There are five NBA games on Saturday’s main slate. ATL, CHA, CHI, NYK, POR and SAS are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
This article was written on Friday night. Any changes will be updated. Keep track of all the injury news at DK Network.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ($9,200)
Brunson is THE man for the Knicks, garning a usage rate above 30% on the season. While he doesn’t provide much in the defensive categories, he’s a professional getter of buckets. He’s put up over 40 FPTS in 13 straight with five of those over 50 FPTS and a high of 65.8 FPTS. Karl-Anthony Towns missed Friday’s game due to an illness so it seems likely that he would sit for Saturday as well. With Towns and Josh Hart off the court this season, Brunson has seen a usage bump of close to four percentage points.
Other Options: Tyrese Maxey ($9,500), Deni Avdija ($9,300), LaMelo Ball ($8,100), De’Aaron Fox ($7,900), Stephon Castle ($7,800), Brandon Ingram ($7,700), Shaedon Sharpe ($7,400), Dyson Daniels ($6,600), Kon Knueppel ($6,500), VJ Edgecombe ($6,400)
Value
Tre Jones, Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets ($5,500)
Jones began the season in the starting lineup due to Coby White being out, and he performed well, putting up over 30 FPTS six times with three of those over 40 FPTS. Then White came back and Jones was relegated to a backup role. Well, White and Josh Giddey were out and Jones went for 42 FPTS last game in only 27 minutes. If the game wasn’t a blowout, he likely would’ve had a 50-burger. White and Giddey are out for this one as well.
Other Options: Ayo Dosunmu ($5,600), Quentin Grimes ($5,400), Julian Champagnie ($5,300), Kevin Huerter ($5,100), Caleb Love ($4,600), Miles McBride ($4,300), Luke Kennard ($3,500) if Trae Young is out
Forward
Stud
Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors vs. Atlanta Hawks ($8,400)
With Jakob Poeltl out, Barnes has played more small-ball center with great results. He has two triple-doubles over the last three games and pulled down 25 boards in one of those contests. That translated to 62 and 80.2 FPTS. I don’t see why that would change for this game.
Other Options: Jalen Johnson ($9,700), Cooper Flagg ($7,500), Miles Bridges ($7,300), OG Anunoby ($7,000), Brandon Miller ($6,900), Mikal Bridges ($6,700), Jabari Smith Jr. ($6,100)
Value
Jalen Smith, Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets ($5,200)
After Zach Collins succumbed to injury, Smith saw an uptick in playing time from the teens to 22 minutes. He put up over 22 FPTS in each, then received 26 minutes and got the starting nod last game. He contributed 29 and 40.5 FPTS. He received the start once again on Friday and should continue getting significant run on Saturday. Smith can stuff the stat sheet, doing work on the glass and spacing the floor on offense.
Other Options: Ayo Dosunmu ($5,600), Matas Buzelis ($5,400), Julian Champagnie ($5,300), Kevin Huerter ($5,100)
Center
Stud
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks ($8,600)
Embiid may never be the vintage version of himself, but he’s come a long way since the start of the season. He’s put up at least 40 FPTS in five of his last six games with two over 50 and a high of 64.5 FPTS. He’s now consistently playing over 30 minutes and received 35 and 38 minutes over the last two contests. There’s a big fat Q next to his name as of writing this, but Embiid is officially designated as probable on the NBA’s injury report.
Other Options: Donovan Clingan ($6,200)
Value
Ariel Hukporti, New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ($3,500)
Hukporti is only averaging 0.63 FPTS per minute, but there’s a chance he sees over 20 minutes in this one. Towns is dealing with an illness while Mitchell Robinson has missed three straight games due to an ankle injury.
Other Options: Jalen Smith ($5,200), Luke Kornet ($4,800), PJ Hall ($3,900), Ariel Hukporti ($3,500) if Mitchell Robinson is out
