Welcome to the Saturday edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. We have a mid-size seven-game slate to navigate tonight, with a few interesting injuries of note. Let’s dive right in.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Kendrick Nunn (MIA): $5,100 vs WAS
The Heat will once again be without Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic, two of their primary ball handlers. That means continued opportunity for Dunn, who’s averaged nearly 40 minutes per game over his last three outings. He topped 50 FD points just two games ago against Atlanta and has a similar upside tonight against the Wizards.
Others to consider:
De’Anthony Melton (MEM): $4,500 vs WAS
Melton has been solid as the leader of the Grizzlies second unit lately. On a night when I’ll be looking to pay up at other positions, he offers a safe floor. The Grizzlies have a future superstar in Ja Morant, but Melton offers value as they look to play it safe with his nagging back.
Welcome to the Saturday edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. We have a mid-size seven-game slate to navigate tonight, with a few interesting injuries of note. Let’s dive right in.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Kendrick Nunn (MIA): $5,100 vs WAS
The Heat will once again be without Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic, two of their primary ball handlers. That means continued opportunity for Dunn, who’s averaged nearly 40 minutes per game over his last three outings. He topped 50 FD points just two games ago against Atlanta and has a similar upside tonight against the Wizards.
Others to consider:
De’Anthony Melton (MEM): $4,500 vs WAS
Melton has been solid as the leader of the Grizzlies second unit lately. On a night when I’ll be looking to pay up at other positions, he offers a safe floor. The Grizzlies have a future superstar in Ja Morant, but Melton offers value as they look to play it safe with his nagging back.
George Hill (MIL): $3,700 vs. CLE
Starter Eric Bledsoe left the game early against Memphis Friday night and did not return to action. There’s a good chance that he gets the night off against the Cavs on the second half of the Bucks back-to-back games. If that’s the case, George Hill would likely slide into the starting lineup and be locked in as one of the best values on tonight’s slate.
Shooting Guard
James Harden (HOU): $12,400 vs. DET
He’s the most expensive player on the slate, but he should be well worth the price tonight. With starting point guard Russell Wilson expected to rest on the second half of Houston’s back-to-back games, Harden will likely take over the point guard role. Harden has averaged 63.6 FD points in Westbrook’s two previous absences this season.
Others to consider:
Khris Middleton (MIL): $7,100 vs. CLE
If you’re looking for stability in your lineup it’s tough to find anybody better than Middleton. Milwaukee’s shooting guard hasn’t put up less than 31 FD points yet in December. He’s averaged 35.3 FD points on the month and shows no signs of slowing down as the Cavs come to town tonight.
Ben McLemore (HOU): $4,500 vs. DET
As noted earlier, Russell Westbrook is expected to rest tonight. While that definitely benefits superstar James Harden, it’s also good news for McLemore. He’s averaged over 33 minutes and nearly 24 FD points in games without Westbrook this season, giving him a nice value for his affordable salary tonight.
Small Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): $12,200 vs. CLE
After missing his first game of the season Wednesday, Antetokounmpo went off for 37 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action Friday night. The reigning MVP is averaging a ridiculous 58.7 FD points on the season and should be in an ideal spot to put up huge numbers once again at home tonight against Cleveland.
Others to consider:
Troy Brown Jr. (WAS): $4,700 at. MEM
Brown isn’t flashy, but he’s been a sneak good DFS play over the last few weeks. He’s averaged 25.9 FD points over his last seven contests, including going off for 40 FD points earlier this week against the Clippers.
Derrick Jones Jr. (MIA): $4,000 at DAL
Jones is another solid value play tonight. He’s been on the court for an average of 28.3 minutes over the past four games and has topped 5x value in three of those outings. He should continue to see similar usage tonight as the Heat are once again without Justice Winslow, Goran Dragic, and Dion Waiters.
Power Forward
Davis Bertans (WAS): $6,400 at MEM
Bertans may be the best play on the slate tonight. He’s averaged over 40 FD points over his last three games and should see even more usage in the frontcourt tonight as the Wizards are without their top two centers Thomas Byrant and Mortiz Wagner. He’s scored over 20 raw points in three straight games and there’s no reason to believe that streak will be ending tonight.
Others to consider:
Blake Griffin (DET): $7,400 at HOU
It’s been a slow start to the year for Griffin, but if there were ever a spot for him to get right it would be tonight against the Rockets. Houston gives up the third most FD points to power forwards and Griffin has the kind of ceiling that can win you a tournament if he catches fire.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM): $7,300 vs. WAS
The second-year forward is coming off of his best performance of the year after he put up over 50 FD points against the Bucks last night. He’s averaged over 39 FD points over his last six outings and while he may not hit 50 tonight, there’s a very good chance he gets the 36.5 or more he needs to hit 5x value.
Center
Ian Mahinmi (WAS): $4,400 at MEM
Mahinmi is purely a value play. He hasn’t seen the court much this season but has put up an average of 23.4 FD points over his last two games. He’ll be the only true center active tonight for the Wizards, so you can lock him in for enough minutes that he should easily pay off his discount salary.
Others to consider:
Andre Drummond (DET): $10,000 at HOU
Fresh off of the “avocado” game, Drummond is in a prime spot tonight against the Rockets. The Pistons big man is averaging nearly 50 FD points on the season on the back of his league-high 16.6 rebounds per game. You can feel confident slotting him into your lineup tonight if you have the extra salary space.
Here’s an example of lineup you can roll out tonight. It’s more of a cash game lineup, featuring the two highest-priced players on the slate and a handful of discounted players that should see increased usage.
PG: Kendrick Nunn – $5,100
PG: George Hill – $3,700
SG: James Harden – $12,400
SG: Ben McLemore – $4,500
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo – $12,200
SF: Derrick Jones Jr. – $4,000
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr. – $7,300
PF: Davis Bertans – $6,400
C: Ian Mahinmi – $4,400
Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Aaron Larson is a feature writer at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @aalarson.