This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for just one game Thursday night, as the Celtics try to put away the feisty Hawks in Game 6 at State Farm Arena. Boston will aim to return the favor after seeing Atlanta pull the upset with a late Trae Young three-pointer at TD Garden in Game 5.
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, enabling you to fill out the multiplier spots with some of the top projected producers.
Slate Overview
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The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points despite the road setting, their Game 5 stumble, and the return of Dejounte Murray from a one-game suspension for the Hawks.
The projected total of 231.5 points is in line with the fact the last three games of the series have finished with totals of 252, 250 and 236 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 Thursday, neither team has any short-term injuries to report.
Elite Players
Jayson Tatum ($17,000) and Trae Young ($16,500) are the two highest-salaried players on the slate. Both are excellent candidates for the MVP spot and whichever doesn't make the cut in your lineup is naturally very viable for the STAR spot.
Tatum has scored over 50 FD non-multiplier points in three of the first four games of the series, and he should be in line to bounce back from his atypical 1-for-10 showing from three-point range in Game 4.
Young has been spectacular over the last three games, scoring 57.7 to 66.1 FD points in those contests. The star point guard should naturally be heavily involved once again with Atlanta once again facing elimination.
Expected Chalk
With only one game on the ledger, the likes of Jaylen Brown ($14,000), Dejounte Murray ($13,500), and Derrick White ($11,500) should also be very popular. All three players make for very viable options for the STAR or PRO spots.
Brown is coming off having scored a series-high 46.9 FD points in Game 5.
Murray is returning from his one-game suspension and will be looking to extend his streak of over 40 FD points in the first four games of the series.
White bounced back from a pair of modest tallies to score 36 FD points in Game 5, and he'd also recorded over 40 FD points in the first two games of the series.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Clint Capela, BOS ($8,500)
Capela scored over 20 FD points in the series' first four games before dipping to 16.9 in Game 5 while playing only 21 minutes. The big man could be back to something closer to the 26 minutes per contest he averaged over the first four games Thursday, giving him a chance to offer a solid return from the Utility spot. Boston is also sporting the sixth-lowest rebounding percentage of the 16-team first-round playoff field (48.5), which ups Capela's appeal.
Malcolm Brogdon, BOS ($8,000)
After a poor Game 1, Brogdon has bounced back to average 14.5 points 5.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds on 47.9 percent shooting across the last four contests. The veteran guard is averaging a solid 26.5 minutes per game in his bench role, and the Hawks are ranked No. 19 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to second-unit players (41.2) while allowing elevated 47.8 percent shooting in that split.
ALSO CONSIDER: John Collins, ATL ($8,000); Onyeka Okongwu, ATL ($7,500)
