ($8,600)

Randle made it back on the floor for Game 2 and showed no ill effects from his ankle issue, posting a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double that helped net 48.4 FD points across 37 minutes.

Bam Adebayo, MIA ($8,000)

Adebayo has been under 40 FD points in the first two games of the series, but he should naturally draw plenty of interest at a position of scarcity on a two-game slate.

Kevon Looney, GSW ($7,500)

Looney played only 11 minutes in Game 2 due to being under the weather, but he boasts upside north of 40 FD points if he's back to a full allotment of minutes Saturday.

Key Values 

Klay Thompson, GSW ($6,700)

Thompson has come through as a value recommendation in each of the first two games of the series, posting 34.6 and 34.1 FD points in those contests. The sharpshooter has impressively hit 51.9 percent of his three-point attempts in that span against a Lakers team that has played very good perimeter defense all season, and in what should be a much more closely contested affair than Game 2, Thompson could be somewhere in the neighborhood of the 25 attempts he put up in Game 1.

Gabe Vincent, MIA at NYK ($5,900)

Vincent has impressively met the postseason moment, posting at least 30 FD points in three straight games and shooting 40.4 percent from three-point range since Game 1 against the Bucks. Vincent's usage has been impressively elevated over the first two games against the Knicks as well, as he's averaged 16.5 shot attempts in that span. New York ranks No. 18 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to point guards since the start of the regular season, keeping Vincent firmly in play.

Max Strus, Mia at NYK ($4,300)

Strus is best suited for tournament play due to the fluctuation in his production, but he's scored 17.9 to 23.6 FD points his last three postseason games. Strus has shot 50.0 percent, including 43.8 percent from behind the arc, in that span, and he offered a reminder of his significant upside when he tallied 40.3 FD points against the Bulls back in the play-in game. The Knicks are also surrendering 37.1 percent three-point shooting to two-guards since the start of the regular season, adding to Strus' appeal at a significantly discounted salary.

ALSO CONSIDER: Rui Hachimura, LAL vs. GSW ($4,400)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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