Monday, February 22nd - FanDuel Single Game Analysis: WAS @ LAL
Is your main slate lineup looking rough? Or did you not get off work in time to make one? Or just looking for a little more action? Don’t worry, FanDuel has you covered with their Single Game format. Monday night’s marquee game is WAS @ LAL starting at 10 PM ET. You can make a lineup with players from just this game. Below are some options for players to use in the MVP slot and other cheap options that will allow you to fit in the big dogs.
Top MVP Options
LeBron James ($16,500) – Life without Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder has been rough on the Lakers but good for LeBron James fantasy value as he’s seen his usage rate jump to 34.4% with the two off the court this season. The reality is if the Lakers are going to score points, it’s going to have to be through LeBron as they simply don’t have very many other options with Davis and Schroder sidelined. We currently have Lebron (53.64) projected for the most FanDuel points in this game and it’s tough to argue against using him in your MVP slot in an excellent matchup against a Washington team that plays at the fastest pace in the league and has the sixth-worst defensive rating.
Bradley Beal ($15,500) – Beal (35.2%) and Russell Westbrook (36%) combine for a usage rate over 71% which is just absolutely ridiculous. In other words, if something is going to happen offensively for the Wizards it’s going to be through the hands of Beal or RWB. For comparison sake, we currently have Beal (46.26) and Westrbook (44.93) projected for 18+ more FanDuel points than the next Washington player, Rui Hachimura (25.75). LeBron, Beal, and RWB are clearly the top three fantasy options in this game and if you’re running out multiple lineups you’ll want to mix each player between the MVP, STAR, and PRO slots.
Top Value Options
Alex Caruso ($6,500) – It is possible to jam all three studs into your lineup and I think that’s exactly what you want to do. Locking in LeBron, RWB, and Beal will leave you with an average salary of $6,500 for the remaining two lineup spots – exactly the price tag of backup guard Alex Caruso. Caruso’s playing time has ranged from 19-25 minutes over the last two games with Dennis Schroder sidelined and a projection of 22 minutes makes him the game’s top point-per-dollar option priced under $10K. Don’t expect too much out of Caruso here – he hasn’t topped 20 FanDuel points in his last 13 games played – but the salary relief he provides is critical to make everything work.
Deni Avdija ($6,00) – Similar to Caruso, Deni Avdija is more of a necessary evil without a whole lot of upside. Avdija’s minutes have ranged from 11-28 over the last seven games and we currently have him projected for 19 minutes and 12.49 FanDuel points. Teammate Garrison Mathews is also just $6,000 and is arguably a little “safer” of an option as he’s started the last couple of games for Washington. Despite starting, Mathews is averaging just 14 minutes over the last two games – we currently have him projected for 14 minutes and 9.21 FD points.