This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
With there being just one game on the schedule for Wednesday's slate, FanDuel will once again turn to an alternate style of competition. This features different salaries and less roster spots than what is usually played, as well as an MVP slot where a player earns 1.5 times their FanDuel points. WIth all that said, the following list of players should be considered in lineups:
MVP Candidates (1.5x):
Joel Embiid, PHI ($17,000): There's also an argument to be made for Ben Simmons here, though I still believe Embiid has the higher upside, which makes him the most intriguing player who could potentially receive 1.5x their score. Before a dud in Game 4 (31.6 FanDuel points), Embiid had averaged 51.1 FanDuel points over the first three games of the series, so he's shown he can have a ton of success against this Celtics frontcourt. With the Sixers once again trying to avoid elimination, look for them to go to their All-Star big man early and often in this one.
Terry Rozier, BOS ($15,000): Rozier started this series off very strong, with 54.6 and 47.9 FanDuel points, respectively, over the first two games in Boston. Since traveling to Philadelphia, he appeared to lose his stroke and put up back-to-back outings of less than 40 FanDuel points. However, with the Celtics returning to Boston for Game 5, Rozier should be back to his home court and his comfort level there should help his production rise back to the level of where it was early on in the series. That makes him an MVP candidate if you can't afford to pay up for Embiid.
Guards:
Marcus Smart, BOS ($11,500): The Celtics have been without Kyrie Irving (knee) for quite some time, but have now also lost backup point guard Shane Larkin (shoulder) to injury, That means Smart, who has played off the ball quite a bit recently, is going to be forced into a ton of time at point guard as well. With an expected workload of well over 30 minutes in the backcourt, Smart's typical all-around production bodes well for a strong showing for DFS purposes, even though his price has risen quite a bit since he first returned from injury.
T.J. McConnell, PHI ($7,500): At some point, DFS owners are going to have to take a risk on some cheaper options in order to fit guys like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and/or Terry Rozier in their lineup. McConnell presents the best opportunity to do so at just $7,500. He picked up his first start of the playoffs in Game 4, helping lead the Sixers to a victory with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists across 39 minutes. Considering the Sixers won that game, McConnell is likely in line for another start and should easily provide value at his price if he's logging minutes in the mid-to-upper 30's. For now, McConnell appears to be a must play, though likely highly owned across contests as well.
Forwards/Centers:
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($12,000): Tatum is a little pricey and could provide problems fitting in some top-tier talent elsewhere, but he's just been so consistent with his production over the first four games of this series. He's notched just over 30 FanDuel points in each contest, bringing his average for the series to 32.4. With Jaylen Brown (hamstring) still an iffy play due to his restrictions on his workload and likely bench role, Tatum appears to once again be the better option.
Ersan Ilyasova, PHI ($7,000): This final pick is certainly the most risky one when looking at everything I've provided in this article. However, you've got to take some risks on this small of a slate in order to differentiate your lineup, as well as fit in some higher salaries. Ilyasova, at just $7,000, presents the upside for a 30-plus FanDuel point outing if he gets the minutes. The key thing obviously is if he actually sees the workload needed to get that done. So far this series, Ilyasova has logged over 20 minutes in two of the four games, with his most extensive action coming in Game 4 when he was in the game for 27 minutes. He turned that playing time into 28.4 FanDuel points, which would be the ideal scenario here. That said, he does have two games where he logged just 17 and 16 minutes, respectively, which is where the risk of this play comes in.
