Saturday features a seven-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Point Guard
Stud
It’s honestly getting boring to write about Russell Westbrook every single time he’s on the slate, but he’s must-play at the moment. He’s posted a dominant average Plus/Minus of +10.64 over his past 10 games, and he’s increased his production to 1.69 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
He’s also carrying one of the largest workloads in the league, and no one on today’s slate is projected for more minutes in our NBA Models. That’s a great combination, particularly in an elite matchup vs. the Pacers. They have really struggled defensively of late, and the Wizards’ massive implied team total of 126.25 is the to mark on the slate.
Value
The Raptors are in full tank mode at the moment, and they will be without Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby on today’s slate. That means Malachi Flynn should handle the point guard minutes, and he has thrived in that role this season. He’s played seven games this season with both Lowry and VanVleet out of the lineup, and he’s averaged 35.18 DraftKings points in those contests. That makes him an elite target, particularly on DraftKings given his Bargain Rating of 92%.
Fast Break
Steph Curry has been on a major heater recently. He’s increased his production to 1.47 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, and he’s posted an astronomical 41.2% usage rate over his past five games in particular. He should continue to carry a massive workload as long as Kelly Oubre is sidelined, which makes him very appealing at $10,200 on FanDuel.
On the other side of that matchup, the Thunder have already ruled out Aleksej Pokusevski vs. the Warriors, and Lu Dort is also listed as questionable. The Thunder have basically phoned it in at this point, so don’t be surprised if Dort gets the night off. If that happens, Theo Maledon would be asked to take over as one of their primary offensive options. He’s coming off 36.8 FanDuel points in his last contest, and $4,900 salary on FanDuel comes with a Bargain Rating of 75%.
Shooting Guard
Stud
Westbrook’s emergence has had a negative impact on Bradley Beal from a fantasy perspective, but he’s still averaged 1.15 FanDuel points per minute over the past month. He’s also been priced down to just $9,000 on FanDuel, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 82%, and Beal has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.57 with a comparable salary (per the Trends tool). That makes him a nice buy-low target in an excellent spot vs. the Pacers.
Value
Grayson Allen has been ruled out for the second-straight game, and Desmond Bane replaced him in the starting lineup in their last contest. Bane wasn’t able to return value in that matchup, but it still bodes well for his fantasy prospects moving forward. He’s averaged 0.83 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he can take advantage of some additional playing time. He’s an excellent option at $4,100 on DraftKings given his Bargain Rating of 95%.
Fast Break
Sticking with the Grizzlies, De’Anthony Melton is their preferred value target on FanDuel. He’s not expected to see as much playing time as Bane, but he’s been more effective on a per-minute basis this season. He’s also dirt-cheap at just $3,600 on FanDuel.
The Jazz continue to play without both Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, so Jordan Clarkson should continue to carry a larger usage rate than usual. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in three straight games, and he’s exploded for at least 42.2 FanDuel points in each of his past two. He has solid upside against a Rockets’ team that is largely devoid of NBA talent at the moment.
Small Forward
Stud
Small forward is a bit thin at the top on Saturday, but Michael Porter Jr. stands out as an excellent option at $7,000 on FanDuel. He’s operated as the Nuggets’ No. 2 option recently given all their injuries, and he’s increased his production to 1.07 FanDuel points per minute over the past month. Overall, he’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +5.00 over his past 10 games. He has nice upside Saturday vs. the Nets, who rank just 21st in defensive efficiency this season.
Value
Anthony Lamb was a preferred value option at the position on yesterday’s slate, and he did not disappoint with 27.0 DraftKings points. He also logged nearly 34.9 minutes in that contest, and he’s scored at least 24.25 DraftKings points in all three games where he’s played at least 30 minutes this season. He should be looking at another large workload for the tanking Rockets on Saturday, so fire up Lamb with confidence.
Fast Break
Rudy Gay has found the perfect role for himself late in his career: He comes off the bench and gets buckets. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in four of his past five games on DraftKings, and he’s scored at least 27.75 DraftKings points in three of them. He has another exploitable matchup Saturday vs. the Blazers – they rank just 29th in defensive efficiency – and Gay’s $4,000 salary on DraftKings comes with a Bargain Rating of 99%.
Stanley Johnson is another potential source of value at the small forward position. He’s currently projected for 32.5 minutes in our NBA Models at just $3,700 on DraftKings, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +3.97.
Power Forward
Stud
Pascal Siakam has scored at least 66.7 FanDuel points in two of his past three games, and he has the potential for another monster performance on Saturday. He’s averaged 38.5 minutes in five games without Lowry and VanVleet this season, and he’s increased his production to 1.20 FanDuel points per minute with both players off the court. That makes him too cheap at just $8,900.
Value
Brandon Clarke was forced out of the Grizzlies’ rotation for a two-game stretch, but he’s been an excellent source of fantasy value when on the court. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus on DraftKings in each of the past six games that he’s actually appeared in, and he’s scored at least 23.5 DraftKings points in his past two contests. He’s averaged 0.98 DraftKings points per minute this season, so it’s not surprising that he’s found success when he’s been on the court. Clarke is one of the best pure values of the day on DraftKings, where his $3,700 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 97%.
Fast Break
Kenyon Martin Jr. is another elite option on DraftKings, and his 99% Bargain Rating makes him an even better value than Clarke. He’s carried a huge workload for the shorthanded Rockets recently, and he’s responded with at least 47.25 DraftKings points in back-to-back games. Christian Wood has already been ruled out for tonight’s contest, and there will undoubtedly be more absences announced for the Rockets closer to game-time. As long as Martin is expected to play big minutes, he’s worthy of consideration.
Jerami Grant is targeting tonight for his return to the lineup, and who knows how many minutes he’ll actually play. The Pistons have been focusing on getting more minutes for their younger players, so Grant could play less than expected even if he’s active. Still, he’s impossible to ignore at just $6,100 on FanDuel. He’s averaged over 35 FanDuel points per game this season, so he should still be able to return value even with less playing time than usual.
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic continues to provide excellent value for the shorthanded Nuggets. The only thing that has been able to stop him recently has been reduced minutes in blowouts, and tonight’s matchup vs. the Nets figures to be competitive. It’s also a great matchup for Jokic since the Nets don’t have many competent big men. He owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.44 on FanDuel, and he leads all centers with 13 Pro Trends.
Value
Khem Birch should see plenty of minutes for the shorthanded Raptors on Saturday, which makes him a very appealing option across the industry. He’s currently projected for 35.0 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s increased his production to 0.99 FanDuel points per minute over the past month. He’s coming off 43.3 FanDuel points vs. the Wizards, and he could be looking at similar production vs. the Grizzlies.
Fast Break
Kelly Olynyk is basically the last man standing for the Rockets. He did everything he could to keep them in the game yesterday vs. the Bucks, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Ultimately, he finished with at least 52.9 FanDuel points for the second-straight game. He should be looking at another substantial role Saturday vs. the Jazz, and while it’s a tough matchup, Olynyk still stands out as one of the strongest options at the position.
Paul Millsap has posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of his past 10 games on DraftKings, and he’s averaged a Plus/Minus of +7.39 over that time frame. He’s increased his production to 1.14 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, yet he remains extremely affordable at $3,800 on DraftKings. His modest playing time keeps his ceiling on the lower side, but he’s a good bet to return value.
Pictured above: Kenyon Martin Jr. #6 of the Houston Rockets
Photo Credit: Cato Cataldo/NBAE via Getty Images
