Saturday night brings a nice five-game slate for NBA DFS contests, striking a nice balance between the massive slates of Wednesday and Friday and the tiny slates of Tuesday and Thursday. Of the 10 teams, five are playing their third game of the season and five are playing their second game. The Hawks, Grizzlies, Suns, and Magic are also playing on the second night of a back-to-back, which is something to definitely keep in mind. The Thunder and Hawks are the NBA TV spotlight matchup in what should be a fun showdown in Atlanta.
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
The Thunder are off to a 2-0 start after winning two double-overtime games to start their quest for a second straight NBA title. Their impressive start has been fueled (not surprisingly) by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He has the highest ceiling, median, and floor projections at point guard and the second-highest at any position on this slate.
He started the season hot with 55.75 DraftKings points on 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals against the Rockets. He followed that up with an even bigger night, dropping 55 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and 78.5. DraftKings points on the Pacers on Thursday.
He and the Thunder should be in a good matchup against the Hawks; it has the second-highest point total on the slate (235.5). The Thunder have the second-highest implied team total as well (121.5).
SGA could have even more work coming his way since Chet Holmgren (back) and Cason Wallace (knee) are questionable, while Jalen Williams (wrist), Isaiah Joe (knee), and Alex Caruso (concussion) all remain out. The Thunder might need him to carry even more of the offense on Saturday night, and so far, he’s proven up to the task of the team’s title defense.
Value
Even though the injury report hasn’t officially come out yet, the Magic are expected to be without Jalen Suggs (knee) for the second game of their back-to-back on Saturday when they take on the Bulls. That will create a huge chance for Tyus Jones, who has the highest Plus/Minus projection of all point guards on Saturday’s slate.
Jones joined the Magic on a one-year deal this offseason and is expected to be their primary backup when Suggs is healthy. With Suggs playing the first two games, Jones played only 24 and 20 minutes, earning 8 and 9.75 DraftKings points, respectively.
Even though those numbers aren’t that inspiring, Jones has shown in the past that he can be a good spot-starting option, mostly during his time in Memphis when filling in for Ja Morant.
With a salary of only $3,500, he could be an elite value play if he moves into the starting lineup in a favorable matchup against the Bulls.
Fast Break
On Wednesday, Tyrese Maxey had 40 points and 60.5 DraftKings points against the Celtics in the Sixers’ comeback victory. Philly’s rotation has a little different flavor this year, but Maxey is still a focal point that can deliver great upside, especially in a favorable matchup against LaMelo Ball and the Hornets this Saturday.
Tyus Jones’ brother, Tre Jones will probably start against him and the Magic on Saturday, and in the ShotQuality projections, Tre Jones has the top Plus/Minus projection at the position even though he’s a pricier option. In the Bulls’ first game, he had 12 points, eight assists, three steals, and 30.75 DraftKings points. He is a double-double threat running point for the Bulls and makes sense against the Magic. He’s more established than his brother at this point in his career and usually brings good non-scoring production when he gets playing time, which he seems poised to do at the start of the year.
If you want to avoid the Jones brothers, the Suns have given more chances to Collin Gillespie with Jalen Green (hamstring) on the shelf. Gillespie played 22 minutes and had 20 DraftKings points in the opener, and he was even better with 13 points, five boards, five assists, and 30.8 DraftKings points on Friday night in a loss to the Clippers. Gillespie is in a very favorable matchup and brings great upside for a play under $4,000. He’s been better than Tyus Jones this season, but he doesn’t have quite as clear a path to playing time, which keeps him a strong GPP alternative to Jones with another great Projected Plus/Minus.
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
Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin has the highest Plus/Minus projection of all players over $6,000 in the FantasyLabs projections and the highest of all players at all salaries in the ShotQuality projections. He has the third-highest ceiling projection at shooting guard in both sets of projections, and he has the highest ceiling projection at small forward in the FantasyLabs projections.
On opening night, Mathurin had 36 points, 11 rebounds, and an assist for 52.2 DraftKings points. The Pacers also lost Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) to an injury in the first half and were already without T.J. McConnell (hamstring) and Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), along with possible depth options Quenton Jackson (hamstring) and Kam Jones (back). With so many guards out, Mathurin will have to again carry a huge part of the scoring workload against the Grizzlies on Saturday night.
Memphis just got blown out at home on Friday by the Heat, who racked up 146 points. The up-tempo Pacers will hope to put up a similar total on Saturday, and Mathurin will continue to be a main part of the offense.
Value
76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe had an impressive debut on Wednesday, dropping 34 points and 50.75 DraftKings points against the Celtics. He has the fourth-highest Plus/Minus projection in the FantasyLabs projections at both shooting guard and small forward on this slate and comes with great upside for a play at just $6,000.
He may slot into a lower-usage role down the road, but his non-scoring numbers give him an elite upside while he’s also being so aggressive. He added seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and just one turnover in 42 minutes against the Celtics, and it looks like he’ll have a massive workload (at least until the Sixers get healthier).
Edgecombe and the Sixers are in a favorable matchup against the Hornets, and stacking him and Maxey can give you an effective tandem with high ceilings in Charlotte, where the Hornets won their first game of the year but gave up 117 points to the Nets in that victory.
Fast Break
Josh Giddy has the highest ceiling projection at the position even though he fell short of salary-based expectations in the opener against the Pistons. He still had a double-double of 19 points and 11 assists, and as he showed last year, he can post gigantic numbers and be a triple-double threat on a nightly basis as the focal point of the Bulls’ offense.
Without Green, Grayson Allen has taken on more work for the Suns in the first two games of the season. He had 36.25 DraftKings points against the Kings in the team’s win on Wednesday but only 26.25 DraftKings points on Friday in their loss to the Clippers. His minutes were down since it was a blowout loss, but he should be back to around 35 minutes in this matchup with the Nuggets, which should give him a good chance to return value at his mid-range salary.
While Mathurin has a much higher ceiling, Ben Sheppard could be the player who moves into the starting lineup for the Pacers after all their injuries. He started the second half in place of Nembhard on Thursday and has the second-highest Plus/Minus projection at shooting guard and small forward behind only Mathurin in the FantasyLabs projections. He had 36.5 DraftKings points in the opener, with 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in 39 minutes.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Without Suggs, Franz Wagner could step into more offensive work for the Magic against Chicago. Wagner has the third-highest ceiling projection at small forward and the second-highest usage projection behind only Mathurin.
In each of his first two games this season, Wagner has exceeded salary-based expectations. He had 24 points, six assists, four rebounds, and 42 DraftKings points against the Heat on Wednesday, and he followed that with 27 points, six rebounds, two assists, and 38.5 DraftKings points against the Hawks.
With Suggs off the floor for much of last season, Wagner stepped into a bigger role as a creator, and he could carry more play-making responsibilities on Saturday against the Bulls if Suggs is sidelined as expected.
Value
The Hawks have gotten a good start to the season from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has the fourth-highest Plus/Minus projections at both shooting guard and small forward in the ShotQuality projections for this Saturday.
Alexander-Walker signed with the Hawks on a four-year, $62 million deal this offseason and has been a key contributor coming off the bench, much like he was last year with the Timberwolves. In his first game with Atlanta, he had 10 points and 25 DraftKings points against the Raptors, playing 28 minutes. He played even more time with 31 minutes on Friday, totaling 28.2 DraftKings points on 19 points, four assists, and a rebound. He went just 1-for-10 from long range in that game too, showing just how much room he has for growth in his current role if he knocks down a few more shots.
Taking on the short-handed Thunder should be a good spot for NAW to continue to be a solid value play at barely over $4,000.
Fast Break
Alexander-Walker’s teammate Jalen Johnson actually has the highest ceiling projection at the position. He had 45.2 DraftKings points in his first game but only posted 24 DraftKings points on Friday. He’ll look to bounce back with a bigger game in the second half of the team’s back-to-back. Johnson was in the midst of a breakout season last year before a torn labrum in his left shoulder sidelined him from Jan. 29 to the end of the year.
Dillon Brooks has brought his signature high-energy style to the Suns this season and posted 37 and 33.25 DraftKings points in his two games. With Green out, he’s getting a little more involved in the offense and has scored 20+ points in each of those contests. He has a similar upside against the Nuggets, although the style of his play makes him volatile in more ways than one.
The Magic’s Tristan da Silva has the third-highest Plus/Minus projection at small forward in both sets of projections. The second-year forward from Germany scored 16 points in 18 minutes in the opener and then played an expanded role on Friday, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and 33.5 DraftKings points in 24 minutes against Atlanta. He looks like a key piece of the Magic bench that brings great value at his salary of only $3,400.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
In both the ShotQuality and FantasyLabs projections, Pascal Siakam has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection of all power forwards. He gets a good matchup on Saturday against the Grizzlies, who are missing Zach Edey (ankle) and Brandon Clarke (knee).
In his first game of the season, Spicy P had 32 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists for a massive 61.25 DraftKings points. With Haliburton hurt and Myles Turner playing in Milwaukee, Siakam and Mathurin are set to be the core of the new-look Pacers.
Since the team still plays with so much tempo and is in such a great matchup, Siakam is a strong play to consider building around on Saturday.
Value
Another member of the Pacers frontcourt that brings a ton of upside this Saturday is second-year forward Jarace Walker. He has the highest Plus/Minus projection at power forward in both sets of projections after his strong game against OKC on Thursday.
Even though he came off the bench behind Isaiah Jackson on Thursday, Walker played 30 minutes compared to Jackson’s eight minutes. Walker produced 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal, and 25.5 DraftKings points. The second-year big man looks like he’ll get the opportunity to take a big step forward next to Siakam.
Walker is an extremely affordable bargain at just $3,200 but brings good potential to deliver against the Grizzlies
Fast Break
Chet Holmgren will be a good play if his back doesn’t keep him sidelined. He had 28 points on Tuesday for 39.2 DraftKings points and followed that up with 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals for 37 DraftKings points on Thursday against the Pacers. He played 38 and 39 minutes in those two games, so his back soreness isn’t a huge surprise. If he plays through it and gets that kind of workload, though, he should step up with Jalen Williams (wrist) still out.
Matas Buzelis has gotten some hype as a breakout candidate for the Bulls, and he lived up to the hype in the season-opener, scoring 21 points to go with six rebounds and 34.5 DraftKings points. He seems locked into a big role for the Bulls and is a great mid-range target on Saturday against the Magic.
In addition to da Silva and Walker, Dominick Barlow is a great bargain option at power forward on Saturday night. Barlow played 34 minutes against Boston, producing 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and 31.5 DraftKings points. His starting role on Wednesday was a little bit of a surprise, but he should stay involved while the Sixers are shorthanded.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Whenever he is on the slate, Nikola Jokic is always worth considering because he brings such elite production on a regular basis. He is the most expensive player on the slate, but he has the highest ceiling projection on the board by a wide margin.
Last year, Jokic produced a remarkable 1.85 DraftKings points per minute for the Nuggets. He produced 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game last year, setting new career highs in multiple categories.
He stepped up in the opener with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists for 60.75 DraftKings points against the Warriors, and he always makes sense as a pay-up play if you can find enough value in other spots.
Value
Ryan Kalkbrenner is an elite value at center with his salary of just $3,400. In fact, he has the highest Plus/Minus projection of all players in the FantasyLabs projections.
The second-round pick from Creighton started in his NBA debut on Wednesday. He finished with a double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, and two blocks on his way to 28.75 DraftKings points in his 26 minutes.
He played six more minutes than Moussa Diabate, while Mason Plumlee didn’t see the floor, indicating that Kalkbrenner should be the main big for the Hornets to start the season. He brings great potential at this bargain rate if he gets another start on Saturday.
Fast Break
Joel Embiid had only four points and 16.5 DraftKings points in the season opener, but he’s healthy and ready to roll for this matchup with the Hornets. He’s still ramping up and looked very rusty, shooting just 1-for-9 from the field, but he always brings a high ceiling, making him a GPP option at just over $8,000, which is a huge salary reduction from his normal level.
If Holmgren is out, Isaiah Hartenstein would be another player picking up the slack. He had 27 DraftKings points in the opener and 24.5 DraftKings points against the Pacers, even though he did have 15 rebounds in that game.
With Kalkbrenner and Barlow both great value options, another potential value play at center is Oso Ighodaro of the Suns, who had nine points and six boards for 17.5 DraftKings points on Friday.
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