Saturday features a seven-game slate starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. We’ll use the FantasyLabs NBA Player Models to break down the slate.
Point Guard
Stud
Damian Lillard is a nice option tonight on FanDuel. He’s priced at just $9,000, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 78%, and Lillard has historically been a solid value at that price tag. He’s averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.42 with a comparable salary, including a mark of +3.43 this season (per the Trends tool).
He also takes the floor in a solid spot vs. the Pistons. They’ve struggled defensively this season, ranking just 25th in defensive efficiency, and the Blazers’ implied team total of 119.0 points ranks third on the slate.
Value
On the other side of that matchup, there could be some value with the point guards on the Pistons. They have a bit of a logjam at the position, with Dennis Smith Jr., Cory Joseph, and Killian Hayes all expected to see between 20.5 and 24.5 minutes. That said, DSJ should be able to return value at just $3,400 on DraftKings. He’s averaged 0.99 DraftKings points per minute this season, and his current salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 92%.
Fast Break
Ben Simmons’ price tag has plummeted to just $7,400 on FanDuel, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 85%. That makes him an excellent buy-low target vs. the Thunder. He owns one of the best individual matchups at the position, ranking third among point guards with an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.29. There’s also a chance that Joel Embiid could rest on the second leg of a back-to-back. Simmons has seen a usage bump of +3.5% in 15 games without Embiid this season, so he would be one of the biggest beneficiaries in that situation.
The best Opponent Plus/Minus at the position belongs to Chris Paul, and his $8,000 price tag on DraftKings comes with a Bargain Rating of 97%. The Suns’ implied team total of 120.0 also ranks second on the slate, so CP3 has the potential to do some damage vs. the Wizards.
Shooting Guard
Stud
The Jazz are another team with an elite matchup on Saturday. They’re taking on the Sacramento Kings, who have been the worst team in the league this season in terms of defensive efficiency. The Jazz are one of the best offensive teams in basketball, so they unsurprisingly lead the slate with a 121.5-point implied team total.
The Jazz are also expected to be without Jordan Clarkson, who is currently listed as doubtful. Donovan Mitchell should be asked to carry a larger offensive burden in that situation, and he has increased his production to 1.27 DraftKings points per minute with Clarkson off the court this season.
Value
Josh Jackson is another player who could provide value for the Pistons tonight. He’s averaged 0.97 FanDuel points per minute this season, and he’s currently projected for 24.5 minutes in our NBA Models. The Blazers also represent an excellent matchup, ranking 29th in defensive efficiency, and Jackson owns a Bargain Rating of 80% on FanDuel.
Fast Break
Collin Sexton has been a nice source of value for the Cavaliers recently, posting an average Plus/Minus of +4.42 over his past 10 games on FanDuel. He’s coming off 39.6 FanDuel points in the Cavs’ last game, and he’s increased his production to 1.01 FanDuel points per minute over the past month.
The Raptors have been playing shorthanded recently, and they’re going to be even thinner on Saturday. Fred VanVleet remains out of the lineup, and Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam are not expected to suit up either. Gary Trent should be asked to take on a larger workload vs. the Cavaliers, and he’s currently projected for 38.0 minutes in our NBA Models. He’s an excellent target on DraftKings given his Bargain Rating of 95%.
Small Forward
Stud
Kelly Oubre has posted a positive Plus/Minus in three straight games on FanDuel, and he has the chance for another strong outing Saturday vs. the Rockets. Houston has not been good defensively this season, and they’ve also played at the fifth-fastest pace in the league. Golden State ranks second in that department, so this should be one of the fastest games of the day.
Value
DeAndre Bembry has SF eligibility on DraftKings, and he’s expected to be a huge part of the Raptors’ rotation on Saturday. He’s increased his production to 0.90 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s averaged 32.25 DraftKings points in three games without Lowry and VanVleet this season. He’s basically a free square on DraftKings, where his $3,600 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 99%.
Fast Break
Norman Powell is another elite value option on DraftKings. He also owns a Bargain Rating of 99%, and he’s been playing plenty of minutes since being acquired by the Trail Blazers. His production is down with his new team, but he should be able to improve moving forward. Powell has averaged 0.94 DraftKings points per minute this season, so he’s a clear buy-low target given the number of minutes he’s playing.
Buddy Hield leads the position with 10 Pro Trends on FanDuel, which makes him an interesting option for tournaments. He should garner minimal ownership vs. the Jazz, but players with a comparable salary and number of Pro Trends have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +3.45.
Power Forward
Stud
The Raptors are simply way too cheap on DraftKings. You can add OG Anunoby to the list of elite values on today’s slate. His $6,600 price tag comes with a Bargain Rating of 99%, and he’s coming off nearly 41 minutes in his last game. He’s also increased his production to 1.03 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he should serve as one of Toronto’s focal points given their current injury situation. His combination of volume and efficiency is simply too good to pass up vs. the Cavaliers.
Value
Royce O’Neale should see a few additional minutes for the Jazz with Clarkson out of the lineup. He’s currently projected for 31.3 minutes in our NBA Models, which makes him an appealing value at just $4,000 on FanDuel. Historically, players with comparable salaries and minute projections have averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.14. O’Neale isn’t the best producer on a per-minute basis, but he has more upside than usual in that department given his matchup vs. the Kings.
Fast Break
Christian Wood has seen a price decrease of -$800 over the past month on FanDuel, which makes him an appealing buy-low target vs. the Warriors. It’s an elite matchup, resulting in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.15. Wood has averaged 1.26 FanDuel points per minute this season, so he has the potential to do some serious damage in this matchup.
Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 34.6 minutes in their last game, and he could earn that designation again on Saturday. Jerami Grant remains out of the lineup, while Mason Plumlee is questionable due to concussion evaluation. He’s projected for nearly 30 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged a respectable 0.80 DKFP per minute this season.
Center
Stud
Joel Embiid is a high-risk, high-reward option for the 76ers on Saturday. There’s a chance that he doesn’t even suit up in this contest, and he could be limited even if he does. The 76ers were very careful with Embiid on the first leg of this back-to-back set, and he played just 31.3 minutes.
That said, Embiid is very capable of paying off his salary with just 30 minutes of playing time. He’s one of the best players in fantasy on a per-minute basis, and the Thunder have been vulnerable against opposing centers this season. Embiid owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.45 on FanDuel, so he should dominate when he’s on the court.
Value
Jusuf Nurkic will get the night off for the Blazers, which means Enes Kanter should see a few additional minutes. Kanter is always an appealing option when he’s going to get more minutes thanks to his average of 1.14 FanDuel points per minute. He’s an elite value at just $5,000 on FanDuel, particularly in a great matchup vs. the Pistons. Kanter owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.73, which is one of the top marks at the position.
Fast Break
Richaun Holmes is another elite target on FanDuel. He owns a Bargain Rating of 87%, and he leads the position with 12 Pro Trends. He’s averaged an elite 1.22 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, and he should see plenty of playing time against Rudy Gobert and the Jazz.
Deandre Ayton stands out as the best value at the position on DraftKings, where his $6,700 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 99%. He’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +6.59 over his past 10 games on DraftKings – including at least 45.0 DraftKings points in two of his past three games – yet his salary has remained pretty stagnant.
