Saturday features a 10-game slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Point Guard
Stud
Steph Curry has the potential to be in one of the best spots of the day on Saturday. He owns an elite matchup vs. the Rockets, and the Warriors’ implied team total of 120.5 points ranks second on the slate. The Warriors could also be without two of their top players in Kelly Oubre and Draymond Green. Both players are listed as questionable, and Curry has increased his usage rate by a ridiculous +14.1% with both players off the court this season. He’s increased his production to 1.83 DraftKings points per minute in that situation, so he would be close to a must-play if both players are ultimately ruled out.
Curry is a particularly strong option on FanDuel, where his $9,700 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 86%.
Value
Luguentz Dort has been ruled out for the Thunder, which means Theo Maledon should serve as one of the Thunder’s offensive focal points Saturday vs. the Pacers. He’s increased his usage rate by a team-high +5.8% with Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Al Horford, and George Hill off the court this season, resulting in an average of 0.83 DraftKings points per minute. He’s currently projected for 30.8 minutes in our NBA Models, which makes him a nice value across the industry.
Fast Break
Russell Westbrook deserves consideration every time he’s on the slate. He’s playing some of the best basketball of his career at the moment, and he’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +6.12 over his past 10 games. He’s increased his production to 1.63 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, which is the second-highest mark on the slate regardless of position.
Saban Lee is priced at the minimum on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and he could provide some value on Saturday. He’s averaged 0.94 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, and he should see a solid handful of minutes for the Pistons. They’ve ruled out seven players – and Hamidou Diallo is also doubtful – so Lee is projected for 20.8 minutes on today’s slate.
Shooting Guard
Stud
Kawhi Leonard is currently questionable for the Clippers, and his absence would make Paul George a nice value on FanDuel. He’s priced at $9,400, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 82%, and he’s increased his usage rate by +6.9% in 11 games without Leonard this season. He’s increased his production to 1.25 FanDuel points per minute in those contests, so he can do some damage if Leonard is ruled out vs. the Nuggets.
Value
Josh Jackson should serve as one of the Pistons’ top offensive options on Saturday. He’s increased his usage rate by +5.2% with all of the currently unavailable members of the Pistons off the court, resulting in an average of 1.09 FanDuel points per minute. He’s currently projected for 30.5 minutes in our NBA Models, which gives him the potential to be one of the best values on the slate.
Fast Break
Tonight’s game between the Pelicans and Timberwolves should feature plenty of scoring. The total on that game sits at 238 points, which is the top mark on the slate. D’Angelo Russell has been playing around 30 minutes per game recently, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five of his past six contests.
The Thunder are going to have plenty of minutes available on Saturday. Not only is Dort out, but Aleksej Pokusevski has also been ruled out with a knee injury. That means Ty Jerome should see a solid handful of playing time, and he’s averaged 0.91 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He’s a strong value at $3,800 on DraftKings given his Bargain Rating of 88%.
Small Forward
Stud
Luka Doncic has SF eligibility on DraftKings, which greatly increases his appeal. Point guard is a loaded position, but small forward is on the thinner side. Doncic missed the Mavericks’ last game, but he has been removed from the injury report and should be ready to command a big workload vs. the Wizards with Kristaps Porzingis out of the lineup. It’s an elite matchup – the Wizards have played at the fastest pace this season – and Doncic has increased his usage rate by +1.3% with Porzingis off the court this season. He has substantial upside in this matchup.
Value
Saddiq Bey is a good bet to lead the Pistons in minutes on Saturday given all their absences. He’s currently projected for 35.9 minutes in our NBA Models, and Bey has increased his production to 0.81 DraftKings points per minute in 10 games without Jerami Grant this season. His matchup vs. the Hornets also results in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +1.37, and he stands out as a strong option across the industry.
Fast Break
The Rockets have shut down John Wall for the rest of the season, which opens the door for Kevin Porter Jr. to serve as their top backcourt option. He didn’t disappoint in his last game without Wall, racking up 50 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds. He finished with 70.5 FanDuel points, so he has monster upside at just $6,100 on FanDuel.
Kent Bazemore rejoined the Warriors in their last game, and he moved right back into the starting lineup. Head coach Steve Kerr announced that Bazemore would start even before Oubre was ruled out, so he should start on Saturday regardless of Oubre’s status. Of course, Oubre and Green being out of the lineup would be a positive for Bazemore, but he’s too cheap even if they’re active. He’s priced at just $4,600 on DraftKings, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 97%.
Power Forward
Stud
Zion Williamson is one of the best values at the position on FanDuel, where his $8,900 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 87%. That makes him a clear stud to target tonight vs. the Timberwolves. The Pelicans’ implied team total of 121.0 points ranks first on the slate, and Williamson’s price tag has decreased by -$800 over the past month. He’s an awesome buy-low candidate.
Value
Moe Wagner is an elite value option on Saturday’s slate. He finished with 20.9 FanDuel points yesterday despite shooting 0-7 from the field, and he remains priced at or near the minimum across the industry. He played 27.7 minutes in that contest, and he’s currently projected for 28.5 minutes in our NBA Models. Wagner has averaged 0.96 FanDuel points per minute this season, so he can do a lot of damage with that much playing time.
Fast Break
Isaiah Stewart is another excellent option for the Pistons. He’s averaged 30.6 minutes in five games without Grant and Mason Plumlee, and he’s responded with 39.1 FanDuel points in those contests. That is a ton of production for someone who costs just $5,800 on FanDuel. His eight Pro Trends are tied for the most at the position, and he also owns a Bargain Rating of 82%.
Isaiah Roby is the best pure value at the position on DraftKings. He’s priced at just $4,500, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 98%, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of his past four games. Roby is currently projected for 26.8 minutes on today’s slate, and he’s averaged 0.94 DraftKings points per minute this season. Pairing Roby with Wagner on DraftKings gives you a ton of lineup flexibility tonight, and they should combine to provide great value.
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic just can’t catch a break recently for fantasy purposes. He remains as dominant as ever on a per-minute basis, but he’s played in four blowouts in his past five games. That’s resulted in less than 30 minutes in three of his past four games, and even Jokic is going to struggle to return value with such minimal playing time.
Hopefully, tonight’s matchup vs. the Clippers will be more competitive. As long as Jokic is on the court for his usual workload, I expect him to return value with Jamal Murray, Will Barton and Monte Morris all out of the lineup.
Value
Center is another position where you can find some excellent value on Saturday. Mo Bamba has quietly revived his career after looking like a major bust, and he’s averaged 1.30 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He’s splitting the center minutes with Wendell Carter Jr., but that hasn’t stopped him from posting an average Plus/Minus of +4.88 over his past 10 games on DraftKings. He’s coming off 39.25 DraftKings points yesterday vs. the Grizzlies, and his $5,000 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 95%.
Fast Break
If you’re looking for a value at the position on FanDuel, you could do a lot worse than Moses Brown. He’s currently projected for 26.2 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged 1.12 FanDuel points per minute this season. His production has dipped a bit over the past month, but he owns an elite Opponent Plus/Minus of +4.23 vs. the Pacers.
Karl-Anthony Towns is another excellent option to pay up for at center, and he’s arguably the top overall option on FanDuel. He owns a Bargain Rating of 87%, and he should be able to rack up fantasy points in a juicy matchup vs. the Pelicans.
