FanDuel NBA: Saturday Value Plays

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Published on April 2, 2022

FanDuel will employ the usual practice of excluding the earlier games for their main slate on Saturday, leaving us with a three-game offering that commences at 7:30 p.m. ET.

SLATE OVERVIEW

BKN (-1.5) @ ATL O/U: 241.5

MIA (-2) vs. CHI O/U: 220

UTA (-1.5) @ GSW O/U: 218.5

A stars-and-scrubs approach is the best way to tackle this slate due to the lack of playable options in the 6-7k range. Picking the right value options will be essential here, and there are three clear avenues for your elite builds, which center on specific teams. Two-plyer stacks can be made with Brooklyn, Utah and Chicago elites with little difficulty.

KEY INJURIES

BKN Bruce Brown (illness) - QUESTIONABLE

BKN Seth Curry (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE

If Brown sits, James Johnson ($3,600) is a great budget pivot. If Curry is out, pivot to Patty Mills ($3,700).

ELITE PLAYERS

It's time to give some love to Kyrie Irving ($9,200), and Kevin Durant ($10,800) should also excel with the highest salary on the slate against the Hawks, who will still be without John Collins' services. Trae Young ($9,900) is battling a groin problem but is expected to play against Brooklyn, and you have to like the fantasy potential on both ends with the narrow spread and projected total.

The Bulls and Heat face off in a great playoff-style preview game, so endorsing the top players in this matchup is also smart. While the center position is evenly matched, the trio of DeMar DeRozan ($8,900), Zach LaVine ($7,000) and Jimmy Butler ($7,800) are all excellent options.

We'll discuss the Warriors in a moment, but firing up Rudy Gobert ($8,300) and Donovan Mitchell ($8,100) against the Warriors should reap benefits. Gobert presents a significant size mismatch for Golden State, and Mitchell should also find plenty of opportunity at the perimeter opposite Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson.

EXPECTED CHALK AND VALUE PLAYS

WARRIORS STARTERS

While Golden State faces an uphill battle against the Jazz, almost every player with the first unit holds favorable salaries relative to their production. Jordan Poole ($8,000), Otto Porter ($4,900) and Andrew Wiggins ($5,600) have played the Jazz three times with great averages over those games, but Klay Thompson ($7,000) and Draymond Green ($6,000) have yet to face Utah and provide an added wrinkle for Utah to contend with.

Andre Drummond, BKN ($6,800) @ ATL

It's nights like this where you wish FanDuel had a utility spot, because the center position is chock-full of excellent options. Drummond has to be considered because his salary is too cheap relative to his potential output, and even though the matchup against Clint Capela is pretty even, he's put up decent numbers against some of the league's best centers over the past two weeks.

Alex Caruso, CHI ($4,300) vs. MIA

Our next three endorsements will help us on our stars-and-scrubs journey. Caruso tallied 35.8 FDFP in one of his best games of the season prior to his extended absence. His numbers have been shaky since his return. but he is logging around 30 minutes per game currently, allowing for plenty of opportunity to post a positive number against the Heat.

P.J. Tucker, MIA ($3,900) @ CHI

The Heat may have some second-unit frontcourt players missing tonight, accentuating what is already a favorable run of games for Tucker. His knee issue will continue to be a problem, but he seems to rise to the occasion against the Bulls. Over three games, he's averaged 22.1 FDFP, including one of his best games of the season (34.7 FDFP). He doesn't need to do much to meet value, and it's important to remember that we are executing these deep dives to maximize our elite exposure, nothing more.

Nemanja Bjelica, GSW ($3,700) vs. UTA

This is a pure instinct play, but I suspect Gobert will begin to overpower the small-ball setup employed by the Warriors, and Golden State will need a larger setup as the game wears on. Luckily for us, Bjelica carries power forward eligibility, making him a much-easier add to our lineups. These low-cost options carry a lot of variance, but if we want three or more elites in our lineups, we have to reach in some spots. Although there are other budget options, Caruso, Tucker and Bjelica are great ways to allow for spending up elsewhere.

Also consider: Royce O'Neale, UTA ($3,700) @ GSW

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.