NBA DFS Primer: Saturday (1/1)

What better way to kick off the new year than breaking down some NBA DFS. To start 2022, we get an appealing five-game slate. We’ll discuss which core plays should be the centerpieces of lineups, GPP darlings, cash game considerations, and which value plays to target to allow some salary relief. We’ll wrap things up with favorable pricing to shed light on price discrepancies discovered between FanDuel and DraftKings. After that, you should have enough information to dissect the slate and put a winning lineup together to start your 2022 DFS run with a bang. So, with that said, let’s dive into this thing. And, of course, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Core Plays

James Harden (PG-BKN): $11,500 DraftKings, $11,300 FanDuel
I’m not sure this article segment could start today with another player other than James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets. He has gone off the last three games scoring 70 or more DraftKings points in each matchup. Even with Kevin Durant back in the lineup, we know James Harden will get his touches and opportunities regardless. If anything, Durant’s presence only helps keep Harden’s roster percentage down some. The Nets get the Clippers today, banged up and without their two-star players in Paul George (elbow) and Kawhi Leonard (knee). The OPRK of 24th the Clippers have against the point guard position doesn’t hurt either. Things are shaping up for Harden to have another fantastic fantasy performance.

Nikola Jokic (C-DEN): $12,600 DraftKings, $11,700 FanDuel
Nikola Jokic is another player who needs no introduction and is always a great option to anchor lineups. He carries a hefty price tag on DraftKings, but his FanDuel price is much easier to fit in at $900 cheaper. Either way, he’s a viable core piece on both sites being the best fantasy basketball player on the planet. Jokic leads the NBA in total fantasy points, fantasy points per game, and double-doubles with 60. The Nuggets have been hit hard by injuries and COVID-19. So much so, the league was forced into postponing their last game because Denver didn’t have the required eight players. We’ll have to see how their final injury report shakes out today but expect Jokic to play big minutes and, per usual, have this offense run through him and quite possibly be the highest-scoring player on the slate.

Saddiq Bey (SF/PF-DET): $8,200 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
Saddiq Bey looks much more appealing on FanDuel than on DraftKings, coming in at a significantly $1,500 cheaper salary. Still, I’m not shying away from him on DK, but I’ll have more exposure on FD. Injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak have left the Pistons roster decimated, although seven of their players, including star rookie Cade Cunningham, have exited the protocols. All seven are still listed as OUT on the Pistons injury report, and my guess is for conditioning purposes, we don’t see their potential return until Monday against the Milwaukee Bucks at the earliest. That’s going to leave Saddiq Bey once again playing significant minutes, leading to plenty of opportunities. Bey has scored at least 20 points in six of his previous seven games. Over that span, he’S averaging 24.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.0 steals. I like Bey as a nice contrarian piece to build my lineups around today and stay hot against the Spurs.

Cash Game Considerations

Rudy Gobert (C-UTA): $9,600 DraftKings, $9,000
Gobert is a walking double-double, logging 12 consecutively and only missing the mark once since November 29th. He’s such a force down low and on the boards, which leads to the big man having such a solid floor in fantasy. Gobert has also had two or more blocks in eight of his last night games, as well as 40 or more fantasy points in that span as well. Gobert may not bust a slate open, but he’s going to provide one of the more consistent floors you’ll find throughout the NBA, making him excellent cash gameplay.

Marcus Morris Sr. (SF/PF-LAC): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
Marcus Morris has stepped up for the Clippers as of late, scoring 40 or more DraftKings fantasy points in three of his last five games. Paul George (elbow) remains out, and they have been without Kawhi Leonard (knee) for the entire season. That leaves plenty of opportunity on the table, and Morris has benefited from it. He’s played almost 40 minutes the last two games, and the Clippers should once again ask big minutes out of the veteran today against the Nets. Also, Morris gets an excellent opportunity bump going up against Brooklyn, who is top-10 in pace of play this season.

Bojan Bogdanovic (SF/PF-UTA): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
Bojan Bogdanovic is always a player I will look to for cash game consideration. He offers a solid floor at a price that fits nicely into lineups. Bojan also can get hot from behind the arc and show his upside like he did last night, where he ended with a double-double, scoring 42.5 DraftKings points and 36.4 FanDuel points. He will get you 20 plus fantasy points night in and night out, never really hurting your lineups which makes him such a good cash play.

GPP Targets

Nikola Vucevic (C-CHI): $9,300 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
On just a five-game slate, there are some decent fantasy options at the Center. You’re going to have to make the decision which route to go as far as paying all the way up for a big like Nikola Jokic, staying in the middle of the pack with a Daniel Gafford, or heading down to a cheap center like Luka Garza. In a large field GPP, I think things set up nicely for one of the better pay-up options in Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls. Vuc draws a nice matchup in the Washington Wizards who carry an appealing OPRK ast the center position on FanDuel (29th) and DraftKings (30th). The big man has been playing lights out as of late, going for 60 plus, 50 plus, and 40 plus over his last three games. He’s also somewhat overshadowed by his two-star teammates in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine making him a great GPP target. Vucevic absolutely has a path to being the optimal Center on tonight’s slate.

Hamidou Diallo (SG/SF-DET): $7,700 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
As previously mentioned the Pistons are expected to be undermanned for at least one more game so we should still be able to take advantage of the players who are benefiting from the tight rotation. As always, though, make sure you’re paying close attention to the injury reports throughout the day as things change by the minute. For now, Hamidou Diallo looks like a nice GPP candidate coming off a 31 points, 13 rebound double-double, and a 63 fantasy point performance. I’m not expecting another night like that out of Diallo but he’s going to once again be on the floor for close to 40 minutes and be one of the keys to this offense. I’ll definitely be taking some shots on him in GPPs, especially on FanDuel where I think he’s too cheap at sub 7k.

Terance Mann (PG/SF-LAC): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
This play is a product of a condensed player pool and the Clippers being undermanned but you have to take some uncomfortable shots on low-rostered players in large field GPPs if you ever want any chance of taking one down. Mann has played well when he’s been given the opportunity scoring in double-figures in 11 of his last 13 games. He’s coming off a double-double and should once again be asked to carry some extra workload. Mann doesn’t have tremendous upside but he’s going to see the minutes and opportunity to easily pay off his salary which could potentially land him in the optimal.

Value Plays

Nicolas Claxton (C-BKN): $4,900 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
Claxton is a clear value on DraftKings at just $4,900. It seems head coach Steve Nash has solidified Claxton as the go-to Center for this Nets team keeping him on the floor for 30 plus minutes in the last three games. He’s scored 25 or more DraftKings points in his last 5 matchups and now gets an undermanned Clippers team. He definitely comes with some pause on FanDuel but if you’re not paying up at Center tonight then Claxton is an excellent cheap option over at DraftKings.

Luka Garza (C-DET): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
With all the players the Pistons are missing Garza is getting all of the center minutes. He played 39 last game although he couldn’t get it going offensively. This is another value play I may be hesitant to get to on FanDuel but I do think he’s slightly too cheap on DraftKings and a viable option to find some salary relief. As long as he can stay out of foul trouble Garza could get going against a bottom-of-the-barrel defense against centers like the Spurs have.

Rudy Gay (SF/PF-UTA): $3,600 DraftKings, $4,000 FanDuel
Rudy Gay has been playing well for the Jazz as of late putting up double-digit points in his last two outings and scoring 15 plus fantasy points in his last three. Gays recent play has earned him an uptick in minutes which we have seen rise over the last three games as well from 19 to the 26 he saw in last night’s game against the Timberwolves. On just a five-game slate options are limited and the player pool becomes much more condensed but Rudy Gay is a nice cheap option that much of the field shouldn’t go to although he still could return six or seven times his value like he has the previous two nights.

Advantageous Pricing

• Nikola Jokic (C-DEN): $12,600 DraftKings, $11,700 FanDuel
• Luka Garza (C-DET): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
• Nicolas Claxton (C-BKN): $4,900 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
• Hamidou Diallo (SG/SF-DET): $7,700 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
• Marcus Morris Sr. (SF/PF-LAC): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
• Rudy Gobert (C-UTA): $9,600 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel
• Saddiq Bey (SF/PF-DET): $8,200 DraftKings, $6,700 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.