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Value is always important on any slate and Saturday’s main nine-gamer is no different. I’ll take you through some of my top options to save salary in your lineup.
Carmelo Anthony, POR at CLE, $5,000
Melo has played two games for the Trail Blazers with similar and mixed results, at least some a fantasy standpoint. In game was he was inefficient and put up no fantasy numbers. In the second game, he was inefficient, but dropped 18 points with seven boards and four assists for 32.25 DKFP. This matchup is strong and even with Damian Lillard coming back I’m not too worried about Melo at this price point.
Lonzo Ball, NOP at UTA, $4,500
So Lonzo just returned from an adductor strain, so he didn’t play much in his first game back last night against the Suns. He still played 19 minutes and chucked up seven 3-point attempts, so the usage and playing time isn’t bad given the discount here. The matchup isn’t great, but we’ve got the Jazz on the second of a back-to-back Saturday.
Bobby Portis, NYK vs. SAS, $4,200
Portis is ridiculously cheap and the Spurs are on the second of a back-to-back after playing Friday. San Antonio boasts one of the worst defensive efficiency ratings in the NBA and I think this is a spot to take advantage of some Knicks role players. Portis has played at least 22 minutes in each of the past three games, so getting to 5x value at this price should be easy if he plays 20+ minutes.
Mike Scott, PHI vs. MIA, $4,000
I think the 76ers could rest guys on the second night of a home back-to-back, so if Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons takes a seat, I think The Three-gional Manager is in a good spot to see increased minutes and usage. He played 24 minutes vs. the Knicks on Wednesday and poured in four 3-pointers. Miami isn’t an easy matchup, but the Heat are also playing a B2B.