Saturday features a 10-game main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 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 Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
Point Guard
Stud
The top of the point guard position features a trio of studs in Steph Curry, Ja Morant, and Trae Young, but Young is grading out as the best option in our NBA Models. He’s’ posted a positive Plus/Minus on FanDuel in each of his past four games, and his $9,000 salary makes him significantly cheaper than Curry and Morant. Young has historically crushed with a comparable salary, averaging a Plus/Minus of +4.12 (per the Trends tool).
The 76ers aren’t an ideal matchup, but they’ve been far less stout on the defensive end without Ben Simmons this season. They rank just 19th in defensive efficiency to start the year after finishing second in that category last season.
Value
Kemba Walker stands out as one of the best values at the position across the industry. He’s been a strong per-minute producer to start the year, and he’s racked up at least 35.0 DraftKings points in back-to-back games.
The Knicks are also in a strong spot Saturday vs. the Pelicans. They’re currently implied for 110.25 points, which is the sixth-highest mark on the slate, and Walker owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.56 on FanDuel.
Fast Break
Lonzo Ball is coming off his worst game of the season, but he’s an excellent bounce-back candidate at just $6,700 on FanDuel. His price tag comes with a Bargain Rating of 95%, and he scored at least 31.1 FanDuel points in each of his three previous contests. He’s currently projected for a position-high 38.1 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged 0.96 FanDuel points per minute over the past month.
Derrick White is another potential buy-low target. He’s scored 25.25 DraftKings points in two straight games, but he’s shot just 7-21 from the field over that time frame. He’s still averaged nearly 1.00 fantasy points per minute this season, and he’s projected for nearly 36 minutes. He has excellent upside in a pace-up spot vs. the Bucks.
Shooting Guard
Stud
What does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have to do to get some respect? He’s posted a Plus/Minus of at least +8.49 in each of the past three games on FanDuel, yet his salary has barely budged. He’s on track to post a new career-high in both usage rate and rebound rate, so his production doesn’t feel fluky, either. If anything, he’s a candidate for some positive shooting regression moving forward: His field goal and 3-point percentages are both well below his marks from last year.
SGA is an excellent option vs. the Warriors, who have played at the fourth-fastest pace this season.
Value
Gary Trent Jr. has been a nice source of value on DraftKings recently. He’s scored at least 27.75 DraftKings points in three straight games, including 32.75 in his last outing. With that in mind, it doesn’t make much since that his salary has decreased by -$400 for Saturday’s matchup vs. the Pacers. Trent is one of the best pure values at the position on DraftKings, where his $4,600 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 83%.
Fast Break
D’Angelo Russell is one of the toughest players in fantasy to figure out. Some nights he looks like the Timberwolves clear No. 3 option, and others he plays like an absolute superstar. One nice factor for Russell is that his playing time jumped up to 36.1 minutes in his last outing. He had played 29.6 minutes or less in each previous game this season, so that’s a nice spike in playing time. If he’s going to continue to see that kind of volume moving forward, he’s underpriced at $6,800 on DraftKings.
Donovan Mitchell has had a rough start to the year, which has caused his salary to dip to just $8,100 on FanDuel. Mitchell has posted an average Plus/Minus of +5.41 with a comparable price tag since the start of the 2020-21 season, so he has some buy-low appeal at that price tag. Mike Conley is also out of the lineup on Saturday, and Mitchell was excellent in games without Conley last season.
Small Forward
Stud
DeMar DeRozan has fit in perfectly with the Bulls. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus on FanDuel in each of his first five games, and he’s posted a usage rate of at least 30.4% in each of the past four. DeRozan averaged a usage rate of just 26.1% in his final year with the Spurs, so he’s on pace to smash that mark. He’s also evolved into a more complete player over the past few years, so he’s capable of supporting his scoring numbers with assists and rebounds. Overall, he’s averaged 1.13 FanDuel points per minute over the past year, so he’s underpriced at $7,500 vs. the Jazz.
Value
Joe Ingles is the leading candidate to replace Conley in the starting lineup on Saturday, making him very appealing at his current price tag across the industry. Ingles averaged 28.86 FanDuel points in 30 games with at least 30 minutes last year, and he could definitely reach that threshold on Saturday.
Fast Break
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has taken on a far greater role for the Pelicans to start the year, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five of his first six games. He’s done that despite shooting an abysmal 34.7% from the field and 24.0% from 3-point range, so he has some room for improvement as well. He remains underpriced on FanDuel given his Bargain Rating of 91%.
Jimmy Butler is a value on DraftKings, where his $8,600 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 88%. He’s scored at least 52.25 DraftKings points in three straight games, and he’s capable of racking up fantasy points in a variety of ways. He has excellent upside vs. the Grizzlies, who rank 11th in pace and 27th in defensive efficiency to start the year.
Power Forward
Stud
Giannis Antetokounmpo has gotten very pricy across the industry, but he’s justified his massive price tag to start the year. He’s averaged 1.88 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s coming off 78.5 DraftKings points in his last outing.
He’s in an outstanding spot Saturday vs. the Spurs. The Bucks’ implied team total of 115.0 ranks second on the slate, and this game should be played at a breakneck pace. The Bucks rank first in the league in that department, while the Spurs rank sixth. Overall, Giannis ranks second at the power forward position in Opponent Plus/Minus on DraftKings, and fading Giannis in a plus matchup is terrifying.
Value
The Magic’s big-man tandem of Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba continues to provide big value at power forward. Both players are technically centers, but Carter has PF eligibility on DraftKings and both have PF eligibility on FanDuel. Each player has a strong matchup vs. the Pistons, so both players remain in play across the industry.
Fast Break
The Pacers are playing a bit shorthanded at the moment, which means Myles Turner should grab a few additional minutes on Saturday. He’s averaged 1.12 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, so he doesn’t need much playing time to pay off his $5,600 salary.
Jarred Vanderbilt is coming off 33.75 DraftKings points over 30.3 minutes in his last outing. Is that production legit? I’m not 100% sure. He played just 8.8 minutes in his previous contest, so his playing time has been all over the place of late. We currently have him projected for 24.4 minutes in our NBA Models, and Vanderbilt should be able to pay off his $4,000 salary with that much playing time. He’s averaged 0.97 DraftKings points per minute over the past year.
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic was questionable for yesterday’s matchup vs. the Mavericks, but he ended up suiting up and dominating in a comfortable victory. He didn’t need to do much as a scorer – he had just 11 points over 25.3 minutes – but he supplemented that with 16 rebounds, eight assists, and one steal. Jokic has been amazing on a per-minute basis to start the year, so he’s an interesting pivot off Giannis in tournaments. He should check in with much lower ownership, but he has arguably just as much upside.
Value
Jarrett Allen has struggled to get going this year, but it hasn’t been due to a lack of playing time. He’s logged at least 31.2 minutes in each of his past four games, and Allen has averaged 1.06 DraftKings points per minute over the past year. That makes him an excellent buy-low target at just $6,200 on DraftKings given his Bargain Rating of 86%. His matchup vs. the Suns also results in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.52.
Fast Break
Joel Embiid is questionable once again on Saturday, but he’s coming off his best game of the year. He finished with 55.1 FanDuel points, and he looked much more aggressive on the court. His usage rate and rebound rate were both way up, and he got to the free throw line 15 times. If he continues to play that aggressively, he’s a steal at $9,800.
You can definitely continue to roll with Jonas Valanciunas on FanDuel. He’s up to $8,300, but he’s still more than capable of paying off that price tag. He’s seeing plenty of minutes with the Pelicans, and he’s always been a dominant per-minute producer. Valanciunas has scored at least 42.5 FanDuel points in four straight games, and he’s scored at least 48.1 in three of them.
