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Welcome back, everybody. For Saturday night, barring any postponements, we will get an eight-game slate to target, and DraftKings continues to offer huge tournaments for DFS players. Below are some of my favorite targets at each position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Point Guard
Stud
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls, $10,600
Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) and C.J. McCollum (foot) are still out for Portland, and now, Derrick Jones Jr. (foot) will also be inactive. Furthermore, Robert Covington (questionable, concussion) could miss his third straight game. All in all, the Blazers are very shorthanded right now, and Lillard will garner a colossal workload in this juicy matchup vs. the Bulls.
In his past three, the superstar is averaging 53.25 DKFP per game behind a 32% usage rate, and Chicago is giving up the second-most DKFP per game to opposing point guards in 2020-21. The asking price is high, but Lillard’s ceiling is well over 60 DKFP tonight.
Other Options: Stephen Curry ($9,700), Chris Paul ($7,600), Ja Morant ($7,100)
Value
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies, $6,300
Murray amassed 40.75 DKFP in the Spurs’ 119-109 win Friday night vs. the Nuggets. For that contest, he was extremely underpriced at only $6,100 and following this great showing Murray’s salary has only increased $200 for Saturday night. The 24-year-old is now averaging 39.9 DKFP per game in his past seven and $6,300 is a laughable cost for this type of production.
Regardless that the Grizzlies rank second in defensive efficiency, Murray should have no issues exceeding five-times value tonight and is a value that needs to be utilized.
Other Options: Lonzo Ball ($5,000), Gabe Vincent ($3,500, if Jimmy Butler, Andre Iguodala and Avery Bradley are out)
Shooting Guard
Stud
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers, $8,800
With the Blazers in town, comes their terrible defense that ranks 28th in efficiency this season. The Bulls have plenty of issues themselves on the defensive end, currently sitting at 26th in efficiency, and as a result, this contest’s O/U game total is up to 232 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
We can expect a back and forth shootout between the two clubs and LaVine should have a big night on his home floor. The usage monster (30% this season) has supplied 48.9 DKFP per game in his past 10 and has topped 50 DKFP 50% of the time during this stretch. Paying up at shooting guard is never a popular strategy and rostering LaVine tonight is a great way to differentiate yourself in GPPs.
Other Options: Victor Oladipo ($7,900), Tyler Herro ($7,200, better if Jimmy Butler is out)
Value
Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls, $4,400
On the other side of the ball, Simons is an attractive cheap target in this high-scoring tilt between the Blazers and Bulls. With Nurkic, McCollum and Covington (concussion) missing the past two for the Blazers, Simons has seen his playing time bump up to 28.5 minutes per game, helping him score 29.75 DKFP per game.
As noted above, both Nurkic and McCollum will continue to be sidelined for Saturday, and while there is a chance Covington returns with him listed as questionable. Additionally, Derrick Jones Jr. (foot) will miss his first game of the season. This should keep Simons in the 25-30 minute range off of the bench with room for more if Covington doesn’t clear the concussion protocols. The Bulls are allowing the ninth-most DKFP per game to opposing shooting guards this season and Simons is contributing 28.9 DKFP per game in the past five he has cracked the 25-minute mark.
Other Options: Eric Bledsoe ($5,800), Wayne Ellington ($5,100)
Small Forward
Stud
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, $10,300
The greatest rivalry basketball has ever seen will be on display Saturday night for the first time this season, and James should put on a show on national TV. Heading into this marquee matchup, the four-time NBA champ is averaging 55.6 DKFP per game over his past five and he always seems to dominate against Boston.
In his past 10 meetings against the Celtics, James is producing 61.3 DKFP per game. Additionally, Anthony Davis ($9,300; questionable - quad) could miss this contest, which would create some extra opportunities for James. When AD has been off the floor this year, the 36-year-old’s usage rate has increased a team-high 3.2%. Nevertheless, James should outproduce his current salary against his longtime foe on Saturday night.
Other Options: Jaylen Brown ($8,000), DeMar DeRozan ($7,000)
Value
Jae Crowder, Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks, $5,900
Crowder has played his best basketball in a Suns uniform with Devin Booker (hamstring) out. In these past three games with the star shooting guard inactive, Crowder has started and provided 36.4 DKFP per game. With the starting role, the forward has obtained 31.6 regulation minutes per game and handled a solid 21.3% usage rate. This is a 4.5% jump from his usual usage this season and Booker has already been ruled out ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Mavs.
This Dallas club is playing their second game in two nights, and their defense has rated as the worst unit in the entire NBA over their past five games. Power forwards are exposing them for the sixth-most DKFP per game this season, and Crowder is rating as strong point-per-dollar despite his DraftKings salary hitting a new season’s peak.
Other Options: Gary Trent Jr. ($5,200), Kyle Kuzma ($5,000, if Anthony Davis is out)
Power Forward
Stud
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets, $7,400
Williamson was terrific in Friday’s huge win over the Bucks, notching 45.75 DKFP. He was one rebound away from tallying a double-double and the 20-year-old has produced at least 40 DKFP in six of his past seven starts. He has been one of the most reliable spends in DFS over the past few weeks and $7,400 is just too cheap for Williamson in this form.
The Rockets have improved defensively since dealing James Harden (fourth in efficiency), but they are still a friendly spot for opposing frontcourts, currently giving up the second-most rebounds per game. It’s also worth noting that the Pelicans will be at home tonight and Williamson is scoring 3.8 more DKFP per game at the Smoothie King Center this year compared to when he is competing on the road. The budding star should top 40 DKFP yet again tonight and is one of the top values on the slate.
Other Options: Jayson Tatum ($8,500), Jerami Grant ($7,800), Gordon Hayward ($7,300)
Value
Xavier Tillman, Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs, $3,500
The Grizzlies haven’t played in 12 days and will finally make their return to action tonight, but they will still be without Jonas Valancuinas due to the NBA’s health protocols. The center missed Memphis’ previous two before a series of postponements for the team, and it was Tillman who started at center in his place. The active rookie didn’t disappoint with the opportunity, amassing 28 DKFP in 28.5 MPG.
Eight games into his NBA career, Tillman has been a solid fantasy producer at 0.96 DKFP per minute and it’s hard to envision him not smashing value against this Spurs defense that is surrendering the sixth-most DKFP per game to opposing centers. Assuming he remains a starter, Tillman is the best value available for this eight-game slate.
Other Options: Kelly Oubre Jr. ($6,000), Carmelo Anthony ($5,500, if Robert Covington is out)
Center
Stud
Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks, $7,800
Ayton is a volatile player, but we need to embrace his risk tonight in GPPs when the center faces the Mavs. He has seen a 2.1% bump to his usage sans Booker this season, and opposing big men kill Dallas on a nightly basis. They are yielding the second-most rebounds per game and the fifth-most DKFP per game to centers this year.
The Suns ran away with their 114-93 win over the Warriors on Wednesday, which only resulted in 23.2 minutes for Ayton, but he still supplied 35.25 DKFP. When we do the math, this is an outstanding 1.5 DKFP per minute for the center, showing us the big upside he has with Booker missing. The 22-year-old should get back to over 30 minutes tonight in this beautiful spot, and Ayton shouldn’t be very popular considering his subpar recent game log.
Other Options: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,800), Enes Kanter ($7,100)
Value
Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks, $4,500
Since being inserted back into the starting five two games ago, Zeller has been an awesome DFS value. He is collecting 30.75 DKFP in 28 minutes per game with the first unit, and Zeller remains vastly underpriced for tonight’s game against the Bucks.
The 28-year-old is generating 1.1 DKFP per minute so far this season and the Bucks are a decent spot for centers, with their defense allowing the ninth-most DKFP per game to the position over their past 10 games. This could be the last time we see Zeller priced under $5,000 for a while and I recommend attacking the center in all formats.
Other Options: Mason Plumlee ($5,400), James Wiseman ($4,800)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) 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 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.
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