Skip to main content

FanDuel NBA DFS Strategy Advice: Saturday (5/1)

FanDuel NBA DFS Strategy Advice: Saturday (5/1)

Time is winding down in the regular season for the NBA, but that isn’t stopping us degenerates from playing NBA DFS. With it being weekend basketball, weird things are certain to happen on Saturday, with players likely being rested or ruled out for various reasons.

Being able to navigate the news throughout the day is key as value opens up across the board. While it’s tough to guess which players will be inactive, I’ll be doing my best to share what players could be valuable pieces in your lineups on Saturday.

Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool partner-arrow

Most Value Per Dollar

Heading into Saturday’s schedule of games, we have a nice 10-game slate, which is undoubtedly going to result in high scores on FanDuel. Of the 10 games, seven of them have expected totals of 220+ points, setting us up to get pieces of certain games more than others.

It’s tough to find many value centers that you can play with confidence on Saturday due to a variety of reasons. I fully expect the clash between the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks to be a popular game to have players from. By taking a quick look at the slate, some players are underpriced on FanDuel that we should take advantage of.

If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros. Below is a list of the top-10 players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.

FanDuel NBA DFS Plays of the Day (5/1)

NAME (TEAM) POSITION OPPONENT PRICE MATCHUP RISK
Kevin Porter Jr. (HOU) SF vs. GSW $6,100 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ LOW
Isaiah Stewart (DET) PF at CHA $5,900 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ LOW
Malachi Flynn (TOR) PG at UTA $4,700 ⭐⭐⭐ LOW
T.J. McConnell (IND) PG at OKC $5,400 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ LOW
Josh Jackson (DET) SG at CHA $5,400 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ LOW
Rui Hachimura (WAS) SF at DAL $4,000 ⭐⭐⭐ LOW
Tim Hardaway Jr.(DAL) SG vs. WAS $4,900 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ LOW
Moses Brown (OKC) C vs. IND $4,600 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ MEDIUM
Mo Bamba (ORL) C vs. MEM $5,700 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ MEDIUM
Maxi Kleber (DAL) PF vs. WAS $3,700 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ MEDIUM

Kevin Porter Jr. (HOU) $6,100 vs. GSW
On Thursday, I had Kevin Porter Jr. listed as one of my favorite value plays against the Milwaukee Bucks, and he exploded for 70.5 FD points at a salary of $5,600. While it’s unlikely that Porter goes off for 70.5 FD points again, the young wing should continue being a go-to scorer for the Houston Rockets as John Wall misses the rest of the season. Porter is poised for another productive showing on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, who play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA.

Isaiah Stewart (DET) $5,900 at CHA
Along with Porter, Isaiah Stewart was another player I pinpointed as an ideal value play on Thursday. Stewart responded by recording 44 FD points at the price of $5,900. Despite Stewart set to start again on Saturday for the Detroit Pistons, FanDuel didn’t alter his price at all. Stewart should have no trouble hitting 5x value at his current price point for the third consecutive game when he faces the Charlotte Hornets.

Malachi Flynn (TOR) $4,700 at UTA
The Toronto Raptors are going to be without Kyle Lowry on Saturday, opening up more usage for multiple players. Besides Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn should see more playing time on Saturday. Flynn sees a 22.4 percent usage percentage when the Raptors are sans the players that will be out on Saturday, where he averages 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5 assists per 36 minutes.

T.J. McConnell (IND) $5,400 at OKC
Another injury worth monitoring on Saturday is the one to Malcolm Brogdon on the Indiana Pacers. Brogdon suffered a hamstring injury on Thursday and is questionable to suit up against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. If Brogdon is ruled out, T.J. McConnell has averaged 15.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 14.2 assists per 36 minutes with the players that could be out for Indiana. Besides Brogdon, the statuses of Domantas Sabonis and Jeremy Lamb could slightly affect McConnell’s value.

Josh Jackson (DET) $5,400 at CHA
While I called Porter and Stewart’s stellar performances on Thursday, I was wrong about Josh Jackson. Jackson would play only 19 minutes, where he posted a mere 19.4 FD points. That being said, I’m going right back to Jackson as the Pistons will be shorthanded once again. Cory Joseph, Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee, Wayne Ellington, and Hamidou Diallo are all expected to be out for Detroit on Saturday.

Rui Hachimura (WAS) $4,000 at DAL
Once again, the showdown between the Wizards and the Mavericks could be a popular game to target on Saturday. One way to get a cheap piece of that game is to insert Rui Hachimura into your lineups. Hachimura is returning from an injury, but he’s expected to have his minutes increased versus Dallas. If Hachimura can come close to 30 minutes on Saturday, it’s hard to envision him not returning 5x value at his cheap $4,000 price tag on FanDuel.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (DAL) $4,900 vs. WAS
On the other side of the court, Tim Hardaway Jr. is another cheap piece that could be worth using in lineups. Hardaway took advantage of Luka Doncic being out in the last game as he notched 48.7 FD points. While Doncic is going to be back on the floor versus the Wizards, Hardaway is primed to see the ball more, especially if Kristaps Porzingis is ruled out. Washington plays at the fastest pace in the league, and they have allowed the fourth-most points per game to shooting guards this season.

Moses Brown (OKC) $4,600 vs. IND
Moses Brown was once a must-start player in NBA DFS earlier this season when the Thunder allowed him to join the starting lineup. In recent games, though, Brown has seen an inconsistent role, making him hard to trust every game. In light of that, he did see 32 minutes on Thursday, which allowed him to post 31.1 FD points. If Brown is going to have a productive game again, there isn’t a better matchup than the Pacers on paper, who surrender the most FD points per game to opposing centers this season.

Mo Bamba (ORL) $5,700 vs. MEM
The Orlando Magic don’t have anything to play for besides pride at this point, and they’ve insisted on giving more minutes to some of their younger players. Mo Bamba has benefitted from the increase in playing time, where he’s hit 5x value at his current price point in three out of his past five contests. Bamba has logged 14 steals and blocks in his past five appearances, including four blocks on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies, who he faces again on Saturday.

Maxi Kleber (DAL) $3,700 vs. WAS
Seeing that Porzingis sustained another knee injury, I expect him to be sidelined for the Mavericks on Saturday, opening up more opportunities for other guys in the frontcourt. Maxi Kleber is also questionable for Dallas, but he could be worth taking a flier on in a pace-up game against the Wizards if he plays. If Kleber is also ruled out, Nicolo Melli could be a sneaky play on a big slate at $3,600. In the event that Porzingis plays, you could take a stab at either Juan Toscano-Anderson or Moritz Wagner if you’re keen on playing someone sub $4,000.

Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day partner-arrow

Studs Worth Their Salary

Luka Doncic (DAL) $10,800 vs. WAS: The Mavericks decided to sit Doncic on Thursday as he continues to nurse an elbow injury. But on Saturday, Doncic has been removed from the injury report, showing that he’ll have no limitations against the Wizards. If Porzingis is out for Dallas or is limited in any fashion, Doncic could shoulder a massive workload in a pace-up game. Doncic is absolutely worth his steep $10,800 price tag on Saturday.

Stephen Curry (GSW) $9,700 at HOU: Every game from here on out matters for the Warriors as they hope to secure a spot in the playoffs. Stephen Curry has been doing his part, scoring 30+ points in 14 out of his last 16 outings. Even though some could view Saturday’s matchup with the Rockets as a possible blowout, Golden State isn’t a team that is going to blow out many teams. Curry could easily put up 50+ FD points on Saturday with a sub $10,000 salary.

Zion Williamson (NOP) $8,900 at MIN: Zion Williamson has seen his price on FanDuel slightly decline after he had back-to-back games where he scored under 30 FD points recently. But in his last appearance on Thursday versus the Thunder, Williamson recorded 48.6 FD points in a plus-matchup. The exciting forward has another positive matchup on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have given up 47.78 FD points per game to power forwards in their past seven games (sixth-most in the NBA in that span).

Notable Players To Fade

Jimmy Butler (MIA) $9,800 at CLE: Jimmy Butler continues to be the heart and soul of the Miami Heat as they hope to clinch a spot in the playoffs in the final weeks of the season. While he’s been fantastic again this season, Butler is going to be involved in a showdown between two slow teams when he squares off with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. There are better ways to use your salary instead of spending nearly $10,000 on Butler in a slow-paced game.

Trae Young (ATL) $9,500 vs. CHI: The Atlanta Hawks have shown plenty of improvement this season, and that’s in large part due to the improvements that Trae Young has made to his game. However, Young has struggled with his shot recently, shooting a dismal 24.3 percent from three-point range in his past seven games. I’d much rather shell out the extra $200 in salary to get to Curry or find a way to get up to Doncic rather than playing Young on Saturday.

Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool partner-arrow

Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. From our Lineup Optimizer – which allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players – we’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.

Skyler Carlin is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Skyler, check out his archive and follow him @skyler_carlin.

More Articles

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Friday (4/19)

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Friday (4/19)

fp-headshot by Joel Bartilotta | 1 min read
NBA Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (4/19)

NBA Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (4/19)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 2 min read
Top 10 NBA PrizePicks Predictions: Friday (4/19)

Top 10 NBA PrizePicks Predictions: Friday (4/19)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 1 min read
NBA Underdog Player Picks & Predictions: Friday (4/19)

NBA Underdog Player Picks & Predictions: Friday (4/19)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 1 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

5 min read

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Friday (4/19)

Next Up - NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Friday (4/19)

Next Article