There’s a big slate of games on a sports-packed Saturday, as 10 NBA teams are in action with the first game starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. The two biggest injuries for Saturday’s slate are Jimmy Butler, who is dealing with a wrist injury, and Joel Embiid, who is just resting for maintenance.
The salary is set at the usual $60K, but this week I had an extra $200 left.
The most notable player left out of my lineup for Saturday’s games was Kyrie Irving ($10,500 vs GS). Irving sat out the Celtics’ previous game and draws a tough matchup with Klay Thompson as his primary defender. The star point guard would be an obvious play on any given night just due to his sheer offensive ability, but I wanted to include some cheaper options in order to bolster the other positions.
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Point Guard
Stephen Curry (GS): $9,800 @ BOS
Curry has been on a tear lately, as he’s averaging a team-high 45.8 fantasy points per game on the year and is coming off of a 47.3 FP performance against the Wizards on Thursday night. The Celtics are a great defensive team, but Curry is essentially matchup-proof. Slot him into your lineups and enjoy.
There’s a big slate of games on a sports-packed Saturday, as 10 NBA teams are in action with the first game starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. The two biggest injuries for Saturday’s slate are Jimmy Butler, who is dealing with a wrist injury, and Joel Embiid, who is just resting for maintenance.
The salary is set at the usual $60K, but this week I had an extra $200 left.
The most notable player left out of my lineup for Saturday’s games was Kyrie Irving ($10,500 vs GS). Irving sat out the Celtics’ previous game and draws a tough matchup with Klay Thompson as his primary defender. The star point guard would be an obvious play on any given night just due to his sheer offensive ability, but I wanted to include some cheaper options in order to bolster the other positions.
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Point Guard
Stephen Curry (GS): $9,800 @ BOS
Curry has been on a tear lately, as he’s averaging a team-high 45.8 fantasy points per game on the year and is coming off of a 47.3 FP performance against the Wizards on Thursday night. The Celtics are a great defensive team, but Curry is essentially matchup-proof. Slot him into your lineups and enjoy.
Landry Shamet (PHI): $3,900 @ DEN
Shamet has to be the day’s biggest value play, as he’s the cheapest, yet most effective option included in my lineup. Butler is doubtful for Saturday’s game, which means Shamet will receive more minutes than usual. In Butler’s two-game absence, Shamet has had 26 and 18.2 FP. Start him, as most of the other point guards playing today are much more expensive and/or don’t have the same opportunity.
Shooting Guard
Jaylen Brown (BOS): $4,800 vs GS
There aren’t too many values at shooting guard for Saturday’s games, but Brown has to be the most cost-effective. One of the cheapest options at $4,800, he’s coming off of a 32.2 FP performance against the Cavaliers. Brown will most likely start and draw Kevin Durant as his primary defender, but he’s too cheap and has strung together three 20+ FP performances over his last four games.
Justin Holiday (MEM): $4,800 vs IND
Holiday was one of the only other options who could fit into my lineup, as he’s very cheap and is also a really important player for Memphis. With injuries to Garrett Temple and Dillon Brooks, Holiday’s minutes will increase following a 17.6 FP performance. He’s averaging 18.6 FP over his last four games.
Small Forward
Kevin Durant (GS): $9,400 @ BOS
One of Saturday’s more obvious plays, Durant is a natural scorer who draws a favorable matchup in a potential shootout against the Celtics. Durant is coming off of a 41.9 FP performance against the Wizards on Thursday night and has averaged 47.3 FP over his last four games. The two-time Finals MVP is a little more on the expensive side, but he’s worth it in a primetime game.
Jake Layman (POR): $4,400 vs ATL
Layman is the most cost-effective player for Saturday’s games after Shamet. He has vastly improved from last year, and that’s evident in his enhanced offensive output. Layman is coming off of a 40.1 FP performance against the Suns and has averaged 23 FP over his last four games.
Power Forward
John Collins (ATL): $8,500 @ POR
Collins has surprised many, including me, with how much he’s improved from last year. He’s averaging 19.3 points per game this season and is coming off of an impressive 35-point performance against the Bulls in which he put up 51.6 FP. He’s also averaging 36.0 FP over his last four games. He should be in lineups on Saturday, as the Blazers have struggled to guard power forwards for the most part.
Thaddeus Young (IND): $6,600 @ MEM
With the devastating news that Victor Oladipo will have season-ending surgery, Young stepped up against the Raptors and finished with 56.5 FP. His stats are somewhat underwhelming, as he’s only averaging 12.8 points per game on the year, but he’s putting up fantasy numbers with 27.8 FP per game. He’s also coming off of a four-game stretch in which he’s averaged 33.9 FP per game. His usage will surely go up, which means he belongs in most lineups on Saturday. He’s not as expensive as other power forward options.
Center
Myles Turner (IND): $7,600 @ MEM
The same things said about Young essentially apply to Turner as well. No one likes to see a season-ending injury, but this could allow Turner to finally display his individual abilities on an offense that will now flow through him most of the time. Turner is coming off of a 41 FP performance against the Raptors on Wednesday night while averaging 36.7 FP over his last four games. He was one of the only centers in my budget based on the rest of the selected players, and he should return great value despite the tough matchup against Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies.
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Sam Farahbakhsh is a correspondent for FantasyPros.
