Welcome to the Saturday “Lead Day” edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. Tonight we have a balanced seven-game slate to navigate that, as of this writing, has fewer injury questions than we’ve seen the past few nights. There are five studs with five-digit price tags to choose from, as well a few high paced, high scoring games expected games to extract value from. Let’s dive in.
Note: All FanDuel points vs. Defense stats are from FantasyPros DFS Tools
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Trae Young (ATL): $10,000 vs. POR
Young is in play whenever he’s available on a slate given his massive ceiling. Tonight he checks several other boxes you should look for when constructing a lineup. As of this writing, the expected point total of his matchup with Portland is the highest of the slate at 234.5 points. The Trail Blazers also allow the most FanDuel (FD) points to point guards on average this season. It’s a recipe for a huge night from Young.
Welcome to the Saturday “Lead Day” edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. Tonight we have a balanced seven-game slate to navigate that, as of this writing, has fewer injury questions than we’ve seen the past few nights. There are five studs with five-digit price tags to choose from, as well a few high paced, high scoring games expected games to extract value from. Let’s dive in.
Note: All FanDuel points vs. Defense stats are from FantasyPros DFS Tools
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Trae Young (ATL): $10,000 vs. POR
Young is in play whenever he’s available on a slate given his massive ceiling. Tonight he checks several other boxes you should look for when constructing a lineup. As of this writing, the expected point total of his matchup with Portland is the highest of the slate at 234.5 points. The Trail Blazers also allow the most FanDuel (FD) points to point guards on average this season. It’s a recipe for a huge night from Young.
Others to consider:
Ricky Rubio (PHO): $6,800 vs. GSW
Rubio has been balling out lately, averaging 11.2 assists on his way to 50.3 FD points over his last four games, There’s no reason to expect a drop-off tonight when he and the Suns take on the woeful Warriors in what should be a fast-paced game.
Malcolm Brogdon (IND): $5,900 at CLE
He isn’t likely to break the slate, but Brogdon has been a model of consistency lately. He’s had a 23% usage rate while averaging 32.6 FD points over his last five games. He should have no problem providing value against the Cavs tonight, who sport the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker (PHO): $7,400 vs. GSW
Booker is a player who can break the slate tonight, especially at his underpriced $7,400 price tag. He’s topped 60 FD points three times this season, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he notched his fourth against Golden State, who has given up the second most FD points on average to shooting guards. Don’t worry about him playing the second half of a back-to-back set either, he’s actually seen a slight uptick in minutes played on zero days rest this season.
Others to consider:
CJ McCollum (POR): $8,800 at ATL
McCollum may be the chalkiest play on the slate. He’s seen a hefty 35.6% usage rate and averaged 51.8 FD points without teammate Damian Lillard, who’s already been ruled out for tonight. He should be in for another big performance against the Hawks, who have the third-worst defensive rating in the entire NBA, in what’s expected to be the highest-scoring game of the night.
Avery Bradley (MIA): $3,600 at MEM
If you’re looking for a cheap dart throw to save some salary, look no further. Bradley continues to be inconsistent with the Lakers, but he’s playing solid minutes and faces off against the high-paced Grizzlies tonight. Bradley put up 32.5 FD points when they last faced off just four games ago.
Small Forward
LeBron James (LAL): $10,400 at MEM
As of this writing, LeBron is listed as questionable with a sore left groin, but he should be good to go after sitting out Thursday. The Grizzlies play at the seventh-fastest pace and carry a 13.2 % turnover rate. That combination should lead to plenty of opportunities for LeBron rack up stats and gives him good odds to put together a triple-double. Just make sure to keep an eye on his status throughout the day.
Others to consider:
De’Andre Hunter (ATL): $4,300 vs. POR
As mentioned above, there should be plenty of value to go around in Atlanta tonight against the defensively hapless Trail Blazers. Hunter has been playing huge minutes, 35.3 over the last three games, and should easily play his way to paying off his salary tonight.
Trevor Ariza (POR): $4,700 at ATL
Yet another target from the Hawks-Blazers matchup, Ariza also sees massive time on the court at 35.8 minutes over his last five games. Although none of his numbers will blow you away, by the end of the night, he’ll do enough across the stat sheet to hit value. He may even grab a few extra steals to pad his FD points, given his defensive prowess and Atlanta’s 13.8% turnover rate.
Power Forward
Domantas Sabonis (IND): $8,500 at CLE
Sabonis has been a double-double machine this season, trailing only MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo with 45 on the season. Cleveland’s frontcourt is a mess right now between the uncertain injury statuses of Andre Drummond and Kevin Love, but whoever is on the court doesn’t stand much of a chance at slowing down Sabonis. He has one of the safest fantasy floors at the position tonight at a price tag that won’t break the bank.
Others to consider:
Draymond Green (GSW): $5,600 at PHO
Green is the most unpredictable of all the Warriors, which is saying something this season, so he should only be considered in tournaments. He was ejected just nine minutes into Thursday’s game after sitting out the previous two, so his legs should be well-rested. The game in Phoenix tonight is the perfect spot for one of his patented 10-10-10 triple-doubles, but you should tread lightly.
Bruno Fernando (ATL): $3,700 vs POR
Here we are again in Atlanta. Bruno Fernando has seen 20.5 minutes on the floor over the last two games and turned them into an average of 27 FD points, primarily due to the absence of center Dewayne Dedmon. Fernando is truly underpriced in this juicy matchup, especially since Dedmon is already ruled out again.
Center
Hassan Whiteside (POR): $9,600 at ATL
I’ve been attacking the Hawks matchup this entire writeup, and there’s no reason to stop now. The Hawks have given up the most FD points to the position on average this season, so everything about the matchup points to a big game from the NBA’s leading shot-blocker. He’s logged over 50 FD points in three of his last four games and is in prime position to do so again tonight.
Others to consider:
Jakob Poeltl (SA): $4,300 vs. ORL
Poeltl was a disappointment Wednesday night in the absence of LaMarcus Aldridge, which will probably keep his ownership low tonight. Aldridge has already been ruled out again, and the Spurs will likely have to rely on more minutes from Poetl to matchup with Nikola Vucevic. He probably won’t win you a tournament but can save you some serious salary in a cash game lineup.
Here’s a lineup you can roll out tonight that maximizes salary. It features some affordable value plays and some nice high-ceiling studs, making it suitable to enter in cash games or even single-entry tournaments. Good luck!
PG: Trae Young – $10,000
PG: Ricky Rubio – $6.800
SG: CJ McCollum – $8,800
SG: Avery Bradley– $3,600
SF: Trevor Ariza – $4,700
SF: De’Andre Hunter – $4,300
PF: Domantas Sabonis – $8,500
PF: Bruno Fernando – $3,700
C: Hassan Whiteside – $9,500
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Aaron Larson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @aalarson.