Saturday night’s schedule features an eight-game slate, seven of which are included in the main tip-off at 7:30 p.m. EST, and one of which tips off at 5:00 p.m. EST for the all-day slate. The Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns are all playing on a back-to-back.
Check out today’s NBA Sharpshooter from DraftKings 
Guards
Trae Young (PG – ATL): $10,300 vs. POR
In one of his least impressive performances in recent times, Young still managed to score 48 DraftKings points (last night’s contest), playing only 31 minutes and shooting only 6-18 from the field. Young’s performance should speak to his ceiling because even when he struggles to have his shot drop, he’s capable of having a better day than most guys on fantastic nights. Tonight, Young and the Hawks get an incredibly easy matchup defensively opposing the Portland Trail Blazers, who rank 27th in defensive rating and 12th in pace. This game also happens to lead the night in implied totals.
Saturday night’s schedule features an eight-game slate, seven of which are included in the main tip-off at 7:30 p.m. EST, and one of which tips off at 5:00 p.m. EST for the all-day slate. The Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns are all playing on a back-to-back.
Check out today’s NBA Sharpshooter from DraftKings
Guards
Trae Young (PG – ATL): $10,300 vs. POR
In one of his least impressive performances in recent times, Young still managed to score 48 DraftKings points (last night’s contest), playing only 31 minutes and shooting only 6-18 from the field. Young’s performance should speak to his ceiling because even when he struggles to have his shot drop, he’s capable of having a better day than most guys on fantastic nights. Tonight, Young and the Hawks get an incredibly easy matchup defensively opposing the Portland Trail Blazers, who rank 27th in defensive rating and 12th in pace. This game also happens to lead the night in implied totals.
C.J. McCollum (SG – POR): $9,200 at ATL
McCollum is on the other end of the same matchup, and he’s also likely to explode with a strong performance tonight. Ironically, neither team is good defensively, as the Hawks rank 28th in defensive rating and seventh in pace. It should come as no surprise that this game leads the night in implied totals, with both teams playing bad defense and playing offense at a quick pace. In addition to a strong matchup, McCollum has been superb in the absence of starting point guard Damian Lillard, ranking 8th in usage rate in the league in the last five games of players who registered 20-plus minutes of playing time.
Marcus Smart (SG – BOS): $6,500 vs. HOU
Starting point guard Kemba Walker has been ruled out of tonight’s contest between the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, meaning Smart is in line to draw another start at the point guard spot. Smart hasn’t scored fewer than 31.5 DraftKings points in his last five contests, with two of those games ending in 43-plus point performances. The Rockets are average defensively but play with the second-fastest pace in the NBA, ensuring plenty of opportunities on both ends of the ball for guys like Smart to ply his defensive trade.
Kevin Huerter (SG – ATL): $5,200 vs. POR
I believe you’d be wise to target this game as much as possible on tonight’s slate, which is exactly why Huerter is here. If you’re looking for cheaper exposure to one of the pacier options of the night, Huerter gives you just that, in addition to being a consistent threat to hover around value. Huerter scored 23.8 DraftKings points in his only game against the Trail Blazers this season, though he had a tough game shooting 5-12 from the field.
Forwards
DeMar DeRozan (SF – SA): $7,600 vs. ORL
Starting power forward LaMarcus Aldridge has already been ruled out of this contest tonight, and I don’t need to tell you what that means for DeRozan’s value. In the DFS landscape, DeRozan is a completely different player with and without Aldridge on the court. The matchup tonight against the Magic is a very tough one, as they’re good defensively and play at a slow pace, but DeRozan is sure to be a usage monster with the ability to chip in as a passer and on the boards. DeRozan scored 51.5 DraftKings points in his last game without Aldridge on the court.
Robert Covington (PF – HOU): $5,900 at BOS
Covington simply isn’t the same player he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves pre-trade. Since being acquired by the Rockets, RoCo has returned to the player everyone expected him to be, a solid offensive guy whose scoring will vary but also a superb defender capable of making any player’s night a living hell. In his last four games, RoCo has registered 14 blocks and two steals, but he’s scored less than 12 points three times. His offense is never going to be the reason he’s on these lists, but his defensive prowess is exactly why he’s a threat to consistently score right above value on any given night.
Mikal Bridges (SF – PHO): $5,200 vs. GSW
Since entering the starting lineup for an injured Kelly Oubre Jr., Bridges has managed to produce while also playing a boatload of minutes (38 minutes in his last two games). Bridges has scored 28-plus DraftKings points in three of his last four games, totaling eight steals and four blocks. Bridges is the third defensive stud on this list, proving defense travels. The matchup for the Suns is also relatively easy, with the Golden State Warriors ranking 25th in defensive rating and 11th in pace.
Centers
Bam Adebayo (C – MIA): $8,600 vs. BKN
There may not be a player with a greater ceiling tonight than Adebayo, as the Nets struggle mightily at defending opposing big men. Sure, Jimmy Butler is expected to play tonight, and some may view that as a reason to skip out on paying up for Bam, but it will also likely decrease his ownership to an extent. That gives you, the contrarian, all the more reason to target him. Expect Adebayo to put together a strong game tonight, with his two prior performances against the Nets resulting in an average of 43.8 DraftKings points.
Jakob Poeltl (C – SA): $3,200 vs. ORL
If you’re looking to pay down at the center spot, Poeltl is a decent option with Aldridge out for tonight’s game. The matchup is very tough, so don’t expect Poeltl to smash value tonight, but his price tag is so cheap that it shouldn’t be too hard for him to reach value.
Check out today’s NBA Sharpshooter from DraftKings
Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.
