While many eyes will be fixated on the Wild Card games in the NFL, we have another great NBA slate ahead of us. There are eight games in total, with six games making up this night slate. The good news is that we don’t have much in terms of injuries but COVID is starting to wreak havoc. That means you need to keep an eye on everything up until first tip! With that in mind, let’s get into it!

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Point Guard

• Curry has been scorching recently and he’ll find his way into the studs section.
• FVV has also been beasting and he too will be in the studs section.
• Payton has been too good to be just $5,500 and we’re going to keep riding him until he gets above $6K.

Shooting Guard

• DeRozan has been amazing this season and he’ll be in our studs section as well.
• With Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, and Jaylen Brown all potentially missing this game, Smart could be playing 40 minutes and handling the ball a ton.
• Powell just had his best game of the season and should continue that success against one of the worst defenses in the NBA.

Small Forward

• LBJ will also be in the studs section in this supreme matchup.
• KD should be back for this game and he’ll definitely be hungry against his former team. We really like him if Irving is out too.
• Oubre has been turning his season around recently, scoring at least 30 FD points in four of their last six games.

Power Forward

• LA just had his best game of the season on Friday and he should be able to continue that success against a T’Wolves team with the worst defensive efficiency in the NBA.
• Theis could be playing huge minutes with half of the Celtics roster dealing with COVID protocols and that alone makes him hard to fade.
• Green has really been struggling but it’s just a matter of time before he has a monster game at this dirt-cheap price tag.

Center

• Jokic is a monster and he’ll be in the next section, obviously.
• Allen has started the last three games for the Nets, averaging over 40 FD points per game across his last four fixtures.
• Robinson is playing a career-high in minutes and if he continues to play 30-plus minutes a night, Mitch Rob could be an $8,000 player with his per-minute production.

5 Studs Worth Their Salary

• Nikola Jokic (DEN) $11.500: It’s hard to argue with a guy who’s averaging 25.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 10.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Just take the guaranteed 50 and figure out the rest of your lineup.
• LeBron James (LAL) $10,400: James has been on an MVP roll recently, scoring at least 43 FanDuel points in seven-straight games. That’s no surprise when you see that he’s averaging 26.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in that span too. That should continue against a 25th-ranked Rockets defense.
• Stephen Curry (GSW) $10,000: Curry is on a heater right now, averaging 35.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists over his last four games played. That even includes a dud and he should match that success against the 20th-ranked Toronto defense.
• Fred VanVleet (TOR) $8,200: FVV is crushing it right now and he’s earned his way into this studs section. Since struggling in the opener, FVV is averaging 24.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Those statistics look even better when you consider that he faces a 27th-ranked Warriors defense. If Kyle Lowry is out again, FVV is impossible to avoid.
• DeMar DeRozan (SAN) $7,800: DeRozan has quietly had a great year for the Spurs. Not only has he scored at least 42 FD points in seven of nine games this season, he also gets to face a T’Wolves team with the worst defensive efficiency in the NBA here. He’s currently going off against them on Saturday night.

5 Notable Players to Fade

• James Harden (HOU) $11,200: Harden is still one of the best players in the NBA but this price is still a bit outlandish. This price tag indicates he’s the same player who dominated usage last season but that’s simply not the case this year. John Wall, Christian Wood, and DeMarcus Cousins have taken some of the load off his shoulders, with Harden failing to crack 43 FanDuel points in three-straight games. He still might drop 50 here but that’s still not enough at this lofty $11,300 price tag. We also hate the matchup against an elite Lakers defense.
• Jimmy Butler (MIA) $8,100: Butler hasn’t really been the same this season. He’s averaging just 33 fantasy points per game and he’s happy to let guys like Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic, and Bam Adebayo help him run things. Facing Boston is no easy task either.
• Caris LeVert (BRK) $8,000: LeVert has earned every bit of this lofty price tag but we simply can’t pay it. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving could both be back here and that makes LeVert tough to trust. Caris is averaging 27 FD points across just 24 minutes in the seven games he hasn’t started and he simply doesn’t get enough touches, shoots or minutes with those two on the floor.
• D’Angelo Russell (MIN) $7,700: Russell is starting to turn things around but his usage is only going to drop with Karl-Anthony Towns returning. That’s bad news for a player underperforming, particularly against a tough Spurs defense.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) $7,600: SGA is one of the most talented youngsters in the NBA but he’s had his fair share of struggles. That’s evident by the fact that he’s only reached 40 FD points in three of his eight games this season which is what he needs at this price. Having to face a Brooklyn team with the best field goal percentage defense makes him even tougher to trust.

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.