NBA Saturday night DFS action at DraftKings is back. Get the screens out and get your DraftKings NBA DFS lineups in early. Let’s dig into the research, make some fantasy basketball picks, and plop on the couch to enjoy the nine-game main slate for this contest that starts at 7 p.m. ET.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
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Guard
Stud
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans ($10,200) — A quick NBA DFS primer is necessary before explaining this pick. This is one of the biggest slates of the season. A nine-game slate is ungovernable. There are too many stars and scrubs to sort and sift through. And it’s not even out of control yet. Wait till the injury reports start hitting. Speaking of injuries, Ball sat out Friday with a wrist injury. The injury could affect his shot or the injury could have been more of a rest day. There’s another more significant injury — his ego. Ball got the snub. He is not an All-Star starter. This will be his first game after the snubbing.
Other Options — Trae Young ($9,600), Tyrese Maxey ($9,800)
Value
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($3,400) — Podz returned to the Warriors lineup on Thursday after missing a month of action. He scored 20.5 DKFP in 21 minutes. It wasn’t the greatest performance but nearly a point-per-minute game. His minutes should increase. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter. Podz is simply too cheap.
Other Options — Carlton Carrington ($4,000), Gradey Dick ($4,500)
Forward
Stud
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors ($9,900) — There are plenty of stats available. Any NBA DFS pick can be defended or destroyed. The numbers don’t lie. And the narratives don’t die. Motivation matters with the matchups. It just does in the NBA. Birthday games are a thing — believe it. It’s not The King’s birthday. It’s a somber day. This could be the last battle between James and Stephen Curry ($8,700) in Silicon Valley. James lamented the passing of time following his Christmas Day win over the Warriors.
Other Options — Paolo Banchero ($8,500), Amen Thompson ($8,000)
Value
Gui Santos, Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($4,000) — There is an endless list of value picks on Saturday’s slate. The day hasn’t even begun yet. That list will expand when the evening injury report drops. Most morning and midday value plays will evaporate by the evening. Santos will likely be toast when lineups lock. For now, Santos is intriguing. Steve Kerr loves the kid. He wants to play him but never has a spot. So it’s G-League for Gui. Injuries have mounted and the Warriors’ season has slipped away. So Santos gets to play. When Santos gets at least 20 minutes of run, he clears 6x value. He hit 8.1x value on Jan. 22 and 9.9x on Jan. 23.
Other Options — Kyshawn George ($3,700), Cam Whitmore ($3,900)
Center
Stud
Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings at New York Knicks ($9,800) — Nikola Jokic is on the early slate. This leaves a hundred elite centers on the main slate. There’s no shortage of talent with 18 teams in action. There are expensive and affordable options. Sabonis is the best of the spend-ups. Sabonis doesn’t get the full respect he deserves because he’s boring. He doesn’t score 100 DKFP or full-court shots. More importantly, he doesn’t fail. It’s 50 points every night with the most machine-like efficiency. The Mantas Machine is a money machine. It’s not a slot machine. It’s an ATM.
Other Options — Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,700)
Value
Moussa Diabate, Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans ($3,000) — The center position has NBA DFS value picks on small slates. Imagine what this nine-gamer has to offer. This risk likely won’t be necessary but it’s a maneuver that matters on a massive slate. Money matters. Salary savings are significant. Diabate is the stone-cold min. He played 20 minutes and scored 21.5 DKFP on Friday. He’s the backup center following the Nick Richards ($5,100) trade. The Hornets are on the second night of a back-to-back. Mark Williams ($8,200) could use some rest. This slate is filled with expensive slate-breaking stars. Scrubs are necessary to reach those stars.
Other Options — Nick Richards ($5,100), Jonas Valanciunas ($4,800)
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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.
