DraftKings NBA Lineup Advice: Saturday (12/21)

Continuing a strong weekend in the NBA, Saturday night contains a 9-game slate, though only seven of those contests will be included in the main slate which tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST. The early slate games will include the contests between the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets. For the main slate, the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Portland Trail Blazers are all operating on back-to-backs.

Check out today’s NBA Sharpshooter from DraftKings

Guards

James Harden (SG – HOU): $11,600 @ PHO
The Beard has “slowed down” recently as his point totals have come down to Earth (hovering around 52 DraftKings points), but he’s a potential threat to explode any given night. The Houston Rockets’ matchup against the Suns is a solid one as the Suns rank 18^th in defensive rating and 8^th in pace, ensuring this game is one of the pacier contests of the night. Harden has been relatively successful against the Suns this year, scoring 57 DraftKings points in his one contest against them. One thing you won’t need to worry about is Harden’s usage because even with the addition of PG Russell Westbrook, Harden once again leads the entire NBA in usage rate.

Buddy Hield (SG – SAC): $7,100 @ MEM
The injury report is one to focus on when evaluating any Sacramento Kings players, as De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley are sure to dampen the potential usage of any remaining players on the roster. If either is ruled out, Hield becomes an interesting play against a Memphis Grizzlies team which ranks 23^rd in defensive rating and 6^th in pace. Hield has struggled to return value in his last three contests but was on a tear in the four contests prior to those. Mainly operating as a scorer and 3-point shooter, Hield’s performances are almost always directly tied to his real-life point totals.

Donte DiVincenzo (SG – MIL) : $5,400 @ NY
So long as DiVincenzo remains in the lineup, he remains a viable DFS option. The Milwaukee Bucks’ injury report is crucial to monitor tonight, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is ultimately expected to play even with a back ailment. If ruled out, all Bucks players receive a massive boost, but even with Giannis, DiVincenzo has played well recently and has hit value in two of his past three, coming up only two points short of hitting value in his third contest. The New York Knicks are bad defensively, currently ranking 26^th in defensive rating, but they do operate at a slow pace, ranking 26^th in pace.

Langston Galloway (PG – DET): $4,100 vs. CHI
Galloway has been a solid source of value recently, particularly as a starter. Galloway has eclipsed 27+ minutes in two of his past three games and could potentially remain in the starting lineup. If Luke Kennard is able to suit up, Galloway becomes someone you won’t really want to target. The matchup is not a good one as the Chicago Bulls rank 9^th in defensive rating and 14^th in pace, which is why you should limit your exposure to the Detroit Pistons tonight.

Forwards

Robert Covington (SF – MIN): $5,700 vs. POR
RoCo is always an interesting option, specifically because of his defensive prowess. Struggling to score lately, RoCo generally still hovers near value because of his ability to fill up a stat sheet in a variety of ways. The Trail Blazers are a decent matchup, currently ranking 20^th in defensive rating and 11^th in pace. One potential injury to note is Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s missed the last two contests, but could be in-line for a return tonight.

Khris Middleton (SF – MIL): $6,500 @ NY
As of late, Middleton has not been a good source of value and has generally struggled to return his 5x value. Like DiVincenzo, Middleton would receive a considerable boost if Giannis isn’t able to suit up tonight and also benefits from a weak defense in the Knicks. Middleton has the talent to explode any given night, but a blowout is always a concern when targeting the Bucks, especially against a weak team like the Knicks.

Jae Crowder (SF – MEM): $5,100 vs. SAC
Crowder is not a big name by any means, but he is an incredibly solid and consistent performer who routinely hovers around value. Crowder isn’t much of a scorer and has really struggled to shoot the ball at a high clip recently, but his ability to scoop up rebounds and assists has helped him up his DraftKings totals. The matchup is a decent one as the Sacramento Kings rank 17^th in defensive rating but 30^th in pace.

Centers

Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $10,200 vs. WAS
If the Wizards are playing, there’s a good reason to target the opposing big man set to face them for the night. In this instance, it happens to be one of the most dominant players in the NBA in Embiid. The Sixers are operating on a back-to-back, so make sure to monitor the injury report, but there are no indications that Embiid will miss the game. Last night, Embiid exploded for 63.75 DraftKings points and now faces the Wizards which rank 30^th in defensive rating and 2^nd in pace.

Jonas Valanciunas (C – MEM): $6,500 vs. SAC
In his past three contests, Valanciunas managed to eclipse 40+ DraftKings points, even with his playing time hovering at a difference of five minutes. Coming off a strong game last night, Valanciunas could have a productive night tonight against the Kings, especially because of his high shooting %’s and strong per-minute numbers. One thing to note is Valanciunas’ minutes are always volatile, so ensure he’s ready to play a full complement of minutes prior to inserting him into your lineups.

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Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.