Saturday night in the NBA features a solid seven-game slate of action. All of my research seems to be pointing me toward a game stack that includes a couple of “value” studs with plenty of mid-range and inexpensive options to get a lot of exposure to one of the highest Vegas totals on the slate in what should be a high-paced matchup.

Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.

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One Stud

DeMarcus Cousins (PF/C – NO): $10,700 vs NY
DeMarcus Cousins is coming off a monster game on Friday night with 32 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks on his way to 83 DraftKings points. While he will be playing in the second game of a back-to-back both games are at home so there is less concern about a big minutes reduction or fatigue. He will get a favorable matchup against the Knicks who have allowed the fifth most DK points to opposing centers this season. The other marquee players on the slate either have a tougher matchup or have changing circumstances (ie Stephen Curry‘s return to the Warriors’ lineup).

Core Plays

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $8,600 vs PHI
Time for the start of the game stack portion of the article. Bring on the Nuggets and Sixers! The biggest key to the game stack is that Joel Embiid will be out which opens up opportunities for the Sixers and Nuggets. Nikola Jokic will not have to contend with Embiid. The Sixers rank dead last in DK points allowed to opposing centers this season and Jokic should be able to take advantage for one of his huge games at a reasonable salary.

Ben Simmons (PG/SF – PHI): $8,300 @ DEN
Ben Simmons has been disappointing from a fantasy perspective over this last four games registering 35 DK points or fewer in each contest. He will get a usage boost with Embiid out and faces a Nuggets’ team that has allowed increased production in secondary categories to opposing PGs this season with a slight boost in rebounds, assists and steals which plays right into Simmons’ game. Look for a bounce-back stat- stuffin’ game from Simmons.

Jamal Murray (PG/SG – DEN): $6,200 vs PHI
Jamal Murray has been ballin’ recently topping 33 DK points in four of his last five games. His minutes have also been on the rise with his strong play giving him a higher floor to go along with his big upside when he gets hot. His scoring should get a boost with a matchup against the Sixers who have allowed an increase in points (+4.1%) to opposing PGs.

Dario Saric (PF/C – PHI): $6,200 @ DEN
When Embiid is out just lock in Dario Saric. In eight games without Embiid on the court this season, Saric is averaging 35.8 DK points with 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The matchup with the Nuggets is not ideal for opposing PFs but Saric should see significant minutes and increased usage to still allow him to pay off his $6,200 salary.

Value Plays

Ish Smith (PG/SG – DET): $5,500 vs SA
It’s hard to say how popular Ish Smith with be on Saturday’s slate. His salary is still reasonable for the increased playing time and usage he will get with Reggie Jackson out but his matchup against the Spurs will surely deter some from rostering him. In his one matchup with the Spurs earlier this season he scored 16.3 DK points in just 14 minutes, so if we use a similar rate of production and extend his minutes up to 32 like he got in his last game with Jackson out then we could be in for another 37 DK point night which is plenty of production for his price tag.

Shabazz Napier (PG/SG – POR): $5,000 @ ATL
With Damian Lillard out the last three games, Shabazz Napier has stepped up his production averaging over 35 minutes with 19.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game for 36.2 DK points. Lillard is questionable again for Saturday’s matchup with Hawks and if he remains out then Napier is a near must-play against a Hawks’ team that has allowed the sixth most DK points to opposing PGs this season including the fifth most steals which is Napier’s specialty.

Trey Lyles (SF/PF – DEN): $4,900 vs PHI
Trey Lyles has established himself as part of the Nuggets’ rotation with at least 28 minutes played in each of the last four games. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per games while producing at least 25 DK points in each game. He should get the minutes and fantasy production to reach 5x his salary again on Saturday in an up-tempo game against the Sixers.

Richaun Holmes (PF/C – PHI): $4,200 @ DEN
The final piece to the puzzle for a Nuggets/Sixers game stack is Richaun Holmes. Holmes has averaged 22 minutes with 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in seven games without Embiid this season for just under 23 DK points per game. With an athletic big man, Nikola Jokic, on the other side of the court, Holmes could see a few more minutes than normal as a better option to try to stay with the big man than Amir Johnson would be. Minutes equal fantasy production.

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Brad Richter is a correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay and GoingFor2. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.