The Thunder took Game 3 by beating the Spurs on their home court. They'll try to repeat the feat on Sunday, and I've got you covered with the best recommendations for FanDuel's single-game contest. We'll need to be vigilant as we wait for word on a key OKC player. If you're unfamiliar with this format, I've provided a brief introduction.
For FanDuel single-game, participants are given six positions to fill. While five are normal (UTIL) spots, the remaining slot allows for a 1.5x multiplier (MVP) to be given to a selected player. That's a significant bonus, but there's a catch. The player's base salary is also multiplied by 1.5x when used in the multiplier spot. The biggest difference between DraftKings and FanDuel involves roster limits. On DraftKings, you can't pick more than four players from one team. That limit doesn't apply to FanDuel as they only require you to take from both clubs with a maximum of five.
The most common mistake made by DFS participants is assuming that finding the game's top scorer and placing them in the multiplier is the key to winning. While that approach can occasionally pay off, it's not often the case. The best producer will usually carry a high salary on the 1.5x multiplier to restrict your ability to maximize the UTIL spots. If a player's base value is $10,000, that increases to $15,000 under the multiplier to eat up a sizable chunk of available funds.
Before we move forward, let's look at Friday's results and analyze a winning FanDuel lineup for Game 4. This entry is from the $3 $60k GPP:
MVP Devin Vassell 65.1
UTIL Victor Wembanyama 42.3
UTIL Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 47.4
UTIL Stephon Castle 38.5
UTIL Alex Caruso 28.1
UTIL Jaylin Williams 31.5
Total: 252.9
I finished in the Top 100 of over 28,000 entrants and only nine points off the pace by using Jared McCain instead of Williams, but going with Vassell at the top made all the difference. The win confirms the justification of an SGA/Wembanyama stack while also favoring Caruso, who's been a mainstay in all of my builds for OKC this postseason. My only issue with this is Castle, who posted a decent number while unlikely to break into my lineups moving forward. Despite the total, he shot poorly and is showing signs of fatigue. Any player forced to defend SGA over three games is bound to be a bit gassed, but it's throwing off his offensive potential.
Use our FanDuel NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
NBA Game Today
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NBA Injuries Today
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report. Below are some of the most recent and relevant injuries for Wednesday.
OKC Jalen Williams (hamstring) - QUESTIONABLE
OKC Ajay Mitchell (calf) - OUT
Since Mitchell has played a key role as one of Williams' placeholders, it makes sense for Williams to give it a go Sunday. We'll have to wait and see how things shake out.
MVP (1.5x) Candidates
Victor Wembanyama, SAS (MVP $26,700, UTIL $17,800)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (MVP $23,100, UTIL $15,400)
De'Aaron Fox, SAS (MVP $11,400, UTIL $7,600)
Devin Vassell, SAS (MVP $9,600, UTIL $6,400)
Jalen Williams could join this group if active, yet I'll go with Wemby, SGA and Fox as your best bets. Between Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, the latter offers the more attractive MVP salary. Though you were behind the pace if you didn't go with Wemby in the multiplier for the opener (83.3 FDFP), his stats have continued to sink as the series wears on. The Thunder have ramped up the aggressiveness inside to make him fight for every shot. They also curbed Wemby's rebounding on Friday by limiting him to four. I'm happier with him in the utility slot and will lead off with SGA.
I would have excluded Fox if he earned an injury tag, but he seems fine after leaving briefly during Game 3. The reduced salary is my primary reason for grabbing him. If we use Fox along with SGA and Wemby at the utility, we're left with a solid $5,133 per player that's far higher than the $3,833 you'd get with Gilgeous-Alexander. You can drive that average even higher with Vassell, though Fox's floor is a more alluring. Vassell will be someone to reach for at the utility if we take Fox.
Utility Candidates
All MVP candidates are eligible as UTIL candidates.
I'll split the utility options into two tiers. The first set assumes a Fox MVP build:
Devin Vassell, SAS ($6,400)
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC ($5,200)
Cason Wallace, OKC ($5,000)
Alex Caruso, OKC ($4,800)
With SGA as MVP, you can probably still find builds with the above tier - yet you'll need to boost the average with some budget favorites.
Jared McCain, OKC ($3,800)
Keldon Johnson, SAS ($2,000)
Jaylin Williams, OKC ($1,800)
The second group is also worth considering if Jalen Williams is promoted to the starting lineup. While some may reach for Isaiah Joe ($1,000) due to Mitchell's absence, I think going with McCain and/or Caruso is the better way to absorb the missing output. The most likely outcome for most of my builds is to keep Caruso in the fold and add Wallace or Hartenstein if we go with Fox. The SGA build requires a sacrifice or two, though McCain, Johnson and Williams provide plenty of cap relief.
Holmgren
Based on the first three games, Chet Holmgren ($8,200) is a bit overpriced. And Hartenstein has proven a better overall value. I see more use for him down the line in the Finals, but he'll remain a fade until he proves he can beat 5x value.
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