Last night was incredibly lucrative after I pivoted to Tyrese Maxey in cash. When coupled with some other solid chalk plays that hit and an under 10% Jeremy Sochan, we had a recipe for success. Let’s see if we can keep it rolling on this Saturday evening, where we have a tidy little six-game slate. Follow me for DFS advice @jac3600!
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet 
TOP PLAYS
Luka Doncic, DAL ($12,500 DK, $11,600 FD)
Last night was incredibly lucrative after I pivoted to Tyrese Maxey in cash. When coupled with some other solid chalk plays that hit and an under 10% Jeremy Sochan, we had a recipe for success. Let’s see if we can keep it rolling on this Saturday evening, where we have a tidy little six-game slate. Follow me for DFS advice @jac3600!
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
TOP PLAYS
Luka Doncic, DAL ($12,500 DK, $11,600 FD)
Luka Doncic is absolutely on another level right now, posting a 39.9% usage rate and 62.7% assist rate (!) while averaging 68.8 DraftKings PPG. His price tag on DK is tough to sort out, but it’s worth looking into as Dallas is currently leading the NFL in offensive efficiency. If Luka’s ownership starts to spike, it’s probably a good idea to push for him in cash and fade in GPP for some other high upside plays at less cost.
Joel Embiid, PHI ($10,200 DK, $9700 FD)
This is an important play, and it depends if Joel Embiid actually has a knee injury or if last night’s absence was just “load management”. Right now I’m banking on the latter and that Embiid plays tonight, but we’ll have to wait and see. If he does go, Embiid finds himself in a pristine matchup against the Bulls who are adept at taking away the three-ball but give up the fourth highest at-rim frequency in the NBA so far. Embiid currently has an elite 33.9% usage rate and 36.5% rebounding rate. If he plays, he’s far too cheap on both sites.
Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving, BKN ($9700 DK, $9900 FD/$9500 DK, $9600 FD)
The Nets are 10.5-point favorites at home against Indiana which potentially takes away some ceiling for these two in GPP. However, the sub-10k prices fit perfectly in cash, and it’s highly possible Indiana keeps it closer than expected with these two teams sporting the bottom two defensive efficiencies. Kyrie (big surprise) is once again the center of controversy after Joe Tsai condemned his choices on twitter last night, but he finds himself facing a Pacers squad that allows the most FPPG to opposing PGs. Kevin Durant‘s LOW score on DK so far is 45.25, and there’s no one on Indiana to stop him.
CASH GAME OPTIONS
Zach LaVine, CHI ($7700 DK, $7300 FD)
Lavine will continue to get injury management days throughout the season as he recovers from his knee injury, but he should return tonight against the Sixers. Lavine has played almost his full complement of minutes when in there (31.6 MPG this season), and he should thrive in this one against a Philly team that ranks 23rd in overall team defensive efficiency and dead last in transition defense.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA ($6900 DK, $7400 FD)
Lauri Markkanen‘s price is starting to get up there, but there’s still room for value given his role in Utah’s offense. Markkanen is averaging 21.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG over 33.9 MPG with a 24.8% usage rate, which is really not reflective of his price tag (moreso on DK). This game against Memphis is a good prospect for Utah players as they get a pace up game (Memphis is fourth in pace after ranking third in 2021). It’s possible Markkanen gets Dillon Brooks‘ defense, but there’s still enough volume to hit value.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($5700 DK, $7200 FD)
This is a DK-specific play as his price has inexplicably dropped $500 after last night’s epic shooting performance. Tyrese Maxey has shot 27-41 from the field and 13-20 from downtown over the past two games while averaging 41.5 MPG. It’s unwise to continue to expect shooting performances like this, but it’s also silly to price a guy at $5700 when he’s touching the ball this much. The Bulls defend the 3-ball extremely well, but Maxey is a pure price play here, especially if Embiid sits again.
VALUE PLAYS
Jalen Smith, IND ($5400 DK, $6000 FD)
Jalen Smith has not been affected at all by Myles Turner‘s return, averaging 14.1 PPG and 8.5 RPG with a 21.2% usage rate. Indiana can be frustrating for fantasy as they’re exploring a ton of rotations (they’ve used 14 players more than once in a game this season), but Smith is still cheap enough to utilize in cash. Maybe we’ll get even luckier and Turner will get a “load management” day on the second night of a back-to-back. Brooklyn ranks 29th in overall defensive efficiency and dead last against PFs.
Piggybacking off the Embiid play above, we have a ready-made value in Melton if Embiid does NOT play. Melton got the start in Embiid’s place last night and put up 38.25 DK points over 31 minutes (five steals pushed that total a bit). If Melton were to start again he’d be a cash lock at his price. It’s highly unlikely he’d see any Alex Caruso defense (Maxey and Harden will get that privilege), and the Bulls currently rank 28th against opposing shooting guards in FPPG allowed. Melton is also a means to rostering some of the top talent above.
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