This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're back to a modestly sized slate Saturday night, as five games are on tap. However, the good news is there is some pretty hefty star power packed into the high end of the salary scale, a noteworthy potential return to action on tap and relatively few injuries to contend with.
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.
Point spreads are also favorable on paper from a DFS perspective, as four of the five games have projected advantages of three points or less for the favorites as of Saturday morning.
Projected totals are at two extremes, however, with two games over 230 – including a massive 245-point total in the Mavericks-Bucks showdown – but two other contests are at 220.5 and 213 points.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Stephen Curry, GSW (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Curry misses a third straight game with his sprain, Chris Paul would be in line for another start at point guard.
Devin Vassell, SAN (thigh): GTD
If Vassell, who missed Friday's game against the Kings, can't suit up, Julian Champagnie could remain in the starting five.
Marcus Smart, MEM (foot): OUT
With Smart slated to miss several weeks beginning Saturday, Ziaire Williams and John Konchar could be primary beneficiaries.
Other notable injuries:
Tyler Herro, MIA (ankle): OUT
CJ McCollum, NOP (chest/lung): OUT
Tre Jones, SAN (hamstring): GTD
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Luka Doncic ($11,900), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,200) and Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,800).
Doncic will be an integral part of the game with the highest projected total of the slate by far and checks in having bounced back from a dud against the Pelicans two games ago with a tally of 46.4 FD points over 32 minutes against the Wizards on Wednesday. He'll be well rested and did record one 60-plus FD-point tally versus Milwaukee a season ago.
SGA was under 50 FD points for the first time in five games in his most recent contest, but he still generated 46.9 FD points in only 29 minutes against the Warriors in that game and gets another shot at Golden State on Saturday.
Antetokounmpo posted 38.1 FD points in only 28 minutes against the Hornets on Friday night, so the second night of the back-to-back set shouldn't play too heavy a factor. He was held to under 50 FD points in both games against the Mavericks last season, however, something worth noting considering his salary.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Bam Adebayo, MIA ($9,700)
Adebayo dipped under 50 FD points for the first time in five games in the win over the Nets on Thursday, but he should remain very popular on Saturday's smaller slate.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,300)
Edwards has been under 40 FD points in his last two games, but his average of 42.9 FD points per game and good matchup against the Pelicans should keep him in plenty of lineups.
Damian Lillard, MIL ($9,000)
Lillard has scored 63.3 and 41.5 FD points in the last two games and should be highly rostered in the marquee matchup against the Mavericks.
Desmond Bane, MEM ($8,900)
With the Grizzlies now down Smart as well and Bane's salary the lowest it's been in some time, he should be very popular.
Victor Wembanyama, SAN ($8,600)
Wembanyama already is inherently popular due to his name value, and the fact he's been at 39.8 FD points or higher in three of his last four games should only lead to an even higher roster rate Saturday.
Key Values
Zach Collins, SAN vs. MEM ($6,100)
Collins is a late bloomer that's finally getting an extended opportunity to demonstrate what he can do, and he's capitalizing on that scenario for the most part. The 2017 first-round pick checks in averaging a career-high 15.1 points and is complementing them with 6.3 rebounds and a career-best 3.8 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest. He's also shooting a career-high 55.4 percent and just put up 54.1 FD points against the Kings on Friday, his seventh game over 30 FD points in the first 12 of the season. Collins now draws a favorable matchup against the very shorthanded Grizzlies frontcourt that's allowing 59.5 percent shooting to centers, along with 53.3 FD points per game to the position.
Dyson Daniels, NOP vs. MIN ($5,600)
CJ McCollum remains out Saturday, meaning Daniels should be in for a sixth straight start. The eighth overall pick has proven a quick study, averaging an impressive 30.5 FD points per contest in that run with the first unit on averages of 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and an outstanding 2.2 steals per contest. Daniels also produced another three tallies of over 20 FD points off the bench earlier in the season, and the T-Wolves check in surrendering 45.8 FD points per game to point guards, along with with 2.1 steals per contest to the position.
Jacob Gilyard, MEM vs. SA ($4,700)
Gilyard could well be the next man up at point guard for the Grizzlies in the wake of Smart's multi-week foot injury, and the undrafted second-year pro checks in having averaged 25.5 FD points over his last three games while already running with the first unit. Gilyard has shot an impressive 47.6 percent, including 45.0 percent from three-point range, in that span, and he now gets a matchup against one of the fastest-paced teams in the league in the Spurs, which are also allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to PGs (31.5), along with the fourth-most FD points per contest to the position (50.8).
ALSO CONSIDER: Tim Hardaway, DAL at MIL ($5,300); Jonathan Kuminga, GSW vs. OKC ($5,000); Malik Beasley, MIL vs. DAL ($4,800); John Konchar, MEM at SAN ($3,900)
