As I mentioned on Thursday, you can’t judge a slate by the number of games. There are eight games in the main slate (the Utah-Houston game is early) but I don’t love the available options. Most of the top options have what I consider tough matchups, and the hardest part will be finding places to spend up. There are plenty of places to find value, especially at shooting guard.
Point Guard
The Mavericks played at home yesterday, and the lose an hour flying to Orlando to face the Magic. I probably would have liked Elfrid Payton anyway, but I don’t see how a tired Seth Curry and Jonathan Gibson can slow Payton down.
Eric Bledsoe played just 13 minutes Friday, mostly due to foul trouble, so he should be fresh for the second half of Phoenix’s back-to-back tonight. Only four teams have allowed more fantasy points to point guards than the 76ers, and Bledsoe may have to pick up more of the scoring slack if Devin Booker or T.J. Warren miss this game.
The Bulls allowed Dante Exum to score a season-high 14 points Thursday, and I don’t see how they will slow down Chris Paul, especially if Rajon Rondo is out. Paul may not be the top point guard of Saturday’s slate, but he is easily the safest.
Speaking of the Bulls, Jerian Grant is a decent punt play if Rajon Rondo is out. Grant may never be consistent, but the playing time will be there, and he could benefit from facing the Clippers’ second unit.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Elfrid Payton | ORL | H | DAL | 30.3 | 64% | 7 | 135 | 44 | 68 | 14 | 9 | 21 | 42% | 10% | 26.2 | 27.6 | 26.4 | 26.5 | $5,800 | $5,500 | $4,700 |
| Eric Bledsoe | PHX | A | PHI | 31.6 | 78% | 11 | 216 | 72 | 64 | 15 | 0 | 37 | 45% | 14.89% | 30.1 | 32.2 | 30.4 | 30.5 | $7,200 | $6,700 | $5,400 |
| Chris Paul | LAC | H | CHI | 30.3 | 87% | 28 | 231 | 71 | 112 | 40 | 3 | 24 | 45% | 13.63% | 42 | 44.3 | 42.3 | 43.1 | $9,300 | $8,400 | $6,550 |
| Jerian Grant | CHI | A | LAC | 15 | 100% | 3 | 40 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 32% | 8.09% | 13.2 | 13.7 | 13.3 | 13.4 | $4,000 | $4,100 | $3,500 |
Shooting Guard
Fantasy players who thought Evan Fournier would score 20 points a night with Victor Oladipo gone have been disappointed, but Fourier has scored 20 or more five times this season. Fournier’s ceiling is capped because he doesn’t give you much beyond points and threes, but this should be one of his safer games of the season.
In his first career start Tuesday, Rodney McGruder had eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 37 minutes. If McGruder starts Saturday with Dion Waiters questionable, we could see an even better performance at a discount price.
Whether Waiters plays or not, Josh Richardson will probably start and take a ton of shots. For DFS purposes, Richardson is a poor man’s Evan Fournier.
Brandon Knight should be a slam dunk if Devin Booker is out, but I am hesitant to play him in cash lineups. Knight played just 22 minutes Friday despite Booker, Eric Bledsoe and T.J. Warren combining to play just 45 minutes. Knight scored 32 points off the bench in the game before that, so his GPP upside is undeniable, but this isn’t a no-brainer. In Knight’s only start this season he scored 18 points in 31 minutes but failed to record a single rebound, assist or steal.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Evan Fournier | ORL | H | DAL | 33.9 | 82% | 23 | 207 | 30 | 37 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 43% | 12.57% | 24.5 | 26.6 | 24.6 | 25.4 | $5,500 | $5,600 | $4,500 |
| Josh Richardson | MIA | A | WAS | 28.1 | 100% | 10 | 80 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 41% | 10.23% | 18.3 | 19.9 | 18.4 | 19 | $4,300 | $5,000 | $4,200 |
| Brandon Knight | PHX | A | PHI | 24.9 | 90% | 15 | 171 | 34 | 43 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 38% | 14.19% | 20.2 | 22 | 20.3 | 20.8 | $4,800 | $4,300 | $4,350 |
Small Forward
Harrison Barnes had his worst game in two weeks Friday, and I suspect he will bounce back at least to some degree Saturday. Barnes has to jack up shots with most of the playmakers on his team out, which keeps both his floor and his ceiling pretty high.
With T.J. Warren and Devin Booker exiting early, P.J. Tucker played 39 minutes Friday, and while he scored just seven points, he also had 10 rebounds. Tucker would be a near must-start if Warren is out Saturday.
After a slow start, Nicolas Batum has at least 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in each of his last four games. The Pelicans have allowed the second-most rebounds and assists to opponents this season, making Batum a safe bet to stuff the stat sheet again Saturday.
On the one hand, I don’t necessarily want to spend at small forward, but on the other hand, you probably have to spend up somewhere. Kevin Durant is probably the safest superstar of the night, though Tony Snell could probably do a decent job against Durant if given the opportunity.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Harrison Barnes | DAL | A | ORL | 37.6 | 90% | 10 | 244 | 62 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 48% | 14.84% | 30.1 | 31.6 | 30.4 | 30.5 | $6,100 | $6,900 | $5,300 |
| Nicolas Batum | CHA | A | NOP | 33.9 | 81% | 23 | 162 | 74 | 56 | 16 | 5 | 24 | 41% | 11.31% | 32.1 | 34.5 | 32.4 | 33.1 | $6,700 | $6,700 | $5,300 |
| P.J. Tucker | PHX | A | PHI | 21 | 68% | 1 | 52 | 70 | 12 | 17 | 4 | 10 | 32% | 5.94% | 14.3 | 15 | 14.6 | 14.3 | $3,900 | $3,300 | $3,850 |
| Kevin Durant | GSW | A | MIL | 34.9 | 84% | 23 | 330 | 98 | 52 | 21 | 15 | 30 | 57% | 18.57% | 47.3 | 49.9 | 47.7 | 48.3 | $9,700 | $9,400 | $7,250 |
Power Forward
Serge Ibaka is averaging a double-double over the last week, but he hasn’t recorded a single double-double this season. I think that probably changes with a tired Mavericks team bricking shots all night long. Ibaka has seen his playing time increase of late, which makes him one of the few safe ways to take advantage of the Mavericks.
No team has allowed as many points as the Phoenix Suns this season, but good luck capitalizing for DFS. No one on the 76ers has averaged even 27 minutes per game over the last week, which limits everyone’s upside no matter how attractive the matchup. If you want to take a chance on a 76er, I like Dario Saric. Saric has double-doubles in two of his last six games, and he is capable of getting hot and providing some upside.
With Justise Winslow out, who is going to guard Markieff Morris? Derrick Williams? James Johnson? Morris runs hot and cold, but after a cold night Thursday, I see a big night coming.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Serge Ibaka | ORL | H | DAL | 29.2 | 86% | 13 | 165 | 80 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 15 | 47% | 11.26% | 24 | 25.5 | 24.4 | 24.6 | $5,700 | $5,400 | $4,600 |
| Dario Saric | PHI | H | PHX | 26.8 | 72% | 15 | 126 | 76 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 25 | 40% | 11.33% | 20.2 | 22.2 | 20.5 | 20.8 | $4,300 | $4,700 | $4,200 |
| Markieff Morris | WAS | H | MIA | 33 | 87% | 12 | 158 | 78 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 40% | 11.74% | 26.7 | 28.7 | 27.1 | 27.3 | $5,700 | $6,000 | $4,900 |
Center
I find it hard to believe Tyler Zeller and Kelly Olynyk can keep Andre Drummond off the boards. Drummond hasn’t had a double-double in a week, but I would be shocked if that continues Saturday.
Only four teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers than the Bulls, and Chicago does not have anyone who can match up with DeAndre Jordan. Jordan is not exactly cheap, but the center position gets pretty ugly once you get past him.
If you have to play a center cheaper than DeAndre Jordan, I guess Andrew Bogut is your guy. The Mavericks are running out of guys who can make plays, and while Bogut isn’t a scorer, he has recorded three or more assists four times this season. If Bogut can get double-digit rebounds while adding three assists and a block he will be worth the price of admission.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Andre Drummond | DET | H | BOS | 29.8 | 53% | 1 | 172 | 162 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 28 | 51% | 14.93% | 35 | 36.9 | 35.7 | 35.1 | $8,000 | $7,600 | $6,300 |
| DeAndre Jordan | LAC | H | CHI | 30.8 | 44% | 0 | 139 | 162 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 23 | 60% | 11.30% | 29.4 | 30.9 | 30 | 29.4 | $6,800 | $6,400 | $5,700 |
| Andrew Bogut | DAL | A | ORL | 24.7 | 0% | 0 | 34 | 91 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 43% | 7.62% | 19.2 | 20.7 | 19.7 | 19.2 | $4,400 | $4,300 | $4,100 |