The NBA Play-In Tournament had plenty of drama, excitement, and controversy over the last week, but the NBA Playoffs are set now with the first four series tipping off on Saturday. The Raptors and Cavaliers start the action at 1:00 p.m. ET before the Timberwolves visit the Nuggets, and the Hawks take on the Knicks. To close out the quadruple-header, the Rockets visit the Lakers in the nightcap. With a solid four-game slate of to start Round 1, some great fantasy plays are available at a wide variety of price points at each position. A few injuries are lingering into the postseason, so be sure to check back for updates as statuses are finalized.
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
In the FantasyLabs projections, Jalen Brunson has the top projections at point guard even though he only has the third-highest salary at the position (of the players expected to play). Brunson will lead the Knicks against the Hawks in Round 1, and he’s a proven playoff performer who steps up when his team needs him in the postseason.
In the regular season, Brunson posted 41.7 DraftKings points per game by averaging 26.0 points, 6.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 threes, and 0.8 steals over 35.0 minutes per game, producing 1.19 DraftKings points per minute.
In the playoffs last year, Brunson averaged 29.4 points, 7.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 threes, and 0.7 steals in 37.9 minutes per game in his 18 playoff games. He has a favorable matchup against the Hawks, whom the Knicks beat in two of three matchups this season. They met just a couple of weeks ago in Atlanta, and Brunson had 58.8 DraftKings points on 30 points and 13 assists in 39 minutes.
He’s clearly the focus of the team’s offense and will carry the No. 3 seed as far as they go in the postseason. He brings a high ceiling along with his salary, and a letdown seems very unlikely.
Value
On the other side of that Eastern Conference matchup at Madison Square Garden, point guard CJ McCollum has the highest Plus/Minus projection of any point guard on the slate.
McCollum joined the Hawks midseason as part of the trade that sent Trae Young to Washington. McCollum gave the team some veteran leadership but also posted very strong numbers down the stretch.
He didn’t play the final game of the season, but in his last 15 regular-season games, he averaged 19.6 points, 4.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals for 34.3 DraftKings points per game. He exceeded salary-based expectations in each of his last four games of the season with at least 30 DraftKings points in each of those four matchups, including against the Knicks, when he had 17 points, six assists, and 38.25 DraftKings points in 35 minutes.
McCollum’s ceiling isn’t as high as the superstars on the board, but he’s a key part of the Hawks’ rotation and has a great chance to return value at his mid-range salary.
Fast Break
The playoff version of Jamal Murray can carry the Nuggets when he’s at his best, but he has also dealt with some rough postseason showings in the past and will have to go head-to-head with Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves in the first round. Murray is very boom or bust in the postseason, but he has the second-highest projections at the position this Saturday and is a solid alternative to Brunson that brings a high ceiling as well.
Amen Thompson is more affordable than Brunson, Murray, and James Harden, but he also brings a high ceiling since he has so many ways he can contribute and usually plays massive minutes. He’ll help carry the load against the banged-up Lakers in the first round, and he could be asked to do even more if Kevin Durant (knee) is unable to play through his questionable tag. Thompson had 41 points and 65.8 DraftKings points in his regular-season finale and can go off for a huge game if that’s what the Rockets need in the first game of the series.
Alongside Thompson, Reed Sheppard has the third-highest Plus/Minus projection at the position and is one of the cheapest options on the board at point guard. He will get plenty of playing time. Sheppard had double-digit points in seven of his last eight games and brings nice upside if he heats up from long range against the Lakers.
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
When breaking down a slate, it can be helpful to have a second perspective, and one way to get that is by adding the ShotQuality projections to your models. In the ShotQuality projections, Anthony Edwards has the highest median and floor projections at shooting guard, edging out Donovan Mitchell for the top spot. Both superstars have extremely high ceilings, but especially since Edwards’ salary is a little lower, he’s the player the projections prefer.
Mitchell will have some help from Harden, while Edwards remains the clear go-to option for the Timberwolves as they take on the Nuggets. Edwards is officially questionable with “right knee injury maintenance,” but he’s expected to play through the issue. He finished the regular season with a few quieter games and did not play 11 of Minnesota’s last 14 contests. He did play 27 minutes against the Rockets last week and had 22 points.
Despite missing all that time, the projections think Edwards will be ready to go with a big series against the Nuggets. He faced Denver in the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, losing in 2023 and winning in 2024. Edwards averaged 27.7 points, 5.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in over 40 minutes a game in their most recent playoff series, and in the regular season, he had 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in their first meeting. In his second game against them, he had 44 points, six boards, and three assists in an overtime loss on Christmas Day, showing his elite ceiling if he’s healthy and ready to go in the Playoffs.
Value
The Lakers will not be healthy in the playoffs with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) missing at least Game 1 against the Rockets and likely longer. Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart are two of the veterans who will have to help pick up the slack if the Lakers want to keep up with the Rockets.
Kennard has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at both point guard and shooting guard in the ShotQuality projections. He had at least 10 points in four of his last five regular-season games and even had a triple-double for 57 DraftKings points in the Lakers’ loss to the Mavs two weeks ago. He can be streaky and inconsistent, but he brings a high ceiling for a player under $5,000 with so much work available.
Smart has the third-highest Plus/Minus projections at shooting guard behind only McCollum and Kennard in both sets of projections. In the FantasyLabs projections, he also has the highest Plus/Minus projections at small forward. Smart had seven and 10 assists in his last two regular-season games and typically turns in excellent non-scoring production. He should be a solid contributor in an involved role for the Lakers with so many injuries. He’s a proven playoff performer, and getting him under $5,000 on the wing is a solid value play this Saturday.
Fast Break
Donovan Mitchell is probably a little safer than Edwards since he hasn’t missed as much time and always steps up in the playoffs. His ceiling isn’t quite as high with more help around him, especially from James Harden, but he is still the focus of the offense with the potential for plenty of points against the Raptors. Spida has scored 30+ points in eight straight playoff Games 1.
On the other side of that matchup, Brandon Ingram has a high ceiling for the Raptors since he could have to help carry more of the load in the backcourt depending on the status of Immanuel Quickley (hamstring), who missed the last eight games of the season and will be a game-time decision for Game 1. Ingram had at least 39 DraftKings points in three of his last four games during the regular season, including a huge game with 59.75 DraftKings points against the Heat last Thursday.
If you need to go cheap at shooting guard, Tim Hardaway Jr. is the play under $4,000 with the highest Plus/Minus projection. He had 13 points in each of his last two games in the regular season and finished with an average of 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for 21.2 DraftKings points per game. He offers good scoring upside off the bench and can be a solid value option if your salary cap space is stretched thin.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
In both sets of projections, Kevin Durant is the top option if you have the salary available this Saturday. Durant’s $8,400 salary is almost $2,000 more than any other option on the board at the position, but he brings an extremely high ceiling as he looks to get his Rockets past the Lakers.
Durant played 78 games in his first season in Houston, averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.8 steals in 36.4 minutes per contest. He produced 42.4 DraftKings points per game and had over that average in four of his last five games.
In the past, Durant has turned his game up a notch in the playoffs with more usage and production, and Houston will rely on him to do the same again this year. He is dealing with a bone bruise in his knee that has him questionable. However, if he plays as expected, he still makes sense as a pay-up play to build around.
Value
The ShotQuality projections give Dyson Daniels of the Hawks the highest Plus/Minus projection at small forward. The Great Barrier Thief has had a very solid season for Atlanta, and he has settled into a defensive specialist role on the wing after McCollum joined the lineup.
Daniels still has the potential to go off on offense as well, and when he does, he usually posts well-rounded lines. He finished the regular season with 13 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and 51.5 DraftKings points against the Cavs last week. He scored double-digit points in six straight games and nine of his last 10 to close the regular season, averaging 38.7 DraftKings points per game over that stretch.
He had a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards against the Knicks in their most recent meeting, finishing with 36 DraftKings points. He has the potential to be an elite value at $6,400 even though he doesn’t bring the ultra-high ceiling that Durant offers.
Fast Break
RJ Barrett is another small forward with a nice ceiling on Saturday. He has the second-highest median projection at the position in the FantasyLabs projections and the third-highest in the ShotQuality projections. If Quickley is out, Barrett could get more work, and he finished the season on a strong scoring run, with 20+ points in six of his last eight contests.
For Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels has proven he can stuff the stat sheet in big minutes in the playoffs, and the 25-year-old wing is coming off a strong season in which he averaged a career-high 14.8 points per game and a career-high 2.7 assists per game. He had at least 16 points in seven straight games to close the season while Edwards was less than 100%, and he could be a huge contributor and a good value on Saturday afternoon if Edwards still isn’t back to full strength.
The FantasyLabs projections give Marcus Smart (discussed above) the highest Plus/Minus projection at small forward, and it gives his teammate, Rui Hachimura, the second highest. Hachimura has proven he can score in bunches when he is in an expanded role, and the Lakers will need him to step up to try to keep their series with Houston competitive.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, LeBron James will have to carry a huge workload for the Lakers. James has the highest projections at the position across the board and a top-four Projected Plus/Minus at power forward as well.
James played five games without Doncic and Reaves this season, averaging 53.7 DraftKings points on 24.0 points, 10.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds in those five games. He had three monster games after Luka’s injury, posting 65.75 DraftKings points against the Mavs, 59.5 DraftKings points against the Warriors, and 63 DraftKings points against the Suns.
After those three monster games, he played only 17 minutes in his regular-season finale, but he should be back to plenty of minutes and a heavy workload as the Lakers look to stay competitive with the Rockets in Game 1. LeBron’s season at age 41 has been extremely impressive, and now he’ll look to make some playoff magic. Even if the Lakers ultimately come up short, “Playoff LeBron” makes a lot of sense to anchor your lineup since his usage will be so high.
Value
In the FantasyLabs projections, Aaron Gordon has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward and the second-highest at center.
The Nuggets’ 30-year-old forward has stepped up huge in the playoffs in the past few seasons and will need to again this year, especially without Michael Porter Jr. in the rotation like he was during Denver’s previous playoff runs. Gordon was limited to 36 games this season but was productive when available, averaging 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 27.9 minutes per game.
Gordon brings both a high ceiling and a high floor from his salary at just under $6,000, and is a solid mid-range play in either frontcourt spot.
Fast Break
Jalen Johnson of the Hawks had an amazing breakthrough season, and he brings an extremely high ceiling into the postseason. However, he’s more expensive than LeBron and has more help around him. He is a nice contrarian pay-up play if you need leverage since LeBron will be so popular in comparison, but Johnson will need to post a huge game to be worth his $10,000 salary, which is the second-highest of all players expected to play on Saturday.
Across from Aaron Gordon in the Nuggets-Wolves series, Naz Reid is a solid mid-range option to consider as well. He comes off the bench and offers instant energy and offensive upside. He proved in past playoffs that he can post big games, and he finished the season with at least 12 points in five of his last six games.
As a bargain option, Collin Murray-Boyles is only $4,000 for the Raptors, and he usually gets significant playing time. The rookie averaged 21.0 DraftKings points per game this season and helped fill in for injuries in the frontcourt. He’ll be in a smaller role with Jakob Poeltl healthy, but the big lineup of the Cavs could keep him more involved in this first-round series.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
The Nuggets will center their offense and their playoff hopes on Nikola Jokic, who has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections on the entire slate in the ShotQuality projections and the highest median projection in the FantasyLabs projections as well.
Jokic played the regular-season finale to hit the 65-game threshold and only needed 18 minutes to post 23 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and 37 DraftKings points. He had over 55 DraftKings points in nine straight games before that smaller workload, and in his last 10 games of the season, he averaged 67.6 DraftKings points on 25.3 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 11.9 assists per game.
In his 65 regular-season games, Jokic had 55 double-doubles and 34 triple-doubles. He had two of those triple-doubles against the Timberwolves and fell just one assist short of a third triple-double in their most recent matchup.
Jokic is an extremely expensive play at $12,000, but he offers exceptional returns on that investment and comes in with outstanding form to the playoffs, where he has been excellent throughout his career. If you can fit his hefty salary under your cap, he’s worth building around against Rudy Gobert and the T-Wolves.
Value
In the FantasyLabs projections, Jarrett Allen has the highest Plus/Minus projection on the entire slate, and he has the second-highest in the ShotQuality projections as well, behind only CJ McCollum. He’s clearly the best value center in both sets of projections by a significant margin.
Allen scored at least 16 points in four of his last five games and always adds strong non-scoring numbers as well. He rested for the last few games of the season and was dealing with a knee issue earlier this month, but if he’s ready to go full speed ahead, he brings great upside at under $6,000.
Stacking Allen with Jokic will stretch your salary cap thin, but both big men should deliver nice, well-rounded lines in the first two games of the day to get your fantasy roster off to a great start.
Fast Break
The contributions of Karl-Anthony Towns will go a long way to determining how far the Knicks go in the playoffs. He has the second-highest projections at the position just behind Jokic. He also has a positive Plus/Minus projection in both sets of projections, although his salary is over $8,000, so he will need to go off for a huge game to return value.
Aaron Gordon and Naz Reid work as mid-range options at center as well, with a positive Projected Plus/Minus at just under $6,000.
If you need to go even cheaper, Sandro Mamukelashvili brings upside as a microwave scorer off the bench for the Raptors. Mamu scored at least nine points in 11 of his last 12 games and got more work down the stretch ahead of rookie Collin Murray-Boyles. Mama is a boom-or-bust option at just $4,000, but he doesn’t have to do a ton to bring value. If you combine him with Jokic at center and utility, he can help balance out the big spending on the Joker.
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