This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a larger than usual main slate for a Saturday night, as there are nine games on the docket. That gives us plenty to choose from at each point on the salary scale, although we'll also be dealing with a few big-name injuries that will thin out the top end of the player pool somewhat but also potentially open up value.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
We have all but one spread on FanDuel Sportsbook that's in single digits as of Saturday morning, and five of those eight games have figures of five points or less. There is a chance for some late movement depending on how some of the injury situations ultimately shake out.
Projected totals are also mostly encouraging for DFS purposes – we have all but two games with figures of 232.5 points or greater, including a 242.5-point tally for the Pacers-Timberwolves battle.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Tyrese Haliburton (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Haliburton is forced to sit out with the knee contusion that forced him from Friday's loss to the Wizards, T.J. McConnell is likely to step into the starting five and the rest of the first unit will be due for big bumps in usage.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox is forced to sit out, Davion Mitchell is likely to draw the start at point guard and the rest of the starting five will see elevated usage.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (hip): QUESTIONABLE
If Edwards were to sit out another game, Jaden McDaniels could remain in the starting five, while the likes of Mike Conley and Karl-Anthony Towns will continue to see elevated usage.
Paul George, LAC (groin): QUESTIONABLE
If George sits out, Norman Powell should be a primary beneficiary and both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden should see increased opportunity.
Kyrie Irving, DAL (heel): OUT
With Irving out, Dante Exum should remain in the starting five at point guard.
Darius Garland, CLE (jaw): OUT
With Garland beginning what is expected to be a multi-week absence, Donovan Mitchell is expected to slide over to point guard while Caris LeVert moves into the starting five.
Other notable injuries:
LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): OUT
Bam Adebayo, MIA (hip): OUT
Tyler Herro, MIA (ankle): OUT
Evan Mobley, CLE (knee): OUT
Draymond Green, GSW (suspension): OUT
John Collins, UTA (illness): OUT
Zach LaVine, CHI (foot): OUT
Jordan Clarkson, UTA (thigh): OUT
Mark Williams, CHA (back): GTD
Jamal Murray, DEN (ankle): PROBABLE
Jerami Grant, POR (concussion): PROBABLE
Aaron Gordon, DEN (heel): PROBABLE
De'Andre Hunter, ATL (knee): GTD
Elite Players
We have seven players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Luka Doncic ($12,600), Joel Embiid ($12,500), Nikola Jokic ($12,300), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,700), Tyrese Haliburton ($10,700), Donovan Mitchell ($10,100) and Trae Young ($10,000).
Doncic will once again take the floor without Kyrie Irving and will aim to extend a streak of games with over 62 FD points to four.
Embiid had a standout game against the Pistons for the second time in three days Friday and has now scored 65.7 to 76.1 FD points in four of his last five games heading into a highly favorable matchup against the Hornets.
Jokic put together a trademark triple-double against the Nets on Thursday night and hasn't scored less than 52 FD points in a game that he hasn't been ejected in since Nov. 19.
SGA has been at 64.6 FD points or more in three of the past four games and hasn't been under 50 since Nov. 19.
Haliburton's status is very much up in the air due to his knee contusion, and he may not be at full speed if he does suit up.
Mitchell will be moving into a primary ball-handling role with Darius Garland now sidelined, which could make the former even more valuable than usual.
Young will be an integral part of the game with the second-highest projected total of the night and comes in having scored between 54.4 and 74.8 FD points in four of the last six games.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
De'Aaron Fox, SAC ($9,900)
If Fox is announced as available, he should be in plenty of lineups after scoring 56.1 FD points versus the Thunder in his most recent game Thursday night.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,600)
Sabonis is typically popular under any circumstance, but he stands a chance to be in even more lineups than usual if Fox is ruled out.
Terry Rozier, CHA ($9,400)
Rozier is providing what might be the best fantasy production of his career recently, scoring over 50 FD points in three straight and four of his last seven games overall.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($9,100)
Leonard may be taking the floor without Paul George again and has scored 43.6 FD points or more in four straight.
James Harden, LAC ($8,500)
Harden's salary is much lower than in recent seasons and he's coming off a vintage triple-double against the Warriors that netted 69.9 FD points, the combination of which could lead to elevated rostering rates.
Key Values
Dereck Lively, DAL at POR ($6,700)
There are a host of value options that stand out Saturday, and Lively is one that could fly somewhat under the radar due to his salary being in a somewhat awkward spot between the second tier and the value level. However, the rookie big man could be in for a rewarding night, considering the Trail Blazers are allowing the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (35.0), along with the third-most FD points per game to the position (58.2). Meanwhile, Lively has shown considerable upside, starting December with a 61.2 FD-point showing against the Thunder and averaging 35.9 FD points per contest overall this month on the strength of a well-rounded 13.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.0 steals per contest. With respect to Lively's knack for complementing his fantasy production with defensive stats, it's worth noting Portland is surrendering the fifth-most steals (1.6) and second-most blocks (3.4) per contest to centers.
Naz Reid, MIN vs. IND ($6,300)
Reid is another big man who's been on quite the surge recently, averaging 18.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest over his last five games, leading to an average of 32.5 FD points per game during that span. The veteran has exceeded 30 FD points in five of his last seven contests overall, and he's shooting an impressive 38.6 percent from three-point range on an average of 6.3 three-point attempts per contest during that span. With the Pacers bringing in the fastest pace in the league and allowing 55.7 FD points per game to centers along with 40.1 percent three-point shooting on the road overall, Reid appears to be in a good spot to continue delivering strong returns.
Collin Sexton, UTA at SAC ($6,100)
Sexton has been outstanding in his first two games in a starting role in place of Jordan Clarkson (hamstring), posting 39.3 and 36.4 FD points while shooting 60.0 percent overall. The veteran also scored 33.8 FD points three games ago off the bench in the game Clarkson was injured, and he should once again be handling the ball plenty during what could be a wire-to-wire battle with the Kings. Sacramento has allowed 49.8 FD points per game to point guards and elevated 38.4 percent three-point shooting at home, brightening Sexton's prospects at a salary he's already proven capable of providing over 5x return in his first two starts.
ALSO CONSIDER: Cam Thomas, BKN at GSW ($6,100); Jaime Jaquez, MIA vs. CHI ($6,000); Kevin Love, MIA vs. CHI ($5,800); Talen Horton-Tucker, UTA at SAC ($5,600)
