This Saturday, the NBA has a nice, compact, four-game main slate, which tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET. With teams navigating multiple injuries and playing through a busy section of the schedule, rotations can be a little tricky to figure out. However, we are starting to get an idea of the most advantageous matchups to target. On this slate, there are a few key NBA DFS stacks that make sense to build around as you assemble your roster for what should be a great night of DFS fantasy basketball.
At this point in the season, injuries are also starting to stack up and impact the slate. The daily injury report has a few key names to monitor, and with four teams on the second night of a back-to-back, it’ll be important to see who gets the night off. Checking the latest injury report is critical to get your team set before the action tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
The NBA DFS main slate includes a variety of contests and pay-out structures on DraftKings, headlined by the NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st].
Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards
The Wizards have the worst defensive rating in the NBA and have given up the most fantasy points per game to both point guards and centers. The Bulls are looking to bounce back from a big home loss on Friday night to the Heat, and they’re in a good spot to post a big total at home in this contest. They have the highest implied team total on the board by a wide margin and make sense as a strong place to start your NBA DFS stacks.
Both the Bulls and Wizards rank in the top five in the NBA for pace this season, so there should be plenty of points flying around in the Windy City.
Core Plays: Josh Giddey ($9,600) and Nikola Vucevic ($8,000) have been the leaders of the offense and match up against the exact weaknesses of the Wizards. Giddey had at least 48 fantasy points in three of his last four games and seven of his last nine. He’s averaging 51 DraftKings points per game and is a great anchor for the stack in the backcourt. Vucevic has been less consistent lately but did post 45 and 48 fantasy points in two of his last four games. He only played 21 minutes Friday, so he should be fresh and ready for more work Saturday night against the Wizards.
Value Options: Coby White ($7,400) will return after sitting out Friday, but Matas Buzelis ($6,100; ankle), Kevin Huerter ($5,800; illness) and Isaac Okoro ($3,900; back) are all questionable with their injuries, so check the injury report for Bulls updates as well. Ayo Dosunmu ($5,100) could be a big beneficiary if any of the other options are out, and I highlighted Dosunmu in my top three-point prop bets as well. Jalen Smith ($4,200) and Patrick Williams ($3,700) are viable punt plays that can help round out the stack as well if you are looking for a bargain from the basement.
Atlanta Hawks at New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans have allowed the seventh-most points to their opponents this season and have the fourth-worst team defensive rating. They’ve dropped eight straight games and are on the second night of a back-to-back without Zion Williamson (injury management), so it should be a good night to use the Hawks as one of your top NBA DFS stacks as they look to bounce back from back-to-back losses to the Pistons and Spurs.
The Hawks have been without Trae Young (knee), but the supporting cast has stepped up and kept Atlanta playing well on its way to a 9-7 record.
Core Plays: The key player in the Hawks’ offense lately has been Jalen Johnson ($9,700), who has posted at least 50 fantasy points in five straight games, highlighted by his 92-fantasy-point performance in Utah against the Jazz. He has a similar ceiling in this smash spot without Zion for the Pelicans, although he will get help from Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($6,500), who dropped 38 points in 34 minutes against the Spurs, racking up 59.5 fantasy points in only 34 minutes. The Great Barrier Thief, Dyson Daniels ($6,800) has multi-category potential as well, and he’ll also have the revenge game narrative in place as he faces his former team in the Big Easy.
Value Options: Onyeka Okongwu ($7,200; ankle) is questionable, and if he’s out, that would open minutes and usage for Mouhamed Gueye ($4,000), who has posted a couple of monster games when minutes were available for him over the last few weeks. Keaton Wallace (personal) is out, which should open backup point guard minutes as well, with Luke Kennard ($3,500) potentially a bargain play who could get extra work in that spot.
Memphis Grizzlies at Dallas Mavericks
The Grizzlies catch the Mavs on the second night of a back-to-back after they rallied for a win over the Pelicans on Friday. Don’t expect much sympathy from Memphis, though, since the Grizz won’t have Ja Morant (calf), Ty Jerome (calf), Scotty Pippen Jr. (knee), and probably Jaren Jackson Jr. (ankle), who is officially doubtful. The rest of the Grizzlies should be good fantasy options while filling in against Dallas, who will still be without Anthony Davis (calf) and possibly D’Angelo Russell (illness), who missed Friday’s game.
Core Plays: With so many absences in the backcourt, forward Vince Williams Jr. ($5,700) has stepped in and been very productive in his last two games. He had 38.8 fantasy points against the Spurs on Tuesday, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. He followed that up with 35.2 fantasy points on Thursday against the Kings, posting four points, five rebounds and 15 assists in just 24 minutes. Santi Aldama ($6,700) has also stepped up, and he only needed 28 minutes to score 29 points and finish with 45.75 fantasy points against the Kings with JJJ out.
Value Options: In the backcourt, Cam Spencer ($4,700), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,000) and John Konchar ($3,600) all have potential value with more work expected to come their way. Jock Landale ($4,100) is also coming off a very productive 21 points and six rebounds in just 15 minutes against the Kings, and he had at least 18 fantasy points in 10 of his last 11 games, making him a reliable cheap play in the middle if you are running low on salary to round out your roster.
