This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After a very busy 10-game Friday night, we have that cut in half for Saturday night's main ledger. However, there are postseason-relevant matchups across the board, exactly what we want to see as DFS players at this stage of the season.
Slate Overview
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Spreads help corroborate that it should be a hotly contested slate Saturday night, as four of the five games have lines of 5.5 points or fewer as of very early Saturday.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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James Harden, PHI (Achilles): GTD
If Harden is unable to play, Tyrese Maxey and De'Anthony Melton could once again serve as the 76ers' starting backcourt.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA (back): GTD
If Markkanen remains out, Simone Fontechhio is likely to remain in the starting five.
Deandre Ayton, PHO (hip): GTD
If Ayton remains unavailable, the Suns are likely to once again have Jock Landale and Bismack Biyombo handle most center duties.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (hamstring): GTD
If Fox, who left Friday's game against the Suns with his injury, can't play, Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk could be primary beneficiaries.
Other notable injuries:
Kevin Durant, PHO (ankle): OUT
Paul George, LAC (knee): OUT
Khris Middleton, MIL (knee): GTD
Jordan Clarkson, UTA (finger): GTD
Elite Players
We have six players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Joel Embiid ($12,000), Nikola Jokic ($11,900), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,700), Domantas Sabonis ($10,500), Kawhi Leonard ($10,300) and Devin Booker ($10,100).
Embiid played through his calf issue Friday and scored 74.8 FD points with James Harden unavailable. However, his status should be monitored very carefully ahead of the second game of the back-to-back set.
Jokic has scored over 60 FD points in three of the past four games and could be set for a heavy minutes load in what should be a wire-to-wire battle against the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo was able to score 49.7 FD points in only 24 minutes against the Jazz on Friday, preserving his legs a good bit for Saturday's showdown against the Nuggets.
Sabonis has scored over 50 FD points in five of the last seven games and hasn't been under 40.9 in any contest during that span.
Leonard scored 58.2 FD points against the Thunder on Thursday without Paul George available, and he's now averaging 47.4 FD points per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor.
Booker recorded 47.1 FD points against the Kings on Friday night and has been a virtual lock for 40 FD points throughout March.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jimmy Butler MIA ($9,800)
Butler exploded for 64.3 FD points in his most recent game against the Knicks and also scored 42.7 to 56.6 FD points in nine of the previous 10 contests.
Brandon Ingram, NOP ($8,700)
Ingram has scored 43.2 to 61.2 FD points in four of the last five contests, with the high end of that range having come Thursday against the Hornets.
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP ($8,000)
Valanciunas draws an attractive matchup against the Clippers frontcourt and comes in having scored 39.5 to 54.4 FD points in the last four games.
Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN ($8,000)
Dinwiddie has scored 39.1 to 51.1 FD points in six of the last seven contests.
Russell Westbrook, LAC ($7,900)
Westbrook will continue to operate without Paul George and has scored 30.5 to 42.3 FD points in his last five contests.
Key Values
Kevin Huerter, SAC vs. UTA ($6,200)
Huerter exploded for 52.3 FD points over just 32 minutes against the Suns in his return from a three-game absence due to a knee injury, and his salary for Saturday was already pre-set before that outing. That gives us a tremendous potential advantage, especially in tournaments, with Huerter drawing a favorable matchup against a depleted Jazz backcourt. Utah is allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards (25.3), along with 37.8 percent shooting from three-point range. The Jazz are also surrendering the most FD points per game to the position in the last 15 games (48), making Huerter all the more appealing.
Bones Hyland, LAC vs. NOP ($5,600)
Hyland entered the rotation Wednesday against the Thunder and made excellent use of the opportunity, compiling 36.3 FD points across 25 minutes off the bench. The second-year guard shot a blistering 4-for-7 from behind the arc, and with fresher legs than most other players he'll be facing thanks to his long stretches of inactivity this season, Hyland has a built-in edge. The Pelicans have been reasonably effective against backcourt players, but Hyland's opportunity with Paul George sidelined should remain robust and the fact he'll often face fellow second-unit players should help his case as well.
Simone Fontecchio, UTA at SAC ($5,000)
Fontecchio's appeal will naturally be highest if Lauri Markkanen misses another game with his back injury, as the rookie recorded 27.4 FD points against the Bucks on Friday. Fontechhio has had some other spike performances this season as well, scoring 23.1 to 30.5 FD points on four occasions, all off the bench. Therefore, he's not out of the question even if he reverts to the second unit, and the matchup against a Kings team allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (28.0) and most FD points to the position in the last 15 games (51.9) certainly enhances his appeal.
ALSO CONSIDER: Talen Horton-Tucker, UTA at SAC ($6,000); Pat Connaughton, MIL at DEN ($4,800)
