FanDuel NBA: Saturday Value Plays

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Published on February 26, 2022

In typical fashion, FanDuel will omit the early game between the Celtics and the Pistons for their main slate, leaving a six-game offering that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

SLATE OVERVIEW

ATL(-2) vs. TOR O/U: 225.5

CHI (-1) vs. MEM O/U: 236

CLE (-7) vs. WAS O/U: 209.5

MIA (-7.5) vs. SAS O/U: 224.5

MIL (-9.5) vs. BKN O/U: 234

DEN (-8.5) vs. SAC O/U: 235.5

All the arrows point directly toward the Chicago-Memphis matchup as the top DFS source for Saturday, and it also has the narrowest spread among the six games. Although the BKN/MIL game sits below the SAC/DEN game in terms of projected total, I believe the Nets and Bucks will have the more competitive game, despite the lopsided spread.

INJURIES

TOR OG Anunoby (finger) - QUESTIONABLE

Anunoby sustained the injury during Friday's game, but there's currently no word on whether he will be able to play with the fractured finger Saturday. If Anunoby is out, Scottie Barnes' ($5,900) role would increase dramatically.

ATL John Collins (foot) - OUT

Although Danilo Gallinari ($5,000) has started in Collins' place and has beaten value consistently, Clint Capela ($6,500) has flourished during the absence as well. Both players are tremendous values.

CLE Darius Garland (back) - OUT

CLE Caris LeVert (foot) - OUT

CLE Rajon Rondo (toe) - OUT

With Rondo out, things get a little clearer for the Cleveland backcourt. Isaac Okoro ($4,100) will keep starting at the two, but his lagging production is a red flag. Brandon Goodwin ($5,400) will likely start at point guard.

ELITE PLAYERS

The trio of 10k-plus players isn't too surprising, as Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,700), Nikola Jokic ($11,500) and DeMar DeRozan ($10,200) top the slate. Admittedly, I cringed at DeRozan's Thursday salary and missed a great opportunity, but I still believe that the number is a bit too high relative to his floor. However, the game will be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate. As for Giannis and Jokic, both players are in blowout territory against the Nets and Kings, respectively. Of the two, I would prefer Giannis as the Nets will at least have Kyrie Irving directing the offense in an away game.

We have a slew of viable elite guards available, led by nightly triple-double threat Dejounte Murray ($9,700). Murray missed both games against Miami this season, so the Heat will see the dynamic guard for the first time this year. Few defenses can contain him, and his recent production has been stellar. He's coming off a 61.6 FDFP performance against the Wizards on the front-end of this back-to-back, and if we look at recent back-to-back scenarios for Murray, he's seen little to no drop-off. Trae Young ($9,200) and Fred VanVleet ($8,000) will face off Saturday, and although both are excellent selections, VanVleet's salary is a steal in what should be a relatively high-scoring affair.

Also consider: Ja Morant, MEM ($9,800) @ CHI Zach LaVine, CHI ($7,700) vs. MEM

EXPECTED CHALK AND VALUE PLAYS

Jrue Holiday ($7,700) and Khris Middleton ($7,200), MIL vs. BKN

As we said previously, this game could get out of hand, but I expect both Holiday and Middleton to play at least 30 minutes each. Holiday has had only one chance against the Nets, and while it turned out to be one of his worst totals of the season, the elite guard has been on an excellent five-game run of production and should see a better result Saturday. Middleton's reliable floor is well-documented, and he beat 5x value at this salary in both games against the Nets this season. If you are a true believer in a blowout, I also like Grayson Allen ($4,000), who will return to action after a hip injury.

Kyle Kuzma, WAS ($7,400) @ CLE

Although I'll pump the brakes on Kuzma once Kristaps Porzingis returns to action, Kuzma remains the engine that keeps this offense coming. I think it's amazing that more people aren't considering Kuzma for Most Improved Player because his career numbers his season are nothing short of excellent. Kuzma's recent history also looks good, as he put up a double-double and a 42 FDFP score against the Cavs back in December.

Jarrett Allen, CLE ($6,800) vs. WAS

On the other end of this matchup, it's tough to fade Allen, who comes in at an excellent price for Saturday's slate. Although Kevin Love ($4,800) and Evan Mobley ($7,500), Allen falls in the sweet spot between the other two salaries. Mobley is a little bit too expensive, and while Love is a great PPM player he carries much more risk than Allen. He also had a huge 28/13 double-double when he last faced the Wizards. Since we are discussing the Cavs, we should also mention Cedi Osman ($3,900), who has ended up in some backcourt schemes mid the numerous absences.

Thaddeus Young, TOR ($4,000) @ ATL

Young's numbers aren't jumping off the page, but he's a value pick who stands to benefit from OG Anunoby's absence. I would be more inclined to play him if John Collins was active, but the frontcourt size would compel the Raptors to play a little bigger, but at the very least, Young could approach 25 minutes of action and potentially beat value at this budget salary.

Other values: Serge Ibaka, MIL ($3,800), Davion Mitchell, SAC ($4,800) @ DEN, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, WAS ($4,300) @ CLE

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.