After monster slates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this past week, the NBA has just three games on the main slate this Saturday. Two games tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET when contests lock, and the final game of the night features the Clippers hosting the Raptors to close out the slate. Of the six teams on the slate, the Hawks, Nets, Clippers, and Cavs are all playing for the second day in a row, while the Raptors have had two games off since their most recent game.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
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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
James Harden has the top ceiling, median, and floor projection at point guard this Saturday. Without Kawhi Leonard (knee), Harden has a 31.8% usage rate for the Clippers this season and continues to carry the load coming into what should be a favorable matchup with the Raptors’ injury-depleted lineup. Even though he has the second-highest salary at the position, he has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards in our projections as well.
In his nine games for the Clippers this season, Harden is averaging exactly 50.0 DraftKings points per game and producing 1.44 DraftKings points per minute. He has scored six double-doubles and a triple-double this year, which came against the Suns when he produced a season-high 68 DraftKings points. He’s been held under 45 DraftKings points in three straight games, but the Clippers have won each of those contests, and the usage is still there to give him a very high ceiling.
Harden and the Clippers have the highest Pace Differential on the slate in this matchup with Toronto. The Raptors may get Immanuel Quickley ($7,600; pelvis) back from an injury that has forced him to miss eight straight games, but it’s still a good spot for Harden either way.
Value
The Cavs are 10-0 as they host the Nets to finish both teams’ back-to-back. Multiple players have been stepping up for Cleveland during its hot start, but Darius Garland has been one of the most productive fantasy options. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus on Saturday’s slate at point guard and still comes at a relatively affordable salary under $7,000.
Garland had 46.75 DraftKings points on Friday, knocking down six three-pointers. His long-range shooting has improved from 37.1% last season to 48.6% so far this season. He also consistently adds strong non-scoring numbers, which help him average a solid 37.1 DraftKings points per game and 1.27 DraftKings points per minute on the season. Overall, he is averaging 20.5 points, 6.7 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 29.2 minutes per game.
The Cavs will continue to count on Garland to run the show next to Donovan Mitchell, and the backcourt duo will look to keep the undefeated start to the season rolling against the Nets after crushing the Warriors at home on Friday.
Fast Break
Aside from Harden, the other pay-up option at point guard is Trae Young. Young and the Hawks host the Bulls in the matchup with the highest over/under on the slate. Trae has had 50+ DraftKings points in three of his last four games, including Friday in Detroit, where he scored 35 points to go with 13 assists on his way to 64 DraftKings points in the Hawks’ loss. He’s a little more expensive than Harden, and his projections are slightly lower in this matchup, but he still brings an incredibly high ceiling with his 30.2% usage rate and a production rate of 1.40 DraftKings points per minute.
On the other side of the Hawks-Bulls matchup, the availability of Zach LaVine (thigh) is a key storyline to follow. LaVine has missed three straight games and is questionable for Saturday. If he’s out, Ayo Dosunmu would likely get another start and bring good upside, while Coby White ($7,100) and Josh Giddey ($7,200) would also be set up for more work. If LaVine returns, those players would all have lower usage, but the Bulls would have more offensive upside overall.
Kevin Porter Jr. is the only point guard with a better Projected Plus/Minus on Saturday night than Harden. He has been coming off the bench in a limited role for the Clippers this season and producing 0.98 DraftKings points per minute. He has shown he can put up points or non-scoring numbers in bursts off the bench, which makes him a viable value play even though his ceiling is limited unless someone else in the backcourt is hurt.
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
Even with LaVine in our projections to start the day, Coby White has the highest ceiling projection of all shooting guards and the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position.
White has stepped up with LaVine out and has a 24.4% usage rate that trails only LaVine for the team lead. With LaVine off the floor, White’s usage rate jumps to 27.75%, and he has produced 1.14 DraftKings points per minute in that situation. White is averaging 34.2 DraftKings points per game on the season and has produced 33.75 DraftKings points per game in the three games LaVine has missed.
If LaVine is out Saturday, White will have an even higher ceiling and become almost a must-play in this favorable matchup in Atlanta. If LaVine plays, there is less chance of a blowout, and White is still a solid play even though his ceiling isn’t quite as high.
White has scored 20+ points in five of his last six games with over 30 DraftKings points in each of those contests. His best game during that stretch was a 28-point performance against the Jazz that showed off his ceiling with 47.5 DraftKings points.
Value
One of the exciting new features this year on FantasyLabs this season is our partnership with ShotQuality for NBA Projections. Both the FantasyLabs and ShotQuality projections point to Garrison Mathews as an outstanding value at shooting guard with his bargain salary of just $3,200, barely over the minimum.
Mathews has scored at least eight points off the bench for the Hawks in five straight games. He had a season-high 23 points and 36.75 DraftKings points last Friday against the Kings, and he has that kind of spike potential if his shot starts dropping Saturday against the Bulls.
Even if he doesn’t go off, he has been involved enough to be a very solid bargain play that allows you to spend up in other spots. He played 27 minutes on Friday in Detroit, his second-biggest workload of the season. While Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) and De’Andre Hunter (knee) are out, he’s a big enough part of the rotation to be a value consideration, and if someone is out for the second night of the road back-to-back, Mathews will have even more potential.
Fast Break
Donovan Mitchell has the highest ceiling projection at shooting guard in the ShotQuality projections. He hasn’t had to carry the offensive workload every night this season for the Cavs but can still go off with a huge game when called upon. So far, he’s averaging 1.22 DraftKings points per minute on the year with a team-high 32.3% usage rate. He hasn’t been as productive in non-scoring stats as Garland has been, but he still has a sky-high scoring ceiling.
The Nets have turned into a gritty, hustling team this season, and Dennis Schroder has stepped up as a great floor general to lead them. He had three straight games with 45+ DraftKings points earlier this season, and even though his shooting has calmed down a little, he still has scored 20+ points in six of his last eight games. He could get a little more work vs. the Cavs with Ben Simmons (injury management) expected to sit the second night of the back-to-back.
Cavs guard Caris LeVert has performed above salary-based expectations in four straight games, with over 27 DraftKings points in each of those games. He has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all shooting guards under $5,000 in the FantasyLabs projections and the third-highest in that price range in the ShotQuality projections.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Whether Quickley returns or misses another game, RJ Barrett will continue to be a strong option, as he leads the Raptors’ offense without Scottie Barnes (eye). Barrett has the highest median, floor, and ceiling projection of all small forwards and is worth considering even though his salary is up to almost $9,000.
Barrett has a 33.0% usage rate in his six games and hasn’t played alongside Quickley at all since they’ve both been on the shelf at different times this year. In his six games, Barrett is averaging an impressive 1.36 DraftKings points per minute. He had a 16-point, 10-assist double-double to start this road trip in Denver earlier this week with 40.5 DraftKings points, and he had 34.25 DraftKings points in his most recent game in Sacramento.
Barrett’s usage could tick down if Quickley is back, but since the Raptors should be more likely to keep the game close, he actually still has a high ceiling either way. He’s not the value he was last weekend when his salary was lower, but he’s still a good play if you can make his salary work under your cap.
Value
Hawks’ rookie Zaccharie Risacher has been streaky in his first 10 NBA games, but he has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all small forwards on Saturday night’s slate and brings a lot of upside at his mid-range salary.
Risacher went off for 33 points and 59.25 DraftKings points on Wednesday against the Knicks but came back to earth with seven points and 18.25 DraftKings points in Detroit on Friday.
He can still be boom or bust like many rookies, and he offers a wide range of outcomes. His upside in this favorable matchup with the Bulls, though, makes him a solid mid-range target on Saturday’s slate.
Fast Break
A huge reason for the Clippers’ staying afloat while without Kawhi at the helm has been the improved play of Norman Powell. Powell has exceeded salary-based expectations in six straight games and scored 20+ points in eight straight. He had the first double-double of his 10-year NBA career on Friday and finished with 53.5 DraftKings points against the Kings. He’s not a cheap play (he’s over $7,000 after his recent success), but he still brings enough upside to be worth a look against his former team, the Raptors.
Dyson Daniels has been a good fit for the Hawks starting alongside Trae Young. He had 18 points, a season-high seven steals and 42.75 DraftKings points on Friday in Detroit. He is averaging 28.7 DraftKings points per game on the season and is a solid mid-range play in what should be a favorable spot vs. the Bulls.
With Simmons expected to sit, Jalen Wilson should be a usable value play at small forward from his price point of only $3,700. Wilson has played 22+ minutes in each of his last five games, averaging 18.2 DraftKings points per contest. He had a high point of 26.5 DraftKings points during that run but has gone 0 for 10 from three-point range in the nets’ last two games.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Jalen Johnson has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all players on the entire slate in both the FantasyLabs and ShotQuality projections for Saturday night. He also has the top median, ceiling, and floor projections at power forward.
Johnson has stepped up for the Hawks this season after the team traded Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans. He has played the most minutes on the team and has the second-highest usage (24.4%) behind only Trae Young. In his 10 games, he has averaged 1.19 DraftKings points per minute and has exceeded salary-based expectations in five of his last seven games.
On Friday, he struggled with his shot a little bit but still worked his way to 20 points and 35.25 DraftKings points. He showed a much higher ceiling earlier this week with double-doubles at home against the Celtics and Knicks that resulted in 41.25 and 56.25 DraftKings points, respectively.
The Bulls have been a great matchup for power forwards this season, and Johnson should be in a smash spot at home this Saturday.
Value
The Nets have given Dorian Finney-Smith a starting spot in all nine of his games this season, and he has chipped in solid production across the box score. He has produced a mediocre 0.81 DraftKings points per minute but is playing almost 29 minutes a game, which still is enough to keep him as a reliable value play from this salary under $5,000.
DFS had an impressive 31.5 DraftKings points last Monday against Memphis but only managed 16.25 DraftKings points in 31 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Celtics. He fell short of salary-based expectations in that game for the first time in his last six games.
He’ll look to bounce back against the Cavs, who typically play good defense but have given up the second-most DraftKings points per game to power forwards this season.
Fast Break
Finney-Smith’s teammate Cameron Johnson has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games and in six of his last seven. He has the fourth-highest ceiling projection of all power forwards on Saturday’s slate and is a solid mid-range option to consider at just over $6,000.
The Clippers continue to use a rotation at power forward with Leonard sidelined. Derrick Jones Jr. has been getting most of the minutes, which makes him a relatively safe play with a limited ceiling, while Amir Coffey has a little more offensive potential but doesn’t usually play quite as many minutes. Coffey has scored double-digit points in three straight games, though, and his role has been growing since his 21-point explosion off the bench on Monday against the Spurs. At only $4,000, Coffey has a solid Projected Plus/Minus and a high ceiling against the Raptors.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
There are three centers with similar price points and projections on Saturday night with Nikola Vucevic, Jakob Poeltl, and Ivica Zubac all coming in very close to each other. LaVine’s absence would push Vucivic into my top spot, but since I think LaVine will play, I’m leaning toward Zubac as my current preferred play.
The Raptors have given up the most DraftKings points per game to opposing centers this season, and Zubac has been very consistent and productive throughout his nine games to start the year. He’s averaging 1.16 DraftKings points per minute while playing 34.4 minutes per game. He has double-doubles in three of his last five games, with 38+ DraftKings points in each of those double-doubles, falling just one point short and one rebound short in his two games without a double-double.
Zubac had 13 points, 15 boards, and five assists on Friday against the Kings on his way to 44.25 DraftKings points. He posted over 38 DraftKings points in five of his last eight games including two games with over 50 DraftKings points in dominant performances against the Warriors and Nuggets. Zubac is my slightly preferred play from this top group, although all are strong plays.
Value
Priced just below those top three options, Jarrett Allen actually has a slightly higher Projected Plus/Minus in the FantasyLabs projections than all three of them. He has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers on the slate and should get a boost from facing his former team, the Nets.
He has stacked up four straight double-doubles with at least 34 DraftKings points in each game and a high point of 49.25 DraftKings points against the Bucks on Monday. He only had to play 30 minutes in Friday’s rout of the Warriors, so he should be ready for a regular workload vs. the Nets.
His defensive numbers are consistent, and when he contributes assists as well, he can be a truly elite play. He posted seven straight double-doubles against the Nets before finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds in his most recent matchup against his former team.
Fast Break
Nic Claxton has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers and will be a great value option if he’s cleared to play on the second night of the Nets back-to-back. If he’s ruled out, Noah Clowney will have huge value potential since Trendon Watford (hamstring) and Day’Ron Sharpe (hamstring) are still out.
Jalen Smith (knee) is probable for the Bulls but has been playing through his knee contusion. He has over 18 DraftKings points in three of his last five games and contributed nine points and six rebounds against the Timberwolves on Thursday. At just $3,700, he is a solid punt play at center who can chip in solid production in his limited role off the bench.
