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For Saturday night, DFS players get a five-game slate to attack, and DraftKings continues to offer a plethora of huge tournaments. Below are some of my favorite studs and values at each position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Point Guard
Stud
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trail Blazers, $10,900
With LeBron James (abdomen) sidelined, Westbrook is worth every penny Saturday night. Take James off the floor and Westbrook’s usage rate and assist rate increase 5.5 and 6.0 percentage points, respectively, resulting in 1.4 DKFP per minute. Portland ranks 24th in defensive efficiency and is playing its second game in two nights.
Westbrook is a strong bet to reach the triple-double bonus and to finish with at least 60 DKFP.
Other Options: Chris Paul ($8,400), Mike Conley ($6,600, if Donovan Mitchell is out)
Value
Dennis Schroder, Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks, $5,400
Schroder has been productive as a member of the Celtics, topping 30 DKFP in six of eight games this season, and he should see an expanded workload with Jaylen Brown (hamstring) sidelined. Starter or not, Schroder should be in line for over 30 minutes of action, which is more than enough time for him to beat this price point.
In the last 10 contests, Schroder has logged at least 30 minutes, he is averaging 31.7 DKFP per game.
Other Options: Jalen Brunson ($5,600, if Kristaps Porzingis is out), Shake Milton ($4,500, if Furkan Korkmaz and Danny Green are out)
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Shooting Guard
Stud
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns vs. Atlanta Hawks, $8,500
After a few quiet outings to open the season, Booker has found his groove, contributing 45.6 DKFP per game over his past four. The shooting guard’s usage has been among the highest rates in the league this season at 32.2%, and this is a juicy matchup with the Hawks, who rank 26th in defensive efficiency.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, this contest’s total is set at 223.5 points, and over the past four seasons, Booker has amassed 41.7 DKFP per game in totals north of 220 points.
Other Options: CJ McCollum ($7,900)
Value
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers, $3,900
Caruso has been a very nice asset off the bench for the Bulls, chipping in with 22.7 DKFP per game. He has eclipsed 20 DKFP in five of his past six, and this is a solid spot against a Sixers’ club that is very depleted at the moment.
While Caruso isn’t the most exciting choice, he should be able to exceed five-times value and is rating as one of the better values at the thin shooting guard position.
Other Options: Jordan Clarkson ($5,600, if Mitchell is out), Joe Ingles ($4,900, if Mitchell is out), Aaron NeSmith ($3,000, if Josh Richardson is out)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Small Forward
Stud
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks, $9,600
While Tatum has had a disappointing season thus far, the All-Star needs to be considered tonight with Brown out of the lineup. When the Cal product has been off the court this season, Tatum’s usage has increased 3.9 percentage points to a team-high 36%. Overall since the start of last season, the 23-year-old has supplied 1.24 DKFP per minute sans Brown.
Despite his ugly game log, Tatum has a strong chance to eclipse 50 DKFP tonight with the elite role.
Other Options: Luka Doncic ($10,700)
Value
Norman Powell, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers, $4,800
After being eased into action due to a knee injury, Powell has looked stellar as of late. In his past two starts, the wing has shot the ball at 60% from beyond the arc and received a 27.2% usage rate, helping Powell produce 37.4 DKFP per game.
Now on tap for Saturday is a date with the Lakers, who will be without James and rank first in pace this season. Powell always thrives in uptempo settings, and he is an elite value play at this ridiculously low salary.
Other Options: Georges Niang ($4,700, if Korkmaz and Green are out)
Power Forward
Stud
Al Horford, Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks, $7,600
After essentially taking last season off, Horford has been incredible this year, scoring 40.2 DKFP per game. The 35-year-old currently leads the league with three blocks per game and has tallied a double-double in six of seven starts. Now, take Brown out of the equation and Horford’s excellent season is guaranteed to continue Saturday against the Mavs.
His usage has jumped 5.1 percentage points with Brown off the floor, lifting him to an immense 1.4 DKFP per minute.
Other Options: DeMar DeRozan ($8,300)
Value
De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks at Phoenix Suns, $4,100
Hunter has been solid this season, averaging 19.2 DKFP per game. He is shooting the ball at 50% clip and has gone over 30 minutes in back-to-back tilts. Competing in this small five-point spread against the Suns, Hunter should continue to handle right around 30 minutes against this Phoenix defense that has disappointed, ranking 19th in defensive efficiency.
Late injury news could absolutely open up more value at power forward, but as it currently stands, Hunter is one of the better inexpensive forward options available.
Other Options: Bojan Bogdanovic ($5,300, if Mitchell is out)
Center
Stud
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers @ Portland Trail Blazers, $10,500
Davis is listed as questionable with a thumb injury, but he played through the ailment Thursday night and finished with 65 DKFP across 38 minutes against the Thunder. While Davis is always subject to sitting out, he will likely be available Saturday, certainly making him one of the top studs on the slate with James inactive. Davis’ usage has risen 3.2 percentage points and he has generated an outstanding 1.5 DKFP per minute with James off the floor this season.
In the three full games that LeBron has missed, Davis has led the Lakers with 60 DKFP per night, and the Blazers’ weak interior defense should have no answers for the Brow this evening.
Other Options: Rudy Gobert ($8,700), Deandre Ayton ($6,500)
Value
Hassan Whiteside, Utah Jazz @ Miami Heat, $3,900
For this short slate, rolling the dice on Whiteside against his former team is a decent move for GPPs, where he is guaranteed to be contrarian. As Gobert’s backup, Whiteside is logging 15.5 minutes per game, which has translated to 20 DKFP per game.
The always productive big man is averaging 1.3 DKFP per minute and over 20 DKFP is certainly in the realm of possibilities tonight.
Other Options: Dwight Powell ($3,600, if Porzingis is out), Frank Kaminsky ($3,400)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K 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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