Saturday’s card was weak with only five games on the docket, and it looks like we have another short one here. While there are eight games in total, only five make up the night slate. What’s really frustrating is that we have teams like the Hornets, Raptors, Thunder, and Magic. These teams have been gold mines in terms of value, but it’s really tough to know who to trust because of the wacky restings and rotations these teams have. We’ll try our best to guess, though, so let’s get into it!
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Most Value Per Dollar
We usually have this section swamped with centers and point guards, but that’s not exactly the case here. There’s value spread throughout every position, and it should allow us to make a more well-rounded lineup. What does need to be monitored is the news! We already discussed how these are some of the most volatile teams in the league in terms of rotations, and it’s a wonder who will even play.
If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros.
Below is a list of the top players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.
Terry Rozier (CHA) $7,500:
The laundry list of injuries for Charlotte is laughable. They’re currently without LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, P.J. Washington, Malik Monk, and Devonte’ Graham. That’s pretty much every player who was getting usage, leaving Scary Terry to do everything. In the last two games without those guys, Rozier has at least 48 FanDuel points in both. Not to mention, Portland ranks 29th in defensive efficiency while surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.
Hassan Whiteside (SAC) $5,400:
Whiteside can always produce when given the minutes, and with Richaun Holmes out, we love him at this price. In the six games that Holmes has missed this season, Whiteside provides nearly 35 FD points per game. He’s done that damage in just 20 minutes a night, and it’s scary to think what he could do in closer to 30 minutes. Dallas doesn’t have a true center either.
Jalen McDaniels (CHA) $5,700:
We just discussed all of the injuries in Charlotte, and it’s allowed McDaniels to be the second-best player on this team. He’s actually started each of the last six games, playing at least 29 minutes in all of them en route to a 30-point average. That makes him hard to avoid at this price, and we’re certainly not worried about him facing this putrid Portland defense.
Robert Covington (POR) $5,900:
RoCo is a prominent figure in my articles, and he’s going to remain in them. The simple fact is, he’s too cheap! Since the beginning of March, he’s averaging over 31 FanDuel points per game. You’d think Covington was struggling with this price drop, but he’s got at least 27 fantasy points in each of his last three games. Facing a Charlotte team that surrenders the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards only adds to his value.
Cole Anthony (ORL) $5,000:
This is yet another team that’s extremely shorthanded. The Magic traded away half of their roster at the trade deadline and are missing Markelle Fultz and Michael Carter-Williams to injury as well. That has given CA the starting point guard job, averaging 26 FD points per game in his 17 healthy starts this year. He did a lot of that damage with Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier, and we expect his average to go north of 30 FD points sooner rather than later.
Darius Bazley (OKC) $5,500:
Oklahoma City is yet another dismantled roster. They’re currently missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford. That’s leaving Bazley to feast, scoring at least 29 FanDuel points in three of his four games since returning from an injury of his own. Toronto has been terrible against power forwards, too, surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points to them this year.
Josh Richardson (DAL) $4,900:
Richardson has been underpriced all season long, and it’s hard to understand why. He’s averaging 26 FD points per game for about two months now and has at least 30 fantasy points in three of his last five games. We love that with Sacramento owning the worst defensive rating in the NBA.
Reggie Jackson (LAC) $5,600:
R-Jax has quietly had a really nice year for the Clippers, and sending off Lou Williams at the trade deadline proved to him how valuable he is to this team. That’s led to a 26-point average over his last 14 games played while providing a 31-point average in this current stint without Kawhi Leonard. That looks even more enticing against a T’Wolves team that sits 27th in defensive efficiency.
Wendell Carter Jr. (ORL) $6,400:
Orlando is in full-on rebuild, and it looks like WCJ will take over the Vucevic role. While he’s obviously not as good as Vooch, this dude is very talented. That’s clear when you see that he’s averaging 34 FanDuel points per game over his last 10 outings, and we absolutely adore this matchup. Not only does Houston rank 21st in defensive efficiency, but they also play at the fifth-fastest pace in the NBA.
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day
Studs Worth Their Salary
- Luka Doncic (DAL) $10,400: Not much needs to be said here with Doncic. The MVP candidate has scored at least 39 FanDuel points in 46 of his 50 games this season en route to a 51-point average. The best part of this is the matchup, though, with the Kings surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards while owning the worst defensive rating in the league.
- Paul George (LAC) $9,800: With Kawhi out of the lineup, PG-13 runs the show. Over his last five games played, he’s averaging 34.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. It’s not like a terrible T’Wolves defense is going to slow him down either.
- De’Aaron Fox (SAC) $9,700: The Kings are absolutely horrid, but Fox is on a tear right now. He’s scored at least 37 FanDuel points in 23 of his last 25 games, averaging 48 fantasy points per game in that span. Dallas is far from a scary matchup, too, ranked 16th in defensive efficiency ratings.
Notable Players to Fade
- Fred VanVleet (TOR) $7,500: It sounds like Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby will all return here. That’s scary, considering FVV had just 23 FD points without all those guys in his return to action on Friday, clearly still hampered by the hip issue that kept him out for two weeks.
- D’Angelo Russell (MIN) $6,500: Russell has been relegated to bench duties, and it’s killing his confidence. He’s scored 24 or fewer fantasy points in each of his last three games and will likely have another dud against a Top-5 Clippers defense. There are just too many mouths to feed in this offense with everyone healthy, and it makes D-Russ impossible to trust.
- Jusuf Nurkic (POR) $5,600: Nurk just isn’t playing enough to trust him right now. Portland is using kid’s gloves with Nurkic in his return to action, playing 22 minutes or fewer in eight of his nine games since returning. He’s never reached 30 fantasy points in any of those, and it’s difficult to in such limited playing time.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.