After huge slates on Thursday and Friday coming out of the All-Star break, the NBA has a smaller three-game slate on tap for Saturday night. Five of the six teams are from the Eastern Conference, and the one Western Conference representative, the Minnesota Timberwolves, is the only team on the second night of a back-to-back. The Magic are the only team on Saturday’s slate that also is part of Sunday’s huge 11-game schedule.
It’s always important to keep an eye on the latest injury news, especially on a smaller slate where any change can have a big impact. As news breaks throughout the day, be sure to refresh the NBA Models for the latest updates and adjustments.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Note: Projections and Leverages Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
The Knicks have relied heavily on Jalen Brunson for huge minutes and usage since the start of 2024. On Saturday’s slate, he has the highest ceiling, median, and floor projection of all point guards on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
The first-time All-Star went right back to work out of the break, with 21 points and 12 assists on Friday against the 76ers. He has averaged 1.31 DraftKings points and 1.25 FanDuel points per minute over his last 23 games while playing 36.3 minutes per game with a 32.9% usage rate.
Brunson matches more Pro Trends on both DraftKings and FanDuel than any other point guard on the slate even though his matchup against the Celtics will be a tough one. He has an 89% Bargain Rating on FanDuel, but he’s also worth considering on DraftKings since he is the top play at the position. His heavy workload gives him a high ceiling while also making him very reliable.
Value
The Magic have the highest implied team total on the board as they visit the Pistons on Saturday, and Jalen Suggs has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The 22-year-old top-five pick has shown huge improvement this year and is a strong affordable play with a high ceiling.
Suggs only had seven points and was limited to 18 minutes on Thursday in his first game back after the All-Star break. He was forced to leave that game due to a head injury but is not on the injury report coming into this matchup. Normally, Suggs has been playing much bigger workloads, averaging 30.1 minutes per game over his last nine games before the break. During that stretch, he produced 0.83 DraftKings points and 0.83 FanDuel points per minute with a 17.6% usage rate.
While he isn’t one of the Magic’s primary scorers, he did have 13+ points in three straight before his injury-shortened game and had scored double-digit points in six of his previous nine games. With his normal complement of minutes, he should be able to bounce back and return good value in this favorable spot against the Pistons.
Fast Break
Cade Cunningham always has a high ceiling since he gets so much usage leading the Pistons. On Friday, he had 30 points and eight assists against the Pacers to exceed salary-based expectations on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Our projections give him the second-highest ceiling and floor at the position behind only Brunson.
The Timberwolves may give Mike Conley the second night of their back-to-back off, but if he plays, he’ll bring the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The veteran exceeded salary-based expectations in six of his last nine games, averaging 0.98 DraftKings points and 0.97 FanDuel points per minute.
With Markelle Fultz (injury management) still sidelined, Cole Anthony is another Magic point guard to consider in addition to Suggs. Anthony has scored 11+ points in four of his last five games, exceeding salary-based expectations in each of those four games. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of point guards on DraftKings and the fifth-highest at the position on FanDuel.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
While the Timberwolves came up short in their marquee matchup against Milwaukee on Friday, Anthony Edwards turned in another strong showing. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection of all shooting guards on Saturday’s slate and will try to make sure his team avoids a letdown against the Nets.
Edwards has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven straight games on both DraftKings and FanDuel. During that stretch, he leads the team with 35.6 minutes per game and a 34.8% usage rate while producing 1.48 DraftKings points and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute.
He has gotten an increase in usage and production with Conley off the floor this season, so if the Timberwolves opt to rest the veteran, Edwards has an even higher ceiling since he’ll spend more time at the point.
Value
On this small slate, value options at shooting guard are limited. Jalen Suggs (discussed above) has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the spot on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and he’s followed closely by Gary Harris, who is an even cheaper option on both sites. Harris has a 68% Bargain Rating on FanDuel and is priced under $4,000 on FanDuel.
He doesn’t normally turn in huge numbers, but he has been getting more playing time for Orlando lately with Fultz out. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in three of his last four games on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Harris could get a bit of a boost from being in Detroit after he starred at Michigan State. He did have 10 points when the two teams met earlier this month in the Motor City.
Fast Break
The Knicks have gotten outstanding production from Donte DiVincenzo while OG Anunoby (knee) and Julius Randle (shoulder) have been sidelined. In his last nine games, DiVincenzo has averaged 39.7 minutes per game while producing 1.08 DraftKings points and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute. With Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic arriving as reinforcements, his workload may lessen a little, but he still brings elite upside with his ability to hit three-pointers in bunches.
The Nets have a new coach in Kevin Ollie coming out of the All-Star break, but they had the same result with a 28-point loss to the Raptors on Friday for their sixth loss in their last seven games. Both Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges have high ceilings but have been inconsistent. Bridges had 21 points against Toronto and has 20+ points in four of his last six games. He has slightly better projections than Thomas across the board, although both have the potential to go off.
If you’re shopping for a bargain, Marcus Sasser has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all shooting guards on DraftKings. On FanDuel, Harris is the best bargain option along with his teammate, Joe Ingles.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Jayson Tatum has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections of any player on the entire slate this Saturday night. He also has the highest salary on the slate, but he brings enough upside to still be a strong consideration if you can find value in other spots.
He had a cool 25 points in a 17-point win over the Bulls on Thursday coming out of the break and is averaging 28.3 points over his last 13 games, highlighted by four games of at least 34 points. During that run of success, he produced an impressive 1.53 DraftKings points and 1.48 FanDuel points per minute.
In his three games this season against the Knicks, Tatum has scored at least 34 points twice and also produced a double-double. He and the Celtics have the second-highest Implied team total on the night and looked impressive in Chicago as they continue to run away with the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Value
On the entire slate on DraftKings, Franz Wagner has the highest Projected Plus/Minus. He comes in second on the entire slate on FanDuel, just behind his teammate Paolo Banchero (discussed below). Wagner has the second-highest ceiling projection at small forward on DraftKings and comes at a huge $3,000 discount compared to Tatum. He has an 84% Bargain Rating on DraftKings as well, where he should be an elite value to build around.
Wagner exploded for 38 points when the Magic visited the Pistons earlier this month and has three games of 30+ points and six games of 20+ points in his last 10 games. In those 10 contests, Wagner produced 1.15 DraftKings points and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute and exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of those 10 games.
Fast Break
Jaylen Brown is another way to save some salary compared to his teammate Tatum but still keep a very high ceiling. He had 21 points, five rebounds, and five assists on Thursday to exceed salary-based expectations and has a history of turning in good games at Madison Square Garden.
Simone Fontecchio has the highest ceiling projection of all small forwards with salaries under $5,000 on DraftKings and small forwards under $6,000 on FanDuel. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position on DraftKings, where he has a Bargain Rating of 88%. In his four games with the Pistons, Fontecchio has averaged 15 points and 3.8 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game.
Timberwolves vet Kyle Anderson has exceeded salary-based expectations in six of his last eight games on DraftKings, where he’s a great bargain under $4,000. On FanDuel, he’s a little more expensive, so Jaden McDaniels is an alternative cheap play who gets plenty of minutes and offers solid production even with low usage.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
On FanDuel, Paolo Banchero has the highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate. On DraftKings, he’s only behind his teammate Franz Wagner. At power forward, he has the second-highest ceiling, median, and floor projections on the slate, trailing only Tatum, who is much more expensive. Banchero also matches the most Pro Trends at power forward on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Banchero had a down game against the Cavs on Thursday, shooting just 4-of-15 from the field. Before the break, Banchero was red hot, averaging 1.28 DraftKings points and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute while playing 35.8 minutes per game with a 28.2% usage rate.
He exceeded salary-based expectations in five of his last six before the break, and he should be in a good spot to get back on track against Detroit. When he faced them earlier this month, he had 20 points, seven assists, and six boards. He could roar back with a monster game if he can get his shot dropping Saturday night.
Value
If you need a cheap power forward, the Magic are again a strong source of value. Jonathan Isaac has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward on DraftKings and the highest at center. He also has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at both small forward and power forward on FanDuel behind only Wagner and Banchero.
Isaac has exceeded salary-based expectations in six of his last nine games, averaging 1.01 DraftKings points and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.0 minutes per game and has flashed some of his pre-injury upside. He doesn’t have nearly the ceiling he did at his peak, but it’s great to see him contributing again, and he’s doing enough to be a good value option.
Fast Break
Against his former team the Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis is a solid option. He tweaked his ankle before the break but played 30 minutes on Thursday against the Bulls. His numbers weren’t great, but if he’s ready for a full workload, he has good upside under $8,000 on DraftKings, where he has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward and a 94% Bargain Rating.
As a mid-range option, Josh Hart has good upside as well. He has double-digit rebounds in nine of his last 10 games, with six double-doubles during that stretch. Even with the Knicks’ new additions, Hart played 44 minutes against the 76ers on Thursday and put up 18 points and 12 boards. On Saturday, he’ll continue to fill in for Anunoby and Randle and bring good value for as long as he does.
Isaac and Anderson are the best cheap plays at power forward with Mortiz Wagner also in the mix on DraftKings. On FanDuel, Isaac and McDaniels are joined by Dorian Finney-Smith as the best player under $5,000 according to our projections.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
He doesn’t usually bring elite scoring upside, but Rudy Gobert is a great play on this limited slate at center. Gobert has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at the position on DraftKings and the highest ceiling and floor projections on FanDuel. Gobert represents especially good value on FanDuel, where he has a 62% Bargain Rating and the highest Projected Plus/Minus at center. On DraftKings, he has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus behind Isaac.
Gobert had 12 points and 19 boards on Friday against Milwaukee in his eighth straight double-double. He averaged 15.4 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks during that span, producing 1.15 DraftKings points and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute in 35.6 minutes per game.
Against the Nets, Gobert brings both a high floor and a high ceiling on Saturday night with his good production in points, rebounds, and blocks.
Value
Not counting Isaac and Gobert (discussed above), the best Projected Plus/Minus on the slate comes from Wendell Carter Jr. of the Magic. After missing most of November and December with knee issues, Carter has started each of the last 14 games for Orlando, averaging 28.4 minutes per game.
During that 14-game stretch, Carter has scored double-digit points nine times, averaging 12.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He averaged 0.87 DraftKings points and 0.84 FanDuel points per minute in those games, which is enough to make him the best mid-range value on Saturday’s small slate.
Fast Break
Jalen Duren continues to show good upside for the Pistons and is coming off a big 15-point, 13-rebound game on Thursday against the Pacers. He was inconsistent over his last few games before the break but seems to be back in form after some time off.
After missing the final three games before the All-Star break, Isaiah Hartenstein was able to return for the Knicks on Thursday but only played 11 minutes. When he’s ready for a full workload, he’ll be a good play, but he may not be ramped up quite yet even though he isn’t on the injury report. His return does make the upside of Precious Achiuwa a little unclear as well, so both will be high-risk plays until the rotation is more established.
On DraftKings, Isaac is the best cheap center option by a wide margin. He isn’t center eligible on FanDuel though, so Day’Ron Sharpe and James Wiseman have the best Projected Plus/Minus of the center options under $5,000.
