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Happy Saturday, everyone. Tonight, we get an interesting seven-game slate. DraftKings continues to offer huge tournaments for DFS players, and below are some of my favorite targets at each position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $450K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Point Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic, $11,000
Doncic is on a roll right now, producing 69.8 DKFP per game across his past three games and tonight he and the Mavs will be hosting a beat-up Magic team playing their second game in two nights. Down a few key players, this Orlando team just allowed the Rockets to score 132 points against them. More importantly, the Mavs will be shorthanded themselves for Saturday, with Jalen Brunson, Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith all out due to the NBA’s health protocols.
Albeit a small sample size, when Doncic played without these three players in 2020-21, he has seen his assist rate skyrocket 17.7%. Aside from the injured Ja Morant (ankle), Doncic leads the league in usage (38.1%) and there is a strong chance he notches a double-double tonight or maybe even a triple-double. He may be the most expensive player on the slate, but Doncic is still rating as one of the top values available.
Other Options: Damian Lillard ($9,500), D’Angelo Russell ($8,100)
Value
Trey Burke, Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic, $3,000
Burke (illness) missed Thursday’s win over the Nuggets, but he looks poised to return tonight when his team needs him most. The Mavs’ starting five has yet to be announced, but Burke is a candidate to replace Richardson at shooting guard. Even if he doesn’t, Burke should obtain 25-30 minutes off the bench and handle a solid usage rate with this team lacking scoring threats after Doncic.
Burke hasn’t been very productive this season (0.7 DKFP per minute), but he tends to produce when given a sizable role. The Michigan product supplied 25.25 DKFP in the one game he topped 20 minutes this season and is averaging 22.9 DKFP per game in his past 10 contests with at least 20 minutes. Burke’s salary has hit the DraftKings’ floor at $3,000, and he is one of the best salary relief options for this seven-game slate.
Other Options: Dejounte Murray ($6,900), LaMelo Ball ($6,700)
Shooting Guard
Stud
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards vs. Miami Heat, $9,700
The Wizards may be losing, but Beal can’t be stopped right now. In his past two starts, the shooting guard has scored an insane 101 total points. In terms of fantasy, this translates to 65.3 DKFP per game, and it’s not like either of these matchups were friendly, going against the Sixers and then the Celtics.
Even with Russell Westbrook in town, Beal’s usage has still been elite, at 36.8%, and he is now scoring 51.7 DKFP per game for the 2020-21 season. Tonight’s matchup doesn’t get any easier for him, going head-to-head with Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat (11th in defensive efficiency), but I highly doubt they will be able to slow down the red-hot Beal. The asking price is rising, hitting a new season peak, but it’s hard to keep him out of your player pool right now and if anything, the higher cost could result in lower ownership for Beal in large tournaments.
Other Options: C.J. McCollum ($8,600)
Value
Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trailblazers, $5,800
De’Aaron Fox (hamstring) played last night, but he was limited to only 25 minutes, and with the team being cautious about his injury, it seems that there is a strong possibility he is rested tonight given it’s the second leg of a back-to-back. Even with him active and starting, Haliburton continued to impress, recording 37.5 DKFP in 29 minutes off the bench. In the Kings’ prior game, Fox played five minutes before exiting, resulting in 44.25 DKFP across 34.3 minutes for Haliburton.
Tonight, Sacramento will face the Blazers at home and this game should yield plenty of scoring, with both clubs ranking in the bottom seven in defensive efficiency. All in all, this is arguably the best game of the night to target and if Fox were to sit, Haliburton would be a must-play in all formats. Now, if Fox is active but limited again, the rookie still needs to be considered in GPPs at his reasonable price tag.
Other Options: Cole Anthony ($5,500), Damyean Dotson ($4,300, If Colin Sexton is out)
Small Forward
Stud
Gordon Hayward, Charlotte Hornets vs. Atlanta Hawks, $8,200
It appears that all Hayward needed was a change of scenery. Going from Boston to Charlotte has done wonders for his fantasy stock, with him scoring 39.8 DKFP per game with the Hornets compared to 33 DKFP per game last year with the Celtics. In his last four, Hayward is amassing 46.6 DKFP per game with a 25.9% usage rate, and this contest vs. the Hawks is currently sitting at 227 points on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
These two clubs just met this past Wednesday for the first time this season, and Hayward was incredible, posting a season-high 61.25 DKFP. While we can’t expect this kind of output again, Hayward should be able to exceed five times value tonight.
Other Options: Jimmy Butler ($7,400)
Value
Terrence Ross, Orlando Magic vs. Dallas Mavericks, $6,400
Ross was a huge letdown last night, tallying only 9.25 DKFP in the absurd 42-point loss to the Rockets, but I think we should go back to the well again tonight. First off, another blowout like this is highly unlikely (DAL -7.5) and Ross should handle over 30 minutes with Markelle Fultz (out, knee), Michael Carter-Williams (out, foot) and possibly Evan Fournier ($5,500; questionable, back) out.
The Magic desperately need Ross’s offense, and when Fultz and Carter-Williams have been off the court this season, the 29-year-old has watched his usage rate rise 4.1%. Ross was having an impressive season before Friday night, supplying 29.5 DKFP per game and he is a high-upside option that should come with depressed ownership due to recency bias.
Other Options: Harrison Barnes ($6,400), Cedi Osman ($6,200, if Sexton is out), James Ennis III ($3,000, if Evan Fournier is out)
Power Forward
Stud
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, $10,800
Plain and simple, Antetokounmpo is just too cheap tonight — he is averaging 57.9 DKFP per game across his past five. The back-to-back MVP is coming off a loss last night and will be in a decent spot at home vs. the Cavs, who have given up the 12th-most DKFP per game to power forwards this year.
Over the past three seasons, Antetokounmpo has provided 60.5 DKFP per game when playing his second game in two nights at home, and while the Bucks may be the biggest favorite on the board (MIL -12.5 on the DraftKings Sportsbook), the superstar still presents a massive ceiling and an obvious top play at his position.
Other Options: DeMar DeRozan ($7,800), John Collins ($7,500)
Value
Maxi Kleber, Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic, $4,300
In Wednesday’s overtime win against the Nuggets, Kleber generated 28.5 DKFP in 36 minutes of work as the Mavs’ starting power forward. Now, with the Mavs losing three rotation players, most notably two starters, Kleber will almost certainly see above 30 minutes Saturday when the Mavs face the Magic.
He is amassing 21.2 DKFP per on the four occasions he has eclipsed the 25-minute mark this season and while this matchup may rate poorly at a first glance (ORL is fourth in defensive efficiency), the Magic are also down several key pieces. His ceiling isn’t the greatest, but Kleber is a solid option to consider based on the high expected volume he should see.
Other Options: Robert Covington ($5,400), Davis Bertans ($4,800), Jarred Vanderbilt ($4,200, if Karl-Anthony Towns is out)
Center
Stud
Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets, $7,000
The Hawks eased him into things, limiting him to only 20 minutes a night in his first two games of the season, but since that time, this Hawks coaching staff has let Capela top 30 minutes in four of five contests. Over this span, the center has recorded 36.6 DKFP per game and has notched a double-double in three of four starts.
Capela just collected 19 rebounds against this Hornets defense Wednesday night (34.25 DKFP), and he should be very active on the glass in this rematch. For the season, this Charlotte squad has given up the fourth-most rebounds per game to their opponents. With no game last night or tomorrow for Atlanta, we don’t have to worry about Capela’s playing time being limited and in roughly 30 minutes of action, he should approach 40 DKFP in this prime spot.
Other Options: Nikola Vucevic ($8,800), Bam Adebayo ($8,500)
Value
P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets vs, Atlanta Hawks, $5,900
Not only is this contest between the Hornets and Hawks expected to be high scoring, but the spread is small with Atlanta only favored by five points on DraftKings Sportsbook. This is great news for Washington. So far in 2020-21, Washington has been exceptional when the Hornets are in a competitive setting, scoring 31.4 DKFP per game when the contest is decided by single-digit points.
He was effective Wednesday vs. this same Atlanta defense (29.5 DKFP) and the success should continue tonight. Currently, the Hawks are one of the top matchups in the league for power forwards, allowing the fourth-most DKFP per game to the position.
Other Options: Enes Kanter ($4,800), Willie Cauley-Stein ($4,000)
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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.