FanDuel NBA: Saturday Value Plays

FanDuel NBA: Saturday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.

With a very light schedule on Super Sunday, the NBA rolls out a mammoth 11-game extravaganza Saturday night that gives us a heaping helping of value choices. That's especially helpful on a slate where we want to try and fit in as many of the likes of James Harden, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo as we can. With plenty of modestly priced players enjoying extended roles at the moment due to injuries and other factors, let's jump right into breaking down which could boost your lineups Saturday:

POINT GUARD
Jerryd Bayless, MIN vs. DEN ($5,800): Derrick Rose (ankle) is expected to play Saturday, while Jeff Teague (foot) and Tyus Jones (ankle) will definitely be out once again. That leaves Bayless with a guaranteed hefty second-unit role at minimum. The veteran has thrived with extended opportunity lately, scoring 51.4 fantasy points in his most recent contest versus the Grizzlies on Wednesday and 27.6 to 35.3 fantasy points in the four games prior as well. The Nuggets have been stingy against point guards all season, but their numbers have essentially been built with Jamal Murray (ankle) in the lineup, and he'll remain out for Denver on Saturday.

Frank Jackson, NO at SA ($3,600): With such a large slate, there are, unsurprisingly, quite a few cost-effective options that stand out at each spot. Point guard is no different, as Shabazz Napier ($5,900), Bryn Forbes ($4,100) and Jackson's teammate Tim Frazier ($4,100) are also worthy of consideration. However, Jackson appears set to log another start Saturday in the wake of Elfrid Payton's continued absence due to an ankle issue. The 2017 second-round pick has scored 30.6 and 20.9 fantasy points, respectively, in two of his last three games, and he's logged over 20 minutes in four consecutive contests. At just $100 away from minimum, he naturally brings very little risk and is facing a Spurs squad that's allowing 41.0 fantasy points per contest to point guards, along with the second-highest shooting percentage (47.0) to the position.

SHOOTING GUARD
Alec Burks, CLE vs. DAL ($5,200): Burks continues to churn out solid production that often outpaces his current price, as the veteran is now averaging a robust 24.0 minutes per game. Most recently, Burks has scored 25.9 to 39.8 fantasy points over the last four contests, and he's eclipsed 35 fantasy points on three occasions overall during the last 10 games. The short-handed Mavericks could make for appealing targets Saturday, considering they're already allowing 42.3 fantasy points per game to two-guards, along with 2.8 made three-pointers per contest. In turn, Burks boasts a 38.4 percent success rate from distance on an average of a career-high 3.1 three-point attempts per game.

Malik Beasley, DEN at MIN ($4,700): Beasley's teammate Monte Morris ($4,700) is also an appealing same-price pivot in this spot, as both young guards have been thriving in Denver's high-powered offense. Beasley offers plenty of value himself, considering he just racked up 42.9 fantasy points Friday night against the Rockets in a spot start. Gary Harris (groin) is out Saturday, which should afford Beasley another start in a solid matchup. The T-Wolves are allowing 42.3 fantasy points per game to shooting guards, along with the fifth-most made threes (3.3) per contest. Beasley counters with an impressive 42.6 percent success rate from behind the arc on a robust 4.6 three-point attempts per contest, and he's scored 21.7 to Friday's 42.9 fantasy points in nine of his last 11 games overall.

SMALL FORWARD
Mikal Bridges, PHO vs. ATL ($5,200): In a disappointing season for the Suns record-wise, Bridges is one of the young pieces that's offering reason for optimism with respect to the future. The rookie is holding down the starting small forward spot and offering solid production, having scored 20 to 39.7 fantasy points in six of his last eight games. That stretch includes a trio of performances of 30 fantasy points or more -- excellent returns on his current price. The matchup Saturday could facilitate more of the same, as the Hawks come in allowing the sixth-most fantasy points (48.1) to threes, along with the fifth-most points (25.2), most steals (2.5) and fourth-highest shooting percentage (47.0) to the position. Bridges has the ability to exploit those weaknesses considering he's shooting 58.6 percent over his last four games and is averaging an impressive 1.5 thefts per contest.

Darius Miller, NO at SA ($5,000): Miller continues to hold down the starting power forward job due to the Pelicans' multiple frontcourt injuries, yet his price still isn't reflecting the expanded minutes he's logging and the enhanced production he's parlaying them into. Miller has scored over 30 fantasy points in three of his last four games, and he's shooting an impressive 38.1 percent from three-point range on an average of 4.9 three-point attempts per contest. That dovetails well with the 35.9 percent success rate from three-point range that the Spurs are allowing, as well as with the 48.0 percent shooting they're yielding to power forwards overall. Additionally, San Antonio is allowing a robust 42.2 fantasy points per game to fours, along with a bottom-half figure in rebounds (10.7) to the position.

POWER FORWARD
Bobby Portis, CHI at CHA ($5,900): Portis continues to share minutes at center with Robin Lopez, but he outperforms his teammate on the majority of nights. Most recently, Portis rattled off 33.8 fantasy points versus the Heat on Wednesday night -- his second tally of over 30 fantasy points in the last four games. The fourth-year big has scored in double digits in six of the last eight games overall, churning out a pair of double-doubles over that span as well. He'll draw a solid matchup Saturday, as the Hornets come in sporting a bottom-10 figure in fantasy points (39.9) allowed per game to centers, along with the fifth-highest shooting percentage (55.0) surrendered to the position. Meanwhile, the floor-spacing Portis is shooting a solid 35.9 percent from three-point range as well, tying the career-best figure he established last season.

Ed Davis, BKN at ORL ($4,300): Davis makes his fantasy living primarily on the boards, which leaves him in a potentially rewarding spot Saturday. The Magic are shooting just 43.1 percent over their last three games, while Davis' own Nets sport the sixth-lowest road shooting percentage (44.5) in the league. That should set up the veteran for plenty of rebounding opportunities on both ends of the floor. It's also worth noting that Davis has scored 22.2 to 43.7 fantasy points in three of his last four games, and he's logged at least 20 minutes in five of his last seven contests overall. The Magic aren't a prohibitive matchup by any means either, as they're allowing 38.5 fantasy points per game to centers, along with a bottom-10 figure in rebounds per contest (11.4) to the position.

CENTER
Kevon Looney, GS vs. LAL ($4,800): DeMarcus Cousins' return to the court hasn't hurt Looney's production in the least. In fact, considering it pushed Looney back to the second unit, which naturally allows him to often face backup-caliber players, it's arguably helped his overall fantasy outlook. The fourth-year big has just poured in a career-high 15 points versus the Pacers two games ago, and he's scored 24.5 to 33.6 fantasy points in four of the six games Cousins has played thus far. Going further back to when he was still on the first unit -- but logging only a handful of minutes more on average than what he sees off the bench -- Looney has eclipsed 30 fantasy points in five of his last 10 games overall. Those are terrific returns on his current price, and a marquee matchup versus the fast-paced Lakers offers the opportunity for more of the same. Los Angeles is allowing the seventh-most fantasy points (41.0) per game to centers, along with the fourth-most rebounds (12.4) per contest to the position. L.A. also allows a bottom-10 figure in points in the paint per game (50.2), while Looney is scoring 77.2 percent of his points in that area of the floor.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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