The NBA has a stacked Saturday schedule with nine games spread throughout the afternoon and evening. Seven of those games are on the main slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Mavs, Nuggets, Warriors, Knicks, and Suns are each finishing their back-to-back by playing for the second night in a row, so be sure to keep a close eye out for their injury reports to see what to expect from their rotations. Keep a close eye on the latest news and updates, as the models will adjust to compensate for any availability updates before tip off.
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.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
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
Tyrese Maxey has been red-hot lately and gets a great matchup against the Jazz, who have allowed the second-most DraftKings points to point guards this season. Maxey may or may not have Joel Embiid (foot, sinus) alongside since the big man is questionable, but he has proven he can put up monster stats whether playing alongside Embiid or carrying more of the scoring workload himself.
Maxey has over 60 DraftKings points in each of his last two games and in four of his last seven. He thrived in the Christmas Day spotlight with 33 points, 12 assists, and 65.5 DraftKings points against the Celtics.
Over the last few weeks, Maxey has carried a heavy workload, logging 35+ minutes in 11 of his last 12 games and exceeding salary-based expectations in seven of those contests with an average Plus/Minus of +5.9 DraftKings points and a production rate of 1.28 DraftKings points per minute.
Value
Austin Reaves was another Christmas Day hero who is set up for continued Saturday success, especially if either Anthony Davis (ankle) or LeBron James (illness) is ruled out. Both Lakers’ stars are questionable and missed practice on Friday, so there seems to be a real shot one or both are absent, vacating more usage for Reaves to step up and absorb.
Reaves has the sixth-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards even with both Lakers’ stars in the projections, and his numbers would climb even higher if more usage is available.
Reaves had a 26-point triple-double on Christmas and hit the game-winning shot over the Warriors to finish with 60.5 DraftKings points. He has been playing well since returning from a two-week absence due to a pelvic contusion. In his five games since returning, he has averaged 1.17 DraftKings points per minute and 40.5 DraftKings points per game.
He and the Lakers face the Kings and their new interim coach Doug Christie on Saturday night in the late game in Los Angeles.
Fast Break
Cade Cunningham is the most expensive point guard expected to play on Saturday, and he has the highest ceiling projection at the position. He has at least 55 DraftKings points in six of his last eight games, exceeding salary-based expectations in each of those six games. The Pistons have knocked off the Suns, Lakers, and Kings to start their road trip, which continues Saturday with a stop in Denver.
Jamal Murray has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards and has scored 20+ points in five of his last six games. He had 27 points, 11 assists, and 52.25 DraftKings points on Friday in a loss to the Cavs, and he has an even more favorable matchup at home on Monday against the Pistons. He has produced 44.7 DraftKings points per game at the rate of 1.13 DraftKings points per minute over his last five contests.
If you opt to go cheap at point guard, Scoot Henderson and Miles McBride stand out as affordable plays. Each has an excellent Projected Plus/Minus and can save significant salary. Henderson had 18 points, 10 assists, and 41.5 DraftKings points on Thursday against the Jazz and has thrived recently in his role as the Blazers’ sixth man, scoring double-digit points in three straight and continuing to produce strong peripherals as well.
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
Kyrie Irving has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all players on the entire slate and the highest ceiling projection of all shooting guards. He’ll have to continue to carry the load on offense for the Mavericks while Luka Doncic (calf) is out for at least a month. Irving is still affordable in comparison to his ceiling on Saturday with a salary of under $8,500.
On Friday, Kyrie helped the Mavs get a win without Luka over the Suns with 20 points, five assists, and 34.5 DraftKings points in 40 minutes. He had a 32.3% usage rate and hit a handful of three-pointers, even though his overall shooting percentage was below his regular average.
Irving leads the team with a 30.1% usage rate with Doncic off the floor this season and has averaged 1.20 DraftKings points per minute in that situation. He had 50+ DraftKings points on Christmas Day in the loss to Minnesota when Luka went down, so he brings an elite ceiling to what should be a very favorable matchup against Portland.
Irving shot 50% from the field against the Blazers when they met on Monday and had 20 points and 31.75 DraftKings points in 29 minutes in Dallas’s comfortable victory.
Value
One of the exciting new features this year on FantasyLabs this season has been our partnership with ShotQuality. The ShotQuality projections identify Corey Kispert as a strong potential value for the Wizards, giving him the fourth-best Projected Plus/Minus at both shooting guard and small forward. He also has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all players with salaries under $4,000 at any position.
Kispert already has the potential to be a good value, but he’d be an even stronger play if Jordan Poole (hip) is out. Poole is questionable while Kyle Kuzma (ribs) remains out.
Kispert has played over 25 minutes in each of his last three games since returning from a sprained ankle that forced him to miss five games. He has scored 13+ points in three of his four games since coming back, posting 20.6 DraftKings points per game over that stretch and making multiple three-pointers in each game.
While the fourth-year wing from Gonzaga doesn’t bring an incredibly high ceiling, he does get a boost in usage and production rate if Poole is out. Whether Poole is in or out, Kispert is a very solid bargain play under $4,000.
Fast Break
Zach LaVine has shown he can produce spike games with huge totals, scoring 35+ points and producing 50+ DraftKings points in two of his last four games. He and the Bulls host the Bucks in a Central Division showdown on Saturday, and LaVine has the fourth-highest ceiling projection of all shooting guards in both the FantasyLabs and ShotQuality projections.
Collin Sexton has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games with over 35 DraftKings points in each contest. He had 30 points and 51.5 DraftKings points against the Pistons to start that streak and posted a double-double with 19 points, 11 assists, and 39.25 DraftKings points in his most recent game on Thursday. With Keyonte George (ankle) and Jordan Clarkson (foot) questionable, Sexton could step up into a big role against the Sixers, so be sure to monitor updates from Utah to see if Sexton will carry the load again on Saturday.
Even with Dennis Schroder in the mix, Brandin Podziemski has been able to post good numbers for the Warriors, exceeding salary-based expectations in four of his last five games. On Friday, he had 27 DraftKings points against the Clippers with Stephen Curry (injury management) out. While he will likely play a reduced role with Curry back, he still has a good Projected Plus/Minus at just $4,000 and had over 22 DraftKings points in three of his last four with Curry in the lineup.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
The Knicks have the highest implied team total on Saturday’s slate, and they have a few strong options to consider at forward since the Wizards have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to small forwards and the most fantasy points to power forwards in the NBA this season.
Josh Hart has the second-highest ceiling projection at the position in both sets of projections and the highest Projected Plus/Minus of small forwards in the ShotQuality projections.
Hart is coming off back-to-back double-doubles, giving him 10 double-doubles in his 30 games this season. He has averaged 1.01 DraftKings points per minute on the season but has over 33 DraftKings points in five of his last six games.
On Friday in Orlando, Hart fell just short of 50 DraftKings points, with 23 points, 13 boards, and 49.25 DraftKings points in 38 minutes. He’ll look to continue to post strong numbers in this stop in Washington on Saturday night.
Value
Hart’s teammate OG Anunoby has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward in the FantasyLabs projections and the second-highest in the ShotQuality projections. Anunoby is a little cheaper than Hart and still brings a good ceiling to this favorable matchup.
Anunoby scored just eight points in each of his last two games, which made for disappointing fantasy totals, but he went off for 31 points and 48.75 DraftKings points against the Raptors to start the week on Monday.
He has a high ceiling if he contributes good scoring but can sometimes fade into the background a bit if scoring comes from other sources. Anunoby is slightly riskier than Hart but will save salary and provide good potential value under $6,000 if he is aggressive on offense on Saturday night.
Fast Break
The ShotQuality projections give Michael Porter Jr. a top-five ceiling projection at small forward and the sixth-highest Projected Plus/Minus. MPJ has scored 24, 22, and 18 points in his last three games and produced at least 29.5 DraftKings points. Depending on how the Nuggets’ rotation looks on the second night of the back-to-back, he could get even more work, and he also should be slightly busier with Aaron Gordon (calf) sidelined.
Royce O’Neale has come off the bench in each of the last two games for the Suns but still found ways to contribute. He had 30.5 DraftKings points on Christmas Day against Denver and finished with 35.25 DraftKings points in Friday night’s loss to the Mavs. O’Neale always turns in good non-scoring numbers and has at least nine points in 10 of his last 11 games. He’s in the top seven in Projected Plus/Minus at small forward in both sets of projections, just ahead of his cheaper teammate Ryan Dunn, who is also an option off the Phoenix bench on the wing.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
After leading the Bucks to the NBA Emirates NBA Cup win, Giannis Antetokounmpo played one game before missing three straight due to back spasms and illness. He and fellow Bucks superstar Damian Lillard (illness) are both questionable against the Bulls, but Giannis will be in a smash start if he is ready to return on Saturday.
He had over 60 DraftKings points in each of his last three games and averaged 62.5 DraftKings points in his two matchups against the Bulls earlier this season. The last time he faced them, he had 41 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and 65.75 DraftKings points.
If Giannis is out, Bobby Portis will be a strong value against his former team. Last Monday, Portis had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 46.25 DraftKings points while filling in for Giannis against the Bulls, and he may be in the same spot Saturday.
Value
Hart, Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa (more below) are atop the Projected Plus/Minus at power forward in their juicy matchup with the Wizards, but Jonathan Kuminga is another option to consider at the position.
Kuminga came up huge last night for Golden State while Curry and Draymond Green (back) were out. He finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and 60.5 DraftKings points in the Warriors’ loss to the Clippers.
The 22-year-old has shown huge upside but has been maddeningly inconsistent throughout the season. Overall, he’s averaging 1.09 DraftKings points per minute, but that number jumps to 1.32 DraftKings points per minute in the four games he has played without Draymond. Whether Curry plays or not, Kuminga will be worth a look if Green misses a second straight game on Saturday.
Fast Break
LeBron James continues to post great numbers when available, although he could miss his third game this month. He has over 55 DraftKings points in each of his last three games after dropping 31 points on the Warriors on Christmas Day. If he plays and Anthony Davis sits, James will be a must-start against the Kings, and if both stars play, he’s still a very solid option. He has the second-highest ceiling projections at power forward behind only Giannis in both sets of projections.
In his 24 games this season for the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen has averaged 33.6 DraftKings points per game, but he has exceeded that average in each of his last four games while also exceeding salary-based expectations. He had a ceiling game last Thursday in Detroit, dropping 27 points and 14 rebounds on his way to 52.5 DraftKings points and is coming off another strong showing on Thursday that resulted in 41.5 DraftKings points against Portland.
Achiuwa has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards in the ShotQuality projections after exceeding salary-based expectations in four of his last five games. He’s typically playing about 20 minutes off the Knicks’ bench and contributing his typically elite non-scoring numbers. In his current role, his ceiling is limited, but he is also very cheap at only $3,500.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
The Nuggets lost to the Cavs in one of Friday night’s highest-scoring games, but it’s hard to blame Nikola Jokic since he had another monster triple-double, finishing with 74 DraftKings points on 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists.
He has the highest ceiling projection on the slate by a wide margin in both sets of projections in his favorable matchup at home against the Pistons.
Whenever there is enough value on the slate to pay all the way up for a superstar, the Joker is a strong option to consider since he has both a high ceiling and a high floor. He has averaged 67.3 DraftKings points per game this season at the impressive production rate of 1.81 DraftKings points per minute.
Value
The Warriors have gotten very good production from Trayce Jackson-Davis over the last few weeks, and he’s a great bargain at only $4,300 on Saturday. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers and the second-highest on the entire slate in both sets of projections behind only Kyrie.
TJD has double-digit points in four straight games since returning to the starting lineup and has come up just short of a double-double with at least eight rebounds in each of those four contests. In Friday’s loss to the Clippers, he played 31 minutes and had 15 points, nine boards, and 32.25 DraftKings points.
Especially if Draymond misses another game, Jackson-Davis will continue to be a great cheap play at center for as long as his salary stays under $5,000 and his role with the Warriors’ starting five is secure.
Fast Break
As has been the case most of his career, Joel Embiid has been effective when available, although he has battled multiple injuries. After being ejected on Monday against the Spurs, he had 27 points, nine rebounds, and 42.25 DraftKings points against the Celtics on Christmas. If he’s available against the Jazz, he could end up being a bargain with his salary under $9,500. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers with salaries over $5,000 in the FantasyLabs projections.
As a mid-range target, Jonas Valanciunas has posted several big games for the Wizards over the last month. He had at least 40 DraftKings points in each of his last four games in which he played at least 20 minutes, and he played 23 minutes off the bench on Thursday while producing 14 points and 12 rebounds. Rookie Alexandre Sarr has started ahead of Valanciunas when available, and both have solid upside against the Knicks, especially if Poole is absent, making more usage available.
Former Wizard Daniel Gafford played 29 minutes for the Mavericks on Friday after Dereck Lively II was ruled out with a hip contusion. Gafford finished with 16 points, five boards, two blocks, and 27.25 DraftKings points. In his six games without Lively this season, Gafford has averaged 27.2 DraftKings points per game, and he will be a great bargain center at just over $4,000 if he’s in that spot again on Saturday in a very favorable matchup against the Trail Blazers.
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