We get to break down an appealing five-game slate for Saturday. I’ve previously touched on how much I enjoy these slates that fall in the four- to six-game range. They’re what I like to consider the “sweet spot” of slates because of their condensed player pools, and the level of difficulty is much easier to tackle compared to their larger 11 game counterparts. Don’t get me wrong, DFS isn’t easy in any regard, but no one will argue that ten teams are much easier to assess and dissect than 22. That holds even truer in the unfortunate era of COVID-19 and its unpredictable nature. No matter the size of the slate, though, there’s information that needs to be assessed and sifted through to uncover which players should be prioritized or which matchups should be more sought after.
That’s one of the main goals of the NBA DFS PRIMER, starting with the schedule/odds to determine which game environments we’re going to elect to target heavily. We’ll then shed light on which players project to be in the best spots for core plays, GPP targets, cash games, and value plays. In conclusion, we’ll wrap things up with price discrepancies that we have uncovered on FanDuel and DraftKings to shed light on opportune player salaries between the two respected sites.
So with a ton to get into, let’s go ahead and kick things off.
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros 
We get to break down an appealing five-game slate for Saturday. I’ve previously touched on how much I enjoy these slates that fall in the four- to six-game range. They’re what I like to consider the “sweet spot” of slates because of their condensed player pools, and the level of difficulty is much easier to tackle compared to their larger 11 game counterparts. Don’t get me wrong, DFS isn’t easy in any regard, but no one will argue that ten teams are much easier to assess and dissect than 22. That holds even truer in the unfortunate era of COVID-19 and its unpredictable nature. No matter the size of the slate, though, there’s information that needs to be assessed and sifted through to uncover which players should be prioritized or which matchups should be more sought after.
That’s one of the main goals of the NBA DFS PRIMER, starting with the schedule/odds to determine which game environments we’re going to elect to target heavily. We’ll then shed light on which players project to be in the best spots for core plays, GPP targets, cash games, and value plays. In conclusion, we’ll wrap things up with price discrepancies that we have uncovered on FanDuel and DraftKings to shed light on opportune player salaries between the two respected sites.
So with a ton to get into, let’s go ahead and kick things off.
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros
Injury Report
The injury report can change at any minute, and all player statuses are subject to change whether they’re on the injury report or not. Paying attention to as much news as possible is crucial to long-term success in DFS. It can also give you a serious leg up on anyone in the field who fails to do so. Once the later game information becomes available, be sure to take advantage of late swapping. Late swap allows you to get off the chalk and plug in a value play that may not have been expected or get to a high upside play in an attempt to take one last run at the top of the leaderboard. Keeping up with all the news and information that comes out can be a lot to manage, but it’s essential.
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Core Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF/C-MIL): $11,600 DraftKings, $11,700
Giannis is the most expensive play we have on tonight’s slate, and per usual, he should be well worth spending up for. He came back from a one-game absence on Friday against the Nets and didn’t waste any time getting back to form, dropping 31 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. The Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer kept Giannis under 30 minutes, so I think we see him play his full allotment of minutes tonight, even on a back-to-back. Jrue Holiday (COVID-19) will once again be out, so naturally, a good portion of that usage will be picked up by Giannis. We know “The Greek Freak” can blow a slate wide open any time he steps on the court, and I like his chances against a Charlotte Hornets defense who has an OPRK of 28th on DK and 30th on FD.
Domantas Sabonis (PF/C-IND): $10,200 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel
I like looking to Sabonis as one of the core pieces for lineups tomorrow. He’s going up against a Jazz squad who could be without their two stars. Rudy Gobert (shoulder/COVID-19) has already been ruled out, and Donovan Mitchell (back) sat out Friday’s contest but is listed as questionable heading into tonight. Sabonis has posted over 60 fantasy points twice in his last three games, including a triple-double against the Nets on Wednesday. If you’re not looking to pay up to Giannis, Sabonis is an appealing option that is much cheaper and has similar upside if he’s firing on all cylinders.
Jayson Tatum (SF/PF-BOS): $10,400 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel
Jayson Tatum is another core play candidate who has put up 60 plus upside multiple times this season. He is posting a career-low in shooting percentage, but he is still averaging more than respectable numbers (25.4 ppg, 8.6 rebs, 3.7 ast), and he seems to be turning up the heat as of late. The 36 points he dropped against the Knicks in a tough 108-105 loss on Thursday was the most he has scored since December 13th. Tatum will look to continue his hot hand against the Knicks at home tonight, facing off against them for the second game in a row.
Cash Game Consideration
Chris Paul (PG-PHX): $7,800 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
I had a ton of Chris Paul the other night in all different types of contests, and I suspect he will be one of my more rostered players once again tonight. In my opinion, he continues to be underpriced, and until his salary catches up to the production, I will continue to ride the wave. Paul has only scored less than 35 fantasy points once in his last eight games. It’s hard to see a path to Chris Paul being detrimental to lineups, especially in cash.
Khris Middleton (SF-MIL): $8,200 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel
Khris Middleton is an excellent GPP option, as well as a cash game play too. The Bucks offense will run through Giannis and Middleton with Jrue Holiday (COVID-19) out for the near future. He’s gone for 40 plus fantasy points the past two games, and with the increase in usage he’ll receive from Holiday’s absence, he could very easily extend it to three. With just five games, I can see a path to Middleton ending up in the optimal lineup on either site.
P.J. Washington (PF/C-CHA): $5,000 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
I love Washington’s price tag on DraftKings. It should be much closer to the $5,900 FanDuel has him priced at, but at $5,000 he projects well for cash lineups. In his last 14 games, Washington has only failed to tally 25 DraftKings points in four. He’s unlikely to win you a GPP, but he’ll get you 25 to 35 fantasy points on most nights to help you reach the top half of the field in cash.
GPP Targets
Julius Randle (PF/C-NYK): $10,100 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel
I don’t mind getting to Randle in large-field tournaments on either site tonight, but I’m going to have more exposure to him on FanDuel. His salary on there is super appealing. Randle just bolstered a 31.9% usage rate on Tuesday, which resulted in 55.2 FanDuel points. There is a clear path to him putting up similar, if not better, numbers against the Celtics tonight, who carry an OPRK of 27th against opposing centers.
Cole Anthony (PG/SG-ORL): $8,100 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
Let me preface this by highlighting the fact that Cole Anthony does carry a questionable tag heading into tonight. If he gets ruled in, though, that entirely suggests he’s ready to take on a full workload and, in that case, is one of my favorite GPP candidates this evening. I could see Anthonys’ roster percentage stay somewhat suppressed relative to a five-game slate with most of the field paying up for the likes of LaMelo Ball or going to a favorable-priced Chris Paul. Anthony also just came off of missing eight games, although he didn’t seem to miss a beat, dropping 26 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in only 26 minutes, which translated to 44 fantasy points. We have seen multiple slate-winning performances from Anthony this season, and he now faces a bottom-of-the-barrel defense in Detroit who are 24th in points allowed, 25th in rebounds allowed, 25th in assists allowed, and 23rd in field goals allowed. If Cole Anthony is cleared for action tonight, I’m going to want to come in over the field on him in GPP’s.
Omer Yurtseven (C-MIA): $6,600 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
The rookie Yurtseven has played above expectations since being handed the starting role with Bam Adebayo (thumb) going down. He’s not only playing excellent basketball, but he’s a great per-minute fantasy producer as well. Over his last six games, he has averaged 32.3 minutes per game and 38.7 DraftKings points while bolstering 1.20 fantasy points per minute. The Heat are expected to get Jimmy Butler back in the lineup tomorrow, but that’s not a significant hit to Yurtsevens minutes or production. He’s getting the majority of the center minutes regardless. The rookie is live as a contrarian center play tonight.
Value Plays
Mo Bamba (C-ORL): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
FanDuel is more in the ballpark of what I feel Mo Bamba‘s salary should be. I understand he’s been in a slump, and his minutes are down, but he can put up fantasy points in bunches quick, with his ability to produce from everywhere on the court, both defensively and offensively. He’s coming off 38.6 DraftKings points in which he put up 19 raw points in 28 minutes, one of his better fantasy performances to date, but has now received a $200 discount. If Bamba sees around 30 minutes again in a matchup against a porous defense like Detroit, who are 25th in rebounds allowed and 29th in defensive rebounds allowed, he can absolutely smash his $5,500 salary.
Immanuel Quickley (PG/SG-NYK): $4,200 DraftKings, $4,700 FanDuel
Quickley remains too cheap, in my opinion. Guards Kemba Walker (knee) and Derrick Rose (ankle) are already out, and Evan Fournier (thigh) is listed as a game-time decision, so I.Q. is going to receive around 25 to 30 minutes. He hasn’t shown immense upside recently, but there’s no question the talent is there. Better value will probably open up throughout the day. Still, from a first look standpoint, I will have exposure to Quickley, especially if Evan Fournier ends up sitting out for tonight’s game.
Hassan Whiteside (C-UTA): $3,500 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
DraftKings decided not to increase Whiteside’s price tag like FanDuel did, even though the Utah Jazz usual starting center, Rudy Gobert (COVID-19), won’t be available. Whiteside doesn’t draw the greatest of matchups going up against the Pacers, who have an OPRK of 5th against the center position due to their two stud big men in Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. With that being said, $3,500 is entirely too cheap, and he’s likely to be mega chalk, but Hassan Whiteside is such a good fantasy point per minute producer he’s going to be hard to get away from when he’s projected to see close to 30 minutes tonight at sub 4k.
Advantageous Pricing
- Chris Paul (PG-PHX): $7,800 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
- Hassan Whiteside (C-UTA): $3,500 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
- Immanuel Quickley (PG/SG-NYK): $4,200 DraftKings, $4,700 FanDuel
- Mo Bamba (C-ORL): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
- Cole Anthony (PG/SG-ORL): $8,100 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
- Julius Randle (PF/C-NYK): $10,100 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel
- P.J. Washington (PF/C-CHA): $5,000 DraftKings, $5,900 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.
