FanDuel NBA Lineup Advice: Saturday (11/16)

Welcome to the Saturday edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. Once again I’ll be focusing on the main slate, which features seven matchups tonight. It includes eight players priced at $10,000 or more, and you’re going to want several of these high-priced stars in your lineup. That means it’ll be vital to dig deep for value. This kind of slate lends itself to a studs and scrubs approach to lineup construction, so most of the players I mention will be near either the top or the bottom of the salary range.

Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel

Point Guard

Eric Bledsoe (MIL): $7,900 @ IND 
Bledsoe got off to a slow start to the season as he was battling a rib injury from the preseason, but he’s been putting up huge numbers lately, averaging over 44 FanDuel (FD) points per game over his last three contests. He scored a season-high 31 points Thursday in the first game without All-Star teammate Khris Middleton, who’s out several weeks with a leg injury. The Bucks run at the highest pace in the NBA, averaging 107.1 possessions per game, so he should continue to see increased scoring tonight against the Pacers, who are playing in the second game of a back-to-back set.

Others to consider:

Trae Young (ATL): $10,200 @ LAC
Young put up 60+ FD points in three consecutive games before a small dip in Thursday’s loss to the Suns. We know he can score from anywhere on the court, but his 9.1 assists per game are the third highest in the NBA and he’s racked up double-digit assists in five of six.

Dennis Smith (NY): $3,900 vs. CHA
It’s been a rough early season for the former All-Rookie point guard. He struggled to contribute off the bench and missed seven games for personal reasons, but he finally looked like the player that averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 assists over his first two seasons on Thursday night. It’s definitely a risky play, but Smith has legitimate potential to put up 10X value on Saturday.

Shooting Guard

James Harden (HOU) $12,700 @MIN
Harden is unsurprisingly the highest-priced player on tonight’s slate. He already has the highest usage rate in the NBA at near 40%, and now teammate Russell Westbrook is getting a scheduled night off to rest. He’s easily the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging over eight more points per game than the second-leading scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo. He could potentially put up massive points and rack up a huge triple-double running the point guard position in Westbrook’s absence tonight.

Others to consider:

Fred VanVleet (TOR): $7,800 @ DAL
He’s considered a shooting guard on FanDuel, but he’s more of a point guard and Toronto’s top ball-handler while Kyle Lowry is out with a thumb injury. He’s averaged 45.4 FD points in Lowry’s absence, including 52.3 in his most recent game. 

Donte DiVincenzo (MIL): $4,100 @ IND
As mentioned earlier, Khris Middleton will be sidelined for the next few weeks, which gives DiVincenzo a chance to join the starting lineup for Milwaukee. He didn’t impress in his starting debut Thursday, but has put up 30+ FD points two times earlier this month, making him one of the bigger value candidates available tonight. 

Small Forward

Paul George (LAC): $9,100 vs. ATL
You never know what to expect when a player makes his season debut coming off an injury, but Paul George definitely impressed in his first game as a Clipper on Thursday night. He saw an insane 41.9% usage rate with Kawhi Leonard out of the game, which may be the case again tonight. He’s also in line to see his minutes increase for the 24 he played in his first game, making 50+ FD points well within his range of outcomes against a Hawks team that gives up the third most FD points to small forwards.

Others to consider:

Jarrett Culver (MIN): $4,200 vs. HOU
The Timberwolves rookie is averaging over 26 minutes of time on the court in November while averaging 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Those numbers alone give him a relatively safe floor for the price. He’s also a candidate to see increased usage if Andrew Wiggins doesn’t make it back from the personal matter that kept him away from last night’s game.

Justin Holiday (IND): $3,800 vs. MIL
Holiday started the second half of last night’s game when Malcolm Brogdon left with back spasms. He put up 34.2 FD points earlier this month, and with Brogdon is in real danger of missing tonight’s game he has the potential to hit massive value at only $3,800.

Power Forward

Derrick Favors (NO): $7,200 @ MIA
The Pelicans injury report is littered with questionable players for tonight’s game in Miami, but Favors isn’t one of them. He did miss some time earlier in the season with a knee injury, but his minutes and FD points have increased in each of his five games since returning. He’s coming off a huge 20-20 game against the Clippers Thursday and plays the Heat, who give the second-most FD points to power forwards. Favors could easily put up the 36 FD points needed to hit 5X value, if not significantly more.  

Others to consider:

Jabari Parker (ATL): $7,400 @ LAC
Parker has been averaging 40.3 FD points since John Collins was suspended, including a 60.2 FD performance last Sunday. Tonight he takes on the Clippers, who just gave up the massive game to Favors and could be without Kawhi Leonard again.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (TOR): $4,500 @ DAL
Hollis-Jefferson has finally broken into the Raptors rotation and his salary still hasn’t caught up with his production. It’s a small sample size, but he’s averaged 32.5 FD points over the last two games. He has a good shot to notch another double-double tonight if he continues to get time on the court.

Center

Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN): $11,500 vs. HOU
It’s rare to see a slate with so few high-priced centers; Towns is the only available center priced over $7,900. That makes him a bit chalky, but he has far-and-away the safest floor and the highest ceiling of any center you can roll out tonight. He has a history of success against Houston, averaging over 25 points and 14 rebounds in 14 career regular-season games. Those numbers may be even higher tonight with Rockets starting center Clint Capela already ruled out with a concussion.

Others to consider:

Goga Bitadze (IND): $3,700 vs. MIL
The only reason to fade KAT tonight is if you want to spend up for studs elsewhere and go contrarian in tournaments. If that’s the case you’ll want to spend way down, and Bitadze is the perfect option as long as Myles Turner remains out. He was averaging 27.9 FD points with Turner sidelined before suffering a concussion last week. He returned last night and should see even more minutes and opportunity tonight with a full allotment of minutes

Here’s an example of a studs and scrubs lineup you can roll out tonight, just make sure to keep up with all of the late-breaking news as tipoff approaches.

PG: Eric Bledsoe – $7,900
PG: Dennis Smith – $3,900
SG: James Harden – $12,700
SG: Donte DiVincenzo – $4,100
SF: Jarrett Culver – $4,200
SF: Justin Holiday – $3,800
PF: Derrick Favors – $7,200
PF: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – $4,500
C: Karl-Anthony Towns – $11,500

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Aaron Larson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @aalarson.