The NBA schedule features six games Saturday, but most DFS slates will only use five, so I ignored Memphis and Sacramento for the purposes of this article. The truth is I probably would have ignored these teams anyway, but if you insist on playing the early slate, DeMarcus Cousins and Marc Gasol are at least worth considering.
As for the rest of the slate, it feels like a good day to load up on middle-of-the-road players. There aren’t a lot of places to save money outside of point guard and shooting guard, and even if guys like Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul are out, their backups will be quite risky. Small forward may be the strongest position in this slate, especially at the top, and for that reason, you may want to fill it last.
Point Guard
Malcolm Brogdon didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his first NBA start Friday, but he did have 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in a career-high 33 minutes. Brogdon will likely start again Saturday, and at the very least he should be a safe, cheap play.
Michael Carter-Williams is even cheaper than Brogdon on DraftKings and he would likely be just as safe if he starts Saturday. MCW played 27 minutes Friday after Rajon Rondo was benched in the second half, and if Carter-Williams gets the start Saturday he should have similar playing time and production.
I went back and forth between recommending Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but in the end, a couple of factors tipped the scales towards Westbrook. If Chris Paul is out, I don’t see how Raymond Felton and Austin Rivers slow Westbrook down. Westbrook got to rest Friday while the Clippers were losing at Houston, and Westbrook is coming off a pretty terrible game where he was ejected early in the third quarter. I won’t necessarily play one of the super-expensive guys Saturday, but if I do, it will be Westbrook.
George Hill started Thursday after missing 13 games and picked right back up where he started, with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals against Philadelphia. Utah hosts a terrible Phoenix team Saturday, and Hill should be an excellent play, especially if Dante Exum sits again.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Malcolm Brogdon | MIL | A | CHI | 31 | 22.4 | 86% | 0.9 | 8 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 1 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 46% | 17.30% | 16.5 | 17.8 | 16.6 | 17 | $3,900 | $3,900 | $3,800 |
| Michael Carter-Williams | CHI | H | MIL | 6 | 17.8 | 82% | 0.3 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 25% | 21.38% | 13.7 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 13.9 | $4,000 | $3,000 | $3,700 |
| George Hill | UTA | H | PHX | 12 | 32.4 | 84% | 2.3 | 20.1 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 55% | 23.79% | 32.9 | 34.9 | 33.1 | 34 | $6,600 | $6,500 | $4,800 |
| Russell Westbrook | OKC | H | LAC | 33 | 34.7 | 82% | 1.8 | 31.3 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 5.5 | 43% | 42.39% | 57.4 | 61.6 | 57.9 | 58.3 | $12,000 | $12,500 | $8,900 |
Shooting Guard
The Clippers are a little bit of a mess right now, but Austin Rivers should start again at point guard if Chris Paul is out, and he should be fresh after he was ejected after playing just 15 minutes Friday night. Rivers had played at least 32 minutes in his two previous contests, scoring at least 19 points in each.
Justin Holiday has averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the last two games with Courtney Lee out. Holiday probably isn’t as safe as the cheap point guards listed above, but he plays a weaker position against a team that is 24th in points allowed this season.
If you don’t want to mess around with Austin Rivers or Justin Holiday, Eric Gordon is a safe alternative who won’t cost a ton. This should be a high-scoring game, and Gordon has at least 13 points in eight consecutive games and 18 of his last 19.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Justin Holiday | NYK | A | HOU | 32 | 19.7 | 86% | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 42% | 15.98% | 14.2 | 15.3 | 14.4 | 14.7 | $3,700 | $4,000 | $3,500 |
| Austin Rivers | LAC | A | OKC | 34 | 24.4 | 66% | 1.4 | 9.9 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 44% | 18.72% | 16 | 17.3 | 16.1 | 16.7 | $4,300 | $4,900 | $4,300 |
| Eric Gordon | HOU | H | NYK | 34 | 30.4 | 84% | 3.7 | 17.4 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 44% | 23.07% | 25.6 | 28.5 | 25.8 | 27.5 | $5,700 | $5,800 | $4,550 |
Small Forward
I love the Jazz, but when everyone is healthy you can’t trust anyone outside of George Hill, Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward. Hayward has at least 20 points in four consecutive games, and only the Nets have allowed more points than the Suns this season.
All things being equal, I like Gordon Hayward slightly better than Carmelo Anthony, but Anthony is $900 cheaper on DraftKings, which feels like a steal.
If you want to go cheaper at small forward, TJ Warren is worth a look. He was pretty terrible Thursday, but he has taken at least 11 shots in each of his last five games while averaging 15.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 30.6 minutes over that span.
LeBron James is averaging just 6.8 assists per game over his last four games despite getting 11 Thursday against Boston. LeBron should be a nice play regardless, but he might have a better shot at double-digits assists if Kyrie Irving is out.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| LeBron James | CLE | A | CHA | 28 | 37.1 | 68% | 1.9 | 25.4 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 3.9 | 51% | 29.88% | 47.9 | 51.2 | 48.3 | 48.9 | $10,300 | $10,400 | $7,700 |
| Carmelo Anthony | NYK | A | HOU | 31 | 33.8 | 88% | 2 | 22.4 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 1 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 43% | 28.98% | 34.8 | 37.1 | 35.2 | 35.8 | $7,800 | $7,100 | $5,800 |
| Gordon Hayward | UTA | H | PHX | 26 | 35.2 | 87% | 1.8 | 22.3 | 6.2 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 45% | 28.57% | 35.8 | 38.1 | 36.1 | 36.7 | $7,900 | $8,000 | $5,600 |
| T.J. Warren | PHX | A | UTA | 20 | 29.9 | 78% | 0.7 | 15.4 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 1 | 44% | 23.05% | 24.5 | 25.5 | 24.7 | 24.8 | $5,100 | $4,800 | $4,700 |
Power Forward
Kevin Love has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 10 games, with double-doubles in seven of those. Love should be a solid play regardless, but I would especially like him if Kyrie Irving is out.
It seems like I have been on the wrong foot with the Knicks this entire season. I fully expect at least one of Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis to go off, but I would be lying if I said I had a great reason for choosing Porzingis over the other two. Unlike Rose and Carmelo, Porzingis does not have a similarly-priced Jazz player at the same position who I also like, which is the biggest reason I have included Porzingis here.
Ryan Anderson has scored in single digits in consecutive games just once this season, and I am willing to bet it doesn’t happen again in 2016. Anderson was awful Friday night but he wasn’t taking bad shots. If Anderson keeps getting open looks, they should fall for him again.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Kevin Love | CLE | A | CHA | 28 | 31.8 | 87% | 2.8 | 22 | 10.9 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 46% | 27.62% | 38.6 | 41.6 | 39.2 | 40 | $8,500 | $8,700 | $6,400 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | NYK | A | HOU | 32 | 34.8 | 79% | 2.1 | 20.1 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 45% | 24.41% | 35.3 | 37.6 | 35.7 | 36.4 | $7,700 | $7,200 | $5,900 |
| Ryan Anderson | HOU | H | NYK | 34 | 30.5 | 90% | 2.8 | 13.9 | 5.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1 | 42% | 18.20% | 22.1 | 24.3 | 22.4 | 23.5 | $5,700 | $5,700 | $4,500 |
Center
Rudy Gobert just missed his 12th straight double-double Thursday, but he had two assists, two steals and two blocks to finish with another fine performance for DFS. Gobert might not have DeAndre Jordan’s upside, but he is safer for cash games.
As for Jordan, he scored 20 points Friday and had 25 rebounds Wednesday. Jordan has three consecutive double-doubles, and he should continue to produce at a high level while Blake Griffin is out.
Montrezl Harrell has at least 14 points in four of his last five games, including 29 points Friday against the Clippers. No team on Saturday’s slate has allowed more fantasy points to centers than the Knicks, and Harrell is still pretty cheap on FanDuel and FantasyAces.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Rudy Gobert | UTA | H | PHX | 33 | 32.8 | 65% | 0 | 12.3 | 11.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 70% | 15.14% | 32.8 | 34.2 | 33.4 | 32.8 | $7,800 | $7,300 | $5,500 |
| Montrezl Harrell | HOU | H | NYK | 25 | 16.5 | 63% | 0 | 8.5 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 64% | 19.23% | 15.2 | 15.8 | 15.3 | 15.2 | $4,200 | $5,000 | $3,900 |
| DeAndre Jordan | LAC | A | OKC | 35 | 31.7 | 54% | 0 | 11.7 | 13.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 67% | 14.85% | 31.8 | 33.3 | 32.5 | 31.8 | $7,200 | $7,200 | $5,850 |