Saturday’s six-game slate should be a fun one to sift through. With multiple stars already ruled out, we have a readily available amount of value with more to present itself undoubtedly. We also have three teams playing back-to-back games, including the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Houston Rockets. Those teams should garner some extra attention as we could see some of their usual starters sit out for rest purposes. Six games will give us plenty of information to analyze and news to dissect. We’ll start with tonight’s game totals, and the injury report, followed by some of my favorite core plays to build around. Then we’ll get into some cash game considerations, GPP darlings, and of course, the value plays that will enable us to find salary relief before ending with some price discrepancies within the two respected DFS spaces. Now that you have the rundown, let us go ahead and dive in.
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Schedule and Odds
- UTA @ WAS (+5) O/U: 218.5
- SAC @ CLE (-6.5) O/U: 217
- CHI @ MIA (-1) O/U: 211.5
- HOU @ MEM (-8) O/U: 220
- GS @ PHI (+1.5) O/U: 214.5
- DEN @ SA (+1/5) O/U: 216.5
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros
Saturday’s six-game slate should be a fun one to sift through. With multiple stars already ruled out, we have a readily available amount of value with more to present itself undoubtedly. We also have three teams playing back-to-back games, including the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Houston Rockets. Those teams should garner some extra attention as we could see some of their usual starters sit out for rest purposes. Six games will give us plenty of information to analyze and news to dissect. We’ll start with tonight’s game totals, and the injury report, followed by some of my favorite core plays to build around. Then we’ll get into some cash game considerations, GPP darlings, and of course, the value plays that will enable us to find salary relief before ending with some price discrepancies within the two respected DFS spaces. Now that you have the rundown, let us go ahead and dive in.
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Schedule and Odds
- UTA @ WAS (+5) O/U: 218.5
- SAC @ CLE (-6.5) O/U: 217
- CHI @ MIA (-1) O/U: 211.5
- HOU @ MEM (-8) O/U: 220
- GS @ PHI (+1.5) O/U: 214.5
- DEN @ SA (+1/5) O/U: 216.5
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros
Injury Report
Core Plays
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,900 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
There is no better way to start things than with the man who needs no introduction, Nikola Jokic. The Joker is a fantasy superstar, and he’s putting up breathtaking fantasy statistics once again. He’s averaging 55.27 FanDuel points and 58.5 DraftKings points on the season, with four triple-doubles to go along with a whopping 12 double-doubles so far on the year. Even carrying a hefty price tag, Jokic will always be a viable core piece to lineups with the massive ceiling he provides on any given night.
Zach LaVine (SG/SF – CHI): $9,800 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel
With DeMar DeRozan (COVID-19) already ruled out for tonight’s game, Zach LaVine will be the primary option on offense and a solid centerpiece to lineups tonight. In Chicago’s first game without DeRozan, it was no surprise Lavine led them in scoring and assists. With DeRozan off the court this season, LaVine scores 30.4 points per 36 minutes compared to 24.5 with him playing by his side. As a result, Lavine is in line to take on a more significant workload, especially in the scoring department, making him a smash play tonight.
Kyle Lowry (PG – MIA): $7,700 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
In my opinion, Kyle Lowry is too cheap on both sites for his current role on this Miami Heat team, with both Bam Adebayo (thumb) and Jimmy Butler (back) sidelined due to injury. He’s played 79 minutes in his last two games in which he put up 75 plus fantasy points and over a fantasy point per minute on DK. Lowry led this Heat offense in the absence of his all-star teammates last game against Milwaukee, going for a 22-point, 13-assist double-double, giving him six on the year. Lowry has been productive without Butler recently, averaging 16.4 points and 9.4 assists compared to 13.0 points and 7.6 assists on the season, with Butler healthy. Kyle Lowry will continue to see an uptick across the board as long as he’s running the Heat’s offense, making him an excellent play on FanDuel and DraftKings, where he carries a more than reasonable salary on both.
Cash Game Considerations
Jarrett Allen (C – CLE): $8,300 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel
Allen logged his ninth double-double in ten games on Friday, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks while tallying 40 plus fantasy points in just 27 minutes on the floor. Allen is about one of the safest players you can play in fantasy basketball, given the solid floor he delivers on a nightly basis. In his last 10 games, Allen has yet to score less than 38 fantasy points on DraftKings and only has missed that mark once on FanDuel with 36.4. The Cavs big man is a double-double machine, and he shouldn’t have much issue racking up another one tonight against a woeful Kings defense. Sacramento is a very porous defense, ranking 29th in points allowed, 27th in rebounds allowed, 30th in offensive rebounds allowed, and 29th in field goals allowed, with an overall defensive rating of 27th. Jarrett Allen should have a field day tonight against the Sacramento Kings; get him in lineups in all formats and contests.
Terence Davis (SG/SF – SAC): $3,700 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
Davis is also a viable GPP option, finding himself essential to the optimal lineup on DK Friday, but he needs to be in cash lineups tonight with how cheap he is. Over Davis’ last four games, he has averaged 35.45 DraftKings fantasy points. The production is massively outproducing the price point, making him a no-brainer cash lineup play. If he continues to produce at this rate, DraftKings will surely increase his salary, so take advantage of the significant discount while you still can.
Derrick White (PG/SG – SA): $6,500 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
White’s salary on DraftKings compared to FanDuel is another example of a significant price discrepancy, but it should be taken advantage of, especially in cash lineups. White has been red hot as of late, scoring 40 or more fantasy points in four of his last seven games and finishing with a season-high 26 points on Tuesday against the Knicks. White isn’t just getting it done scoring the rock, either. He’s also putting up respectable peripheral stats at well, with an average of 6.0 rebounds. 5.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in his last two games. White should be a staple in cash games tonight on DK; the return on investment is too good to pass up.
GPP Targets
Dejounte Murray (PG – SA): $9,900 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
Murray is another Spurs guard playing lights out right now; this backcourt is playing tremendous basketball between him and Derrick White. Murray is seamlessly matchup proof and is a threat to go for a triple-double every time he steps on the court, one of the best rebounding guards in the entire NBA. Dejounte has 50 or more fantasy points in five of his last nine games, and we have seen him put up back-to-back 60 point fantasy performances already this season. The upside is there for Murray to carry you to a GPP win, that’s for sure, and it doesn’t hurt he’ll be facing a Denver Nuggets team that holds an OPRK of 24th against his position.
Lonzo Ball (PG – CHI): $7,300 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
Ball finds himself coming off three very respectable fantasy performances in a row. Against Brooklyn, he scored 40 fantasy points without reaching double-digit real points in the game. However, he was able to get it done with 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks, putting his well-rounded game on display. With DeMar DeRozan (COVID-19) already ruled out, Lonzo will have plenty of opportunities to score and facilitate tonight against an undermanned Miami Heat squad. Lonzo has the skillset to return seven times the investment and should come in at a relatively low roster percentage tonight, making him one of the more appealing GPP plays.
Rudy Gobert (C – UTA): $8,800 DraftKings, $9,100 FanDuel
When filling their center position tonight, much of the field may look Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid‘s way. If that’s the case, it’s highly possible other viable center options like Rudy Gobert get overlooked. The Utah Jazz big man is an absolute monster at clearing the glass, yielding a staggering 51 rebounds over his last three games and four double-doubles in his previous five. If Gobert can snag 21 rebounds against a Philadelphia frontcourt led by Embiid, it’s going to be a long day at the office for Washington Wizards and company Saturday evening.
Value Plays
Armoni Brooks (PG/SG – HOU): $4,000 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel
The Houston Rockets have been dealing with injuries to key players Jalen Green (hamstring), Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh), and Danuel House Jr. (ankle), which has thrust Armoni Brooks into becoming their starting point guard. Brooks produces 1.02 FanDuel points per minute with a 19.7% usage rate with those players off the court. That’s good production from a player who wasn’t even getting 10 minutes a night on the floor to start the season. Brooks is averaging over 30 plus fantasy points over his last two games, and even if that number were to come down some, it’s hard to see him hurting lineups at below $4,500 with the opportunity he’s in line for again tonight.
Caleb Martin (SG/SF – MIA): $3,500 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
I can see Martin becoming quite popular on DraftKings tonight at just $3,500 and coming off at a 49.0 fantasy point performance. He’s averaging over 31 minutes in his last three games, and the opportunity should once again be there with Jimmy Butler (back) and Bam Adebayo (thumb) already being ruled out for tonight’s contest. With Caleb Martin in line to see that many minutes, it will be worth looking his way. His roster percentage will ultimately determine whether or not he ends up a good play in tournaments or just a cash option, but either way, he’s going to be one of the better values on tonight’s six-game slate.
Garrison Mathews (SG/SF – HOU): $4,400 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
With the Rockets banged up, they’re one of the go-to teams right now when you’re in search of some salary relief. We already talked about Armoni Brooks being another decent value play from Houston at the top of this segment, and now we’re going to discuss his teammate, Garrison Mathews. Mathews put up his best fantasy performance of the season on Friday against Milwaukee, putting up just over 38 fantasy points on both DK and FD. Over the last seven games, Garrison Mathews has been playing excellent basketball with averages of 16.1 points, 3.7 triples, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals on 52% shooting. Until the Rockets start getting some pieces back and we see Mathew’s role diminish, or he receives a significant salary increase on one of the respected DFS sites, he’s a fantastic play.
Advantageous Pricing
- Zach LaVine (SG/SF – CHI): $9,800 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel
- Kyle Lowry (PG – MIA): $7,700 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
- Terence Davis (SG/SF – SAC): $3,700 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
- Derrick White (PG/SG – SA): $6,500 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
- Lonzo Ball (PG – CHI): $7,300 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
- Caleb Martin (SG/SF – MIA): $3,500 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
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Evan Ritter is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Evan, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter.
