There are five NBA games on Saturday’s slate. No team is playing on the second night 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
Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors ($7,900)
Reaves was out two months due to injury. On Tuesday, he finally returned to action and played 21 minutes, putting up 25 FPTS. On Thursday, he went for 45.5 FPTS in 25 minutes. Luka Doncic exited that game due to injury so Reaves picked up the offensive slack. Well, Doncic is out for this one, so Reaves should see an uptick in usage rate once again. With Doncic off the court this season, Reaves has seen a team-high 7.43% usage rate bump to 37.02%.
Other Options: Jamal Murray ($9,000), Isaiah Collier ($7,500) if Keyonte George is out, Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($7,100), Desmond Bane ($6,600), Kon Knueppel ($6,400), Jalen Suggs ($6,300)
Value
Pat Spencer, Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers ($4,800)
Spencer got the start on Thursday because Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski were out. Podziemski is probable for this one but Curry is out. Spencer may not start but he should play a significant amount of minutes. He put up 38.5 FPTS in 32 minutes on Thursday. Spencer averages 0.93 FPTS per minute and now faces a Lakers team that is 22nd in defensive rating over the last 15 games.
Other Options: De’Anthony Melton ($5,700), Anfernee Simons ($5,300), Jaden Ivey ($5,000)
Forward
Stud
Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets ($10,900)
Charlotte has been playing good defense lately – sixth in defensive rating over the last 15 games. IDC! IDC! Johnson has been garnering a usage rate around 32% over the last few games and has 10 triple-doubles on the season. Only Nikola Jokic has more with 17. Over the last three games, Johnson has put up at least 64 FPTS in all with two of those over 70 FPTS. He’s gone over 60 FPTS eight other times with four of those over 70 FPTS.
Other Options: Paolo Banchero ($9,000), LeBron James ($8,700), Brandon Miller ($7,200), Dillon Brooks ($6,900), Kyle Filipowski ($6,500) if he starts
Value
Guerschon Yabusele, Chicago Bulls vs. Denver Nuggets ($4,400)
Yabusele could not carve out a role with the Knicks and received only 8.9 minutes a night. In his first game with Chicago after being traded, Yabusele played 33 minutes and put up 39.8 FPTS. Yabu Yabu dooooo! Yabusele can play both power forward and small ball center, so the playing time should be secure now.
Other Options: Ace Bailey ($5,800), Tim Hardaway Jr. ($5,300)
Center
Stud
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz at Orlando Magic ($7,300)
Utah is tricky because the end goal is to cash in the protected first-rounder this season, in a draft that has potentially a multitude of franchise-altering players. So, even if Nurkic starts, there’s always the chance he doesn’t get a full complement of minutes. That said, when he’s been on the court, Nurkic has been fantastic. He just recently came off a stretch of three straight triple-doubles. Risk is high, but so is the reward. The price is palatable.
Other Options: Kyle Filipowski ($6,500) if he starts
Value
Jock Landale, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets ($6,000)
After being traded to Atlanta, Landale played 32 minutes and put up a whopping 58.2 FPTS. Onyeka Okongwu did not start in that one. Well, Okongwu is questionable for Saturday as well. With Memphis, Landale averaged a respectable 0.96 FPTS per minute. I wouldn’t expect another 50 burger, but 30 FPTS seems likely if he starts and plays while 40 FPTS is in play, something he’s accomplished four times this season.
Other Options: Moussa Diabate ($5,300), Jonas Valanciunas ($4,900) if Nikola Jokic is out, Guerschon Yabusele ($4,400), Andre Drummond ($4,300) if Joel Embiid is out, Zeke Nnaji ($3,100)
