The Timberwolves and Spurs have played an intriguing and largely competitive series thus far, making it fitting they head into Tuesday with two victories apiece. Minnesota has already recorded one victory in San Antonio back in Game 1, making Tuesday's clash all the more intriguing.
With only one matchup, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters comprised as follows:
MVP- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
Five Utility spots- (Garner points at normal rate)
With salaries 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 some of utility spots is undoubtedly key, as it enables you to roster a superstar in the MVP slot, where salaries for each player are 1.5x higher than if you were rostering them in a Utility spot.
NBA Games Today
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, May 12 @11:15 a.m. ET:
Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs (-10.5) (O/U: 218.5)
Although the Spurs are heavy favorites, both De'Aaron Fox's uncertain status due to an ankle injury and the fact three of the first four games of the series have ended by margins of two, seven and five points lend credence to the notion the game could end up playing out much closer than expected.
NBA Injury Report
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De'Aaron Fox, SAN (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox is unable to suit up, Stephon Castle will likely take on the primary ball-handling role while Dylan Harper could take on a primary ball-handling role.
Elite Players
The player with the highest MVP salary on Tuesday's slate is Victor Wembanyama ($27,300). Anthony Edwards ($19,500) sports the second-highest salary in that slot.
Wembanyama was ejected from Game 4 on Sunday, but he averaged 64.0 conventional FD points over the first three games of the series while recording 15 rebounds in each of those contests. Wembanyama averaged 16.7 field-goal attempts per contest in that span as well, and due to his work on the defensive end, he clearly has the most upside for the MVP multiplier spot than any other player on the slate.
Edwards appears to be back to full health after struggling with his knee in the first two games of the series, as he's recorded 58.8 and 45.2 conventional FD points in the last pair of contests while shooting 52.1 percent, including 45.2 percent from three-point range.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Stephon Castle ($10,000) and De'Aaron Fox ($9,000) should also be very popular as non-MVP candidates.
Castle has eclipsed 30 FD points in every game of the series, and he'll be in an even better position if his backcourt mate Fox sits out due to his ankle injury.
If Fox is cleared to play, however, he should also have a high roster rate after providing 29.1 and 41.3 FD points in the last two games.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Rudy Gobert, MIN ($7,600)
Gobert offers a solid discount relative to his upside, and the big man is enjoying a productive series overall despite the tough matchup against the Spurs' frontcourt. The Stifle Tower did have a quiet Game 2 (14.5 FD points) despite pulling down 10 rebounds in that contest, but he's still averaging 30 FD points in the first four games of the series thanks to having eclipsed 32.0 FD points in each of the three other contests. Gobert has at least 10 rebounds in each of those games as well, and he's averaging 30.6 FD points for the entirety of the postseason by virtue of his 8.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest.
Naz Reid, MIN ($6,800)
Reid has continued to fill his highly dependable second-unit role during the playoffs after another strong all-around regular season, and the big man checks into Tuesday's pivotal clash riding a hot hand. Reid has averaged 29.7 FD points over the first four games against the Spurs, providing 14.0 points (on 52.5 percent shooting, including 47.4 percent from distance), 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 28.5 minutes per contest. Zooming out further to include the last three games of the first-round battle against the Nuggets and Reid has eclipsed 30 FD points in four of the last seven games overall while shooting a crisp 51.9 percent, making him one of the safer value plays on the slate.
Julian Champagnie, SAN ($4,600)
Champagnie is typically best left for tournaments, although he can be justified in cash games thanks to what is a relatively steady complementary role. The veteran forward has two double-digit scoring efforts and one double-digit rebounding tally over the first four games of the series, and he's averaging 26.9 FD points overall in that span while shooting an acceptable 37.5 percent from behind the arc. Champagnie's scoring production is likely to going to remain a bit uneven throughout the series due to the Timberwolves' strong perimeter defense, but he's found a way to continue boosting his numbers over the last pair of games despite scoring in single digits thanks to his work on the boards and the defensive end – he's posted three straight two-steal efforts. Given his very affordable salary and the possibility Fox sits out, Champagnie is very viable as a value option.
ALSO CONSIDER: Devin Vassell, SAN ($5,800)
