.jpg)
.jpg)
When I play DFS I like to have a lot of options, which can make days like Saturday with five games on the docket a challenge. When four of the 10 teams on the slate are in the bottom five in points allowed per game since the All-Star break, that makes things even more challenging. Of course, the more difficult it is to identify strong plays, the more of an advantage you can gain over the competition if you pick the right guys. The real hard part will be finding enough cheap plays to allow you to play the expensive guys you want.
Point Guard
Chris Paul is averaging 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists against the Jazz this season. A win would move L.A. a half-game behind Utah for the fourth seed in the Western Conference and home court advantage in their likely first-round playoff meeting. I expect another big game from Chris Paul.
Only three teams have allowed more points per game than the Wizards since the All-Star break. With LeBron James dealing with a scratched cornea and Kevin Love still on a minutes restriction, Kyrie Irving is the only Cavalier you can trust. Kyrie is averaging 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists when LeBron sits this season.
With so many strong point guards on Saturday’s slate, I am probably paying for one or two of them. That being said, Cory Joseph is pretty safe and fairly cheap. Joseph is averaging 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 33.8 minutes per game over his last five games.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Chris Paul | LAC | H | UTA | 52 | 31.2 | 88% | 2.1 | 17.5 | 5 | 9.2 | 2 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 47% | 24.10% | 39.1 | 41.6 | 40.2 | $8,900 | $7,800 | $44 |
| Kyrie Irving | CLE | H | WAS | 63 | 35.1 | 91% | 2.5 | 25.6 | 3.3 | 5.8 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 48% | 31.10% | 38.6 | 41.3 | 39.9 | $9,100 | $7,900 | $43 |
| Cory Joseph | TOR | A | DAL | 70 | 24.7 | 79% | 0.6 | 9.1 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 45% | 18.20% | 17.8 | 18.8 | 18.1 | $4,800 | $4,800 | $14 |
Shooting Guard
In his only game against Cleveland this season, Bradley Beal scored 41 points in 45 minutes. If he gets close to a point per minute Saturday, Beal will be well worth his price. There is little reason to believe Cleveland will slow Beal down, as their defense has only gotten worse since Beal went off on them in early February.
Does anybody else miss the days when Brandon Jennings would fill in for an injured Derrick Rose and play better than Rose? Maybe it’s just me. With Jennings gone, Courtney Lee was the closest thing the Knicks had to a secondary playmaker Thursday night with Rose and Carmelo Anthony out. Lee played 41 minutes and had 16 points and four rebounds, and we could easily see a repeat performance Saturday.
Much like his teammate Noah Vonleh, Allen Crabbe has largely been disappointing for fantasy. That being said, Crabbe has played at least 29 minutes in five consecutive games, averaging 10.6 points and 3.4 rebounds over that span. Crabbe remains cheap, especially on FanDuel, and there is always a chance Crabbe gets hot and makes a few threes.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Bradley Beal | WAS | A | CLE | 68 | 34.6 | 82% | 3 | 23.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2 | 48% | 26.50% | 32.8 | 35.5 | 34.3 | $8,000 | $7,700 | $34 |
| Courtney Lee | NYK | A | SAS | 67 | 32 | 86% | 1.4 | 10.6 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 46% | 13.90% | 19.6 | 20.9 | 20.3 | $4,500 | $4,400 | $13 |
| Allen Crabbe | POR | H | MIN | 71 | 28.6 | 86% | 1.6 | 10.5 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 46% | 14.80% | 16.5 | 17.8 | 17.3 | $3,800 | $4,300 | $10 |
Small Forward
Joe Ingles has scored nine points total over his last two games, but he is averaging 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists against the Clippers this season. Even if he doesn’t score, Ingles will contribute in other ways, and he has a pretty nice matchup against the Clippers' weak wing defenders.
Otto Porter is due for a strong game, and I feel there is a pretty decent chance it comes against a Cleveland team that has allowed 108.8 points per game since the All-Star break.
You are going to have to save money somewhere, and small forward is as good a place as any. Richard Jefferson is averaging 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds as a starting forward this season. Joe Ingles may be safer, but Jefferson is cheaper and his ceiling is probably just as high.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Joe Ingles | UTA | A | LAC | 72 | 23.1 | 76% | 1.4 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 46% | 13.50% | 15.6 | 17.1 | 16.4 | $4,100 | $4,100 | $11 |
| Otto Porter | WAS | A | CLE | 72 | 33.5 | 82% | 1.9 | 13.9 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 52% | 15.10% | 27.6 | 29.2 | 28.5 | $5,800 | $6,100 | $27 |
| Richard Jefferson | CLE | H | WAS | 70 | 20.8 | 75% | 0.8 | 5.9 | 2.6 | 1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 45% | 12.30% | 10.6 | 11.5 | 11 | $3,500 | $3,200 | $10 |
Power Forward
Serge Ibaka has had three days off thanks to a suspension following an altercation with Robin Lopez Tuesday. The extra rest should serve Ibaka well, and someone will have to pick up the scoring slack as DeMar DeRozan is unlikely to score 40 points for a third consecutive game.
Kristaps Porzingis took 21 shots in 38 minutes Thursday with Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose out. Porzingis made just eight of those shots for 18 points and nine rebounds, but that might be his floor if Carmelo and Rose are out again.
I don’t trust Noah Vonleh. It isn’t personal, but I have made the mistake of liking him for fantasy in the past, and it hasn’t gone well. That being said, Vonleh has had double-digit points or double-digit rebounds in four of his last five games, including one double-double. Vonleh is probably the safest of the cheap power forwards in Saturday’s slate, and I love his cheap double-double potential as well.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Serge Ibaka | TOR | A | DAL | 56 | 30.5 | 85% | 1.5 | 15.1 | 6.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 49% | 21.10% | 28.1 | 29.8 | 28.9 | $5,700 | $5,500 | $25 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | NYK | A | SAS | 61 | 32.8 | 79% | 1.8 | 18.1 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.7 | 44% | 24.30% | 32.7 | 34.8 | 33.6 | $6,700 | $7,100 | $31 |
| Noah Vonleh | POR | H | MIN | 63 | 15.3 | 59% | 0.1 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 46% | 13.90% | 10.6 | 11.4 | 10.7 | $3,800 | $4,100 | $10 |
Center
Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Mavericks 12 days ago, and there is little reason to believe Saturday’s meeting will be much different. Jonas’s prospects on a given night are closely tied to the matchup, and this is a good matchup.
I was really high on Karl-Anthony Towns against the Trail Blazers earlier this month, and I probably would have won a decent amount of money if the game hadn’t been postponed. Even with Jusuf Nurkic playing better defense since the trade, Portland doesn’t have anyone to match up with Towns. Towns has nine double-doubles in 11 games this month, averaging 27.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in March.
If you don’t trust Valanciunas but don’t want to pay for Towns, Jusuf Nurkic is your best option. The Timberwolves are still middle-of-the-road in defense, and Nurkic has had at least 11 points and nine rebounds in five consecutive games.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | A | DAL | 70 | 25.9 | 82% | 0 | 11.9 | 9.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 55% | 19.70% | 25.3 | 26.5 | 25.3 | $5,100 | $4,900 | $16 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | A | POR | 71 | 36.9 | 82% | 1.2 | 24.6 | 12.2 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 54% | 27.40% | 44.8 | 47.3 | 45.4 | $10,400 | $10,700 | $50 |
| Jusuf Nurkic | POR | H | MIN | 45 | 17.9 | 50% | 0 | 8 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 51% | 23.40% | 17.7 | 18.9 | 17.7 | $6,700 | $7,400 | $30 |