The NBA has eight games on Saturday, but one is early, leaving seven games for tonight’s main DFS fantasy basketball contests. Get your team in the game with FanSided’s FanDuel daily picks.
The NBA has a bit of a split schedule on Saturday, with the Pistons playing in Philadelphia at 6 p.m. ET, two hours before any other game tips. While FanDuel does have some “early” game options featuring this game, the majority of the games begin at 8 p.m. and will thus be the main focus of this article.
For those interested in the early game options, the 76ers have been a favorite of late with players like Dario Saric and Robert Covington stepping up as impact players in the wake of the trades and injuries that have robbed the team of other impact options.
The main action tips at 8 p.m. ET, an hour later than usual, with the Cavaliers at the Heat and the Raptors at the Bucks. A half hour later the Clippers are in Chicago, then at 9 p.m. there are three games tipping: the Timberwolves at the Spurs, the Grizzlies at the Rockets and the Hornets at the Nuggets. The night cap pits the Nets at the Trail Blazers.
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As far as storylines, you’ve got LeBron James making another trip to his old stomping grounds in Miami. Giannis Antetokounmpo and DeMar DeRozan are both leading undermanned teams from the wing, and each tends to put up video game numbers. Karl-Anthony Towns faces a tough defense, but he’s torched the last two top defenses he played, so is he worth taking a chance on? And the Nets and Nuggets have been two of the most fantasy friendly defenses in the league, which in theory should be good for the Trail Blazers and Hornets, respectively, on Saturday.
My favorite plays of the day can be found on the following slides in FanSided’s FanDuel daily picks. Each day in order to offer a variety of price points at each position, you can find two slides for each position – one for high-salary options and one for high-value options. Each pick is ranked on a scale of 1-5 stars to indicate the confidence in the pick. The final slide of this post has more detail on what each level means, but in short, more stars means more confidence in the selection on a points-per-dollar basis.
Important note: Every day the goal of this post is not to give you a copy-and-paste lineup. Instead, each selection is given while highlighting the factors you need to consider when building a customized lineup for yourself. If you want to see an example lineup, you can find it on the final slide of the post, but I suggest you adjust your lineup to fit your personal taste.
To keep up with all of FanSided’s DFS NBA coverage head over to the fantasy basketball hub where each day you can find a post like this tailored for FanDuel as well as one specifically designed for usage on DraftKings. In this post, all salary and “fantasy points” references are to FanDuel scoring system and salaries. If you have any additional questions or thoughts or are looking for updates as we approach tipoff, follow @FanSidedFantasy on Twitter or you can follow my account @ProfessorDrz or find me on my home turf of The Hoops Lab.
Let’s take a look at your best options for both studs and value players at each position.