The NBA has a total of nine games on the scoreboard for this Saturday, and the main DraftKings DFS fantasy basketball slate includes the seven middle games, leaving off the early game in Dallas and the late game in Portland. The seven remaining contests all start between 7:30 p.m. ET and 9:00 p.m. ET, providing players plenty of opportunities to enjoy a “turbo” style slate on Saturday with lots of options all across the board. The Pacers, Timberwolves, and Wizards are all on the road finishing back-to-back sets of games, so those will be especially important injury reports to monitor. At this point in the season, things change quickly due to injury and players getting days off, so be sure to check back for updates to our models as injury reports come out throughout the day.
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 Leverage 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
Point guard has plenty of big names to consider this Saturday, even though a few of them are dealing with injury issues. Jamal Murray stands out, though, as he leads the Nuggets against the Wizards, who are playing for the second night in a row and have been an outstanding matchup to attack for opposing point guards all season.
Murray is probable with an ankle injury, but he hasn’t been slowed by that tag in his last two games, scoring 35 points against the Pelicans and 33 points against the Mavericks. Murray had 60 DraftKings points against New Orleans, as he added nine assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
With Nikola Jokic (knee) out, Murray has been on fire lately, averaging 53.6 DraftKings points per game and 1.41 DraftKings points per minute in the six games he has played since Jokic went down. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in eight of his last 11 games and had four straight games with over 55 DraftKings points before producing “just” 42.5 in his team’s win on Wednesday.
On Saturday, Murray is in a smash spot against the Wizards, who have allowed more DraftKings points per game to point guards than any other team in the NBA. He should be in a prime spot to build around, especially since the Nuggets have the highest implied team total on the slate, according to our Vegas Dashboard.
Value
The Celtics visit the Hawks in one of the earliest games on the main slate, and Anfernee Simons will look to continue his strong recent run. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate on Saturday and should get plenty of time since the Celtics listed Payton Pritchard (ankle) as doubtful.
Pritchard played limited minutes on Thursday against the Heat, and Simons exploded for a season-high 39 points and 54.5 DraftKings points. He has produced at least 25 DraftKings points in five of his last seven games, scoring 15+ points in six of those seven games. He’s adjusted nicely to his role in the second unit and has become a key contributor for Boston, who is second in the Eastern Conference even without Jayson Tatum (Achilles).
Simons probably won’t match his massive scoring output from Thursday, but he should be able to be a strong value play at his $5,000 salary since he should help absorb the minutes and usage Pritchard vacates.
Fast Break
There’s no shortage of star power at point guard with Cade Cunningham and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander always bringing extremely high ceilings. With a little lower salary, though, LaMelo Ball has a much better Plus/Minus and brings good upside against the Warriors. Ball had 30 points, 11 assists, and 61 DraftKings points against the Lakers. He scored 25+ points and produced over 45 DraftKings points in three of his last four games.
The Suns listed Devin Booker (ankle) as questionable for their Saturday night game in New York, and whether Booker plays or not, Collin Gillespie has proven that he can produce solid fantasy production. Gillespie brings a high ceiling with his excellent outside shooting and has also produced good non-scoring numbers during his breakout season. He had 34 DraftKings points without Booker on Thursday in a narrow loss to the Pistons, and he has at least 25 DraftKings points in five of his last six contests.
Wizards guard Bub Carrington moved into the starting lineup on Friday and had 11 points, nine assists, and 31 DraftKings points in the team’s loss to the Kings. Bilal Coulibaly (back) will miss another game, and Trae Young (knee/quad) is out through the All-Star break, which could continue to open the door for Carrington to produce solid value. He’s exceeded salary-based expectations in five of his last six games.
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
Sometimes it can be helpful to have different perspectives on a specific position, and one great way to get different looks is by using the ShotQuality projections, which can be built right into your models page. In the ShotQuality projections for Saturday, Stephon Castle stands out as an excellent option to consider, with the fourth-highest ceiling projection and sixth-highest Plus/Minus projection of all shooting guards.
Castle and the Spurs are taking on the Timberwolves in one of the best games on the slate, and Castle will look to build on his recent production. On Tuesday, Castle had 20 points, eight assists, and 41.75 DraftKings points, and he followed that up with 19 points, 10 assists, and 37.25 DraftKings points against the Bucks on Thursday.
He exceeded salary-based expectations in each of those matchups and should be in a fun head-to-head matchup against Anthony Edwards if both can play. Edwards and Castle are both questionable, with Castle dealing with an illness. If he’s unable to play, Dylan Harper and Lindy Waters would be candidates for expanded roles.
Value
Behind Simons, Jalen Pickett has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus in the FantasyLabs projections at shooting guard. Pickett has been very productive while helping fill in for Christian Braun (ankle) and Cameron Johnson (knee).
He has scored at least seven points in six straight games dating back to his monster game of 29 points and 47.25 DraftKings points against the Sixers when Murray was unavailable. With Murray, though, Pickett has still been very solid, with over 22 DraftKings points in four straight.
With a great home matchup against the Wizards and plenty of work still coming his way, Pickett is a solid play at just over $5,000 at either guard spot.
Fast Break
Derrick White has had a couple of down games, but he should help carry the load if Pritchard is out, as expected. White has the highest ceiling projection of all shooting guards in the FantasyLabs projections, edging out Booker and Edwards, who are both questionable.
For the Heat, both Tyler Herro and Norman Powell are solid shooting guard options, but Powell projects to be a better value since he has a lower salary. Powell has exceeded salary-based expectations in eight of his last 11 games. Powell scored over 25 points in each of his last two games, and he has the upside to get over 50 DraftKings points if he goes off against OKC.
The Pistons’ Duncan Robinson is a solid bargain play to consider at only $4,000 since he is coming off back-to-back big games. He has been dealing with a calf injury, but he has scored at least 12 points in four of the last five games that he has played, with 20 points against the Clippers and 19 points against the Suns in his two most recent contests. He doesn’t add a ton of non-scoring numbers, but at this low salary, he doesn’t need to in order to return value.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
After missing Monday’s game with a back injury, Jaylen Brown returned Thursday and had 34.2 DraftKings points on 27 points in the team’s win over the Heat. Simons picked up a lot of the offense, but Brown was still the focus, taking 24 shots. He’s had high volume all season without Tatum and should continue to get plenty of shots against the Hawks on Saturday.
Brown has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections of all small forwards on Saturday’s slate in both sets of projections. The Hawks have given up the second-most fantasy points per game to small forwards this season, so it should be a great matchup for Brown in Atlanta.
Looking at the entire slate as a whole, Brown makes sense as a piece to build around since he has the second-highest median, ceiling, and floor projections on the board at all positions behind only Murray, and he has been consistently strong throughout this season. With more depth at point guard, the alternatives to Murray are a little clearer than the alternatives to Brown at small forward, where there aren’t quite as many good plays.
Value
Brown’s teammate Sam Hauser has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at both small forward and power forward in the FantasyLabs projections and the second-highest at both positions in the ShotQuality projections.
Hauser is extremely affordable at only $4,100, and he has stepped into a bigger role for the Celtics in their last several contests, playing at least 29 minutes in each of his last four games. He exceeded salary-based expectations in each of those four games, averaging 24.6 DraftKings points per game.
On Thursday, Hauser had 17 points and 28.75 DraftKings points against the Heat, and he should be in a favorable matchup to put up another good game since the Hawks have been so generous to opposing forwards this season.
Fast Break
Jalen Williams of the Thunder has the second-highest ceiling projection at the position, and his salary is $2,500 cheaper than Brown’s. He has dished out 10 assists in two of his last four games and scored 16+ points in six of his last seven. He has been consistently around 30 DraftKings points per game with a spike game to 51.75 DraftKings points in a double-double against Memphis.
As a mid-range option for the Suns, Royce O’Neale has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of his last 10 games. He had 30.75 DraftKings points against the Pistons and has been able to put up over 30 DraftKings points four times in his last six games. If Booker is out, he’ll have more responsibility on offense, but either way, he’s a solid value play.
Wizards forward Will Riley has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward in the FantasyLabs projections, and he has been productive when given playing time. The rookie first-round pick has played at least 19 minutes in his three most recent games, contributing 16.5, 17.5, and 10.2 DraftKings points. Depending on whom the Wizards have available, Riley could be busy again on Saturday. If he is, he’ll be a great bargain forward play.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Even though he has cooled off a little bit recently, Jalen Johnson still brings an incredibly high ceiling as the focus of the Hawks’ offense. Johnson has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at the position, and if you can afford his salary of over $10,000, he brings the highest pure ceiling at the position.
He has struggled a little bit in recent games, with just 28.2 and 33.2 DraftKings points in his two games earlier this week. On the season, though, he’s still producing 52.1 DraftKings points per game on 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers per contest.
Johnson is in a tougher matchup against the Celtics, which is why his projections are a little lower than Murray’s and Brown’s, but he still brings triple-double potential and the ability to absolutely dominate the slate if he has one of his impressive, well-balanced games. Johnson’s ownership projection is under 3%, so he could be a great source of leverage in GPP contests if he does have a good game.
Value
In the ShotQuality projections, Justin Champagnie has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at both forward spots. Champagnie has stepped up for the Wizards, playing heavy minutes in his 12 games since Christmas. He got a spot start on Friday and produced 27.2 DraftKings points, and he will be an excellent value if he gets another start on Saturday against the Nuggets.
In his last 12 games, Champagnie has produced 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 three-pointers for 25.4 DraftKings points per game. With his salary still hovering just under $5,000, he’s a good option if you pass on the top forwards on the board and opt to play a mid-range salary player.
It is important if you include him in your roster builds that you double-check the Wizards’ injury report before tip-off, since his playing time could get squeezed depending on who else plays on the second night of his team’s back-to-back.
Fast Break
Even in a matchup against the Spurs, Julius Randle deserves a look since he has excelled while helping to fill in for Anthony Edwards, who is questionable for this contest. Randle has exceeded salary-based expectations in three of his last four games and is coming off 39 points and 47.5 DraftKings points in a close loss to the Rockets on Friday. If he’s asked to be the focus of the offense again on Saturday, he’ll be a solid power forward to include in roster builds.
Andrew Wiggins has the third-highest Plus/Minus projection at power forward in both sets of projections. He’ll be taking on the Thunder, who have been good against the position, but he has posted over 30 DraftKings points in two of his last three games, and he had 40.2 DraftKings points against the Thunder when they met last Sunday.
While the Nuggets have been working around injuries, Tim Hardaway Jr. has given them good production off the bench. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games and nine of his last 13. He has scored 10+ points in seven straight games, with a pair of ceiling games in which he scored 25+ points.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Bam Adebayo has the second-highest ceiling and floor projections at center behind Victor Wembanyama on Saturday night in the FantasyLabs projections. The ShotQuality projections slot him in third behind Wemby and Karl-Anthony Towns, but he’s a much easier play to build around than those two stars since he comes so much cheaper. In fact, in the ShotQuality projections, Bam brings the second-highest Plus/Minus projection at the position.
Adebayo had a massive game against the Suns on Tuesday, producing 29 points, nine boards, and 53.75 DraftKings points. He stayed hot on Thursday with 22 points and 35.5 DraftKings points against the Celtics.
He managed to pull in 14 rebounds last week against the Thunder but only had six points and 32.5 DraftKings points. In the rematch in Miami, he should be able to pick up more points, and if he continues his strong work on the glass, he is a good threat for a strong double-double and good value return.
Value
If you opt to go cheap at center, Neemias Queta has the highest Plus/Minus projection at the position in both sets of projections. Queta has been a consistent contributor for the Celtics all season, and he will likely get the start against the Hawks and Onyeka Okongwu on Saturday night.
Queta is only $5,500 but has produced more than 30 DraftKings points in four of his last six games. He had nine points and nine boards against Adebayo on Thursday, coming up just short of a double-double, and he’s had near-misses for double-doubles in several of his last few games.
While he doesn’t have a deep offensive game or a high ceiling, he consistently produces strong non-scoring numbers and can be a very solid mid-range solution at the position.
Fast Break
Victor Wembanyama has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection at center on Saturday, and if you can afford his salary, he brings impressive upside. He’s been playing limited minutes but still producing good totals, so if he gets more run against the Wolves, he could go off for a monster game.
Without Jalen Brunson on Wednesday, the Knicks lost to the Warriors despite a big game from Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 20 rebounds and 50.5 DraftKings points. Brunson is questionable for Saturday’s home game, and if he’s out, KAT could shoulder more of the load once again. He’s higher risk because he’s more expensive than Bam, but he brings greater upside, especially if Brunson needs another game to recover.
If you want to go ultra-cheap at the position, Oso Ighodaro is under $4,000 and has the third-highest Plus/Minus projection at center in the FantasyLabs projections. He had 10 points and 27.75 DraftKings points on Thursday against the Pistons, and he’s working into a more involved role for the Suns in their current rotation, making him a great bargain punt play to consider.
