Saturday Night NBA DFS features a small slate this weekend. It’s not a big one, but it features some of the NBA’s biggest stars. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS research and make some fantasy basketball picks, as we gear up for the three-game main slate that starts at 8 p.m. ET.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @DKNetwork.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25263747/IMG_9722.jpeg)
Bet at a top rated Sportsbook!
View the latest odds and bet online legally at a top rated Sportsbook! Place a bet now at DraftKings Sportsbook!*
*Odds and lines are for illustrative purposes only.
Guard
Studs
Bradley Beal, Phoenix Suns vs. Houston Rockets, $6,700 — Is this a buy-low spot? Will Beal boom like BitCoin? Or is this too early? Beal hasn’t played in a week. On a normal slate, this wouldn’t be worth the risk. With only six teams in action — two of which are a mess — Beal has to be considered. Before his hamstring injury, Beal scored over 33 DKFP in six of his last seven games and over 45 DKFP in three of his last four.
Value
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers, $4,700 — Most of the value on Saturday’s three-game slate will come from the Blazers-Grizzlies game. The problem is that game is a back-to-back rematch with a litany of injuries. The rotation won’t be known until close to lineup lock. KCP is the safe DFS NBA value pick. PG Jamal Murray ($7,600) could be out on Saturday. He only played 14 minutes on Thursday. This won’t mean more minutes for KCP, but it could mean more shots. KCP was already on a roll with scores of 23, 32.5 and 29 DKFP. He could flirt with forty if Murray is out.
Delano Banton, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies, $3,600 — This game is a rematch of Friday night’s blowout. The Grizzlies started a G-League lineup and they got smoked by one of the worst teams in the league. Who will play and how will it play out? If the Grizzlies get smashed at home again, then Banton will get more than enough action. He scored 39.25 DKFP (11.5x value) in just 20 minutes in the opening match of the two-day doubleheader.
Forward
Studs
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets, $9,600 — There’s a poker game in L.A. on Saturday night. Will the Joker be wild or will the King be the high card? The DFS glory days for King James have long been gone. He doesn’t hit 100 DKFP like Jokic, but he is priced accordingly. He might be undervalued. James is playing close to 40 minutes per game over the last week. His usage rate was over 30% in each game and he scored over 52 DKFP in each game.
Value
Jake LaRavia, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trail Blazers, $3,800 — If the Grizzlies are healthy on Saturday, LaRavia could still provide value on this three-game slate. First of all, it’s a soft matchup. Secondly, LaRavia is playing well. He’s scored over 20 DKFP in three of the last six games. That’s not bad for an NBA DFS value pick with a salary less than $4,000. On Friday, he got 26 minutes and carried a 30.6% usage rate with a thin second unit.
Lamar Stevens, Memphis Grizzlies vs, Portland Trail Blazers, $3,800 — This is a quirky scheduling situation. The Grizzlies are playing each other on back-to-back nights. No one wanted it Friday. No one wants it again. The players don’t want it. Most didn’t play Friday. It was an unavoidable DFS landmine on last night. It’s a field full of landmines on Saturday. Stevens was a safe step on Friday. He scored 25.25 DKFP in 21 minutes. He hit 7-of-12 from the field and his usage rate was 30.8%. There are concerns that he can replicate that level of performance. Those concerns are low because the matchup is soft. Stevens has returned 5x value or more in seven of the last nine games and 6x in six of nine.
Center
Studs
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, at Los Angeles Lakers, $11,400 — There are only three games tonight. One is in Hollywood with two of the biggest stars in the league matching up. They’re going to put on a show for everyone to see. Every night and every city, it’s the same for the Joker. The home team is entertained, but on the road, the jokes are bad. Jokic will look to irritate the L.A. fans on Saturday night. After losing three in a row, Jokic took the mic and did his routine. The Nuggets have won five in a row. On this run, Jokic has scores of 72.25, 78.75 and 90.5 DKFP.
Value
Duop Reath, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies, $4,600 — This NBA DFS value pick is dependent on the status of Deandre Ayton ($6,800). Reath started on Friday in Ayton’s place. His minutes were limited, but only one Blazer played more than 26 minutes in their blowout win. In 23 minutes, Reath scored 34.25 DKFP and took an astounding eight 3-point attempts. If the injury report is the same, he should be able to duplicate his stats in the rematch.
Jabari Walker, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies, $4,100 — It’s not necessarily the Trail Blazers injury report that matters. The matchup matters. Will PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,800) — defensive superstar — sit out both games of the back-to-back? Walker feasted inside on Friday. In 22 minutes, Walker scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (41.5 DKFP).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
