This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for our second single-game slate in three days Saturday night, as the second round finally kicks off with a Suns-Nuggets clash at Ball Arena. With both teams having had a chance for some downtime following their first-round victories – Denver more so – the injury report is refreshingly non-existent.
With just one game on the ledger, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters, which are comprised as follows:
- MVP- (Garners points at 2x the normal rate)
- STAR- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
- PRO- (Garners points at 1.2x the normal rate)
- Two 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 the two utility spots is undoubtedly key, as it enables you to fill out the multiplier spots with some of the top projected producers.
Slate Overview
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The Nuggets open the series as 2.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook for Game 1, after the two teams split the season series 2-2.
The projected total of 226.5 points is unsurprising considering three of the games in the regular-season set ended with totals of 223, 234 and 253 points.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
As of early Saturday, neither team has any short-term injuries to report.
Elite Players
The three highest-salaried players on the slate are Nikola Jokic ($17,000), Devin Booker ($16,000) and Kevin Durant ($15,500). All three are excellent candidates for the MVP spot, and those that don't make the cut in your lineup are naturally very viable for the STAR spot.
Jokic recorded two triple-doubles in the first-round series against the Timberwolves and averaged 56.6 FD points across 36.8 minutes per game. He also posted 56.1 and 81.5 FD points in the two games he played against Phoenix this season.
Booker was spectacular in the first-round series against the Clippers, averaging 60.6 FD points and shooting 60.2 percent, including 46.7 percent from three-point range. However, he averaged just 31.8 FD points and shot 37.5 percent against Denver in two regular-season games.
Durant averaged 49.6 FD points in the five games against the Clippers and finished with back-to-back showings of 31 actual points.
Expected Chalk
With only one game on the ledger, the likes of Jamal Murray ($14,500), Chris Paul ($13,500) and Deandre Ayton ($11,500) should also be very popular. All three players make for very viable options for the STAR or PRO spots.
Murray scored 44.7 to 53.1 FD points in four of the five games against the Timberwolves and should certainly be one of the most popular players on the slate, even as a borderline MVP spot selection.
Paul averaged 41.5 FD points across five games against the Clippers, and he should remain in plenty of lineups due to his safe floor and ability to contribute across the stat sheet.
Ayton checked in under 30 FD points in the first three games of the first-round series, but the fact he finished with tallies of 39.1 and 38.7 FD points in Games 4 and 5, respectively, gives him some appeal as an option with some upside. In his lone away game versus the Nuggets this season, Ayton dropped 50.2 FD points, That said, he finished with 30 or fewer FD points in the two home meetings versus Denver.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Aaron Gordon, DEN ($9,000)
Gordon was overshadowed by Jokic's and Murray's exploits against the Clippers, but he still offered a steady 13.4 points (on 50.0 percent shooting), 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists, along with 25.9 FD points, during the five games. Gordon also had tallies of 49.6 and 51.6 FD points in two of his regular-season games against Phoenix, averaging 27.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 51.2 percent (50.0 percent from three-point range), during those contests.
Bruce Brown, DEN ($8,500)
Like the regular season, Brown continued offering steady production off the bench in the first round. Brown averaged 22.8 FD points per contest against Minnesota on 11.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 53.7 percent. Brown averaged a solid 27.0 minutes per game and put up 8.2 shots per contest in the first round, so he should have enough opportunity to offer a solid return on investment once again.
ALSO CONSIDER: Josh Okogie, PHO ($7,000)
