This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for our first pair of weekend slates of the new NBA season, and Saturday brings us a solid seven-game ledger. There are some prominent names on the injury report, however, including several whose final status isn't likely to be known until shortly before tip-off.
Slate Overview
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In addition to the seven-game ledger being a potentially ideal size for DFS purposes, its appeal is further enhanced by the fact there is no spread larger than 5.5 points on FanDuel Sportsbook as of early Saturday morning.
There are a couple of projected totals that are off the board as of early Saturday due to uncertainty regarding the status of certain star players, and of the five that are available as of this writing, none is higher than 227.5 and three are below 220.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Devin Booker, PHO (foot): DOUBTFUL
In Booker's likely ongoing absence, Eric Gordon could draw another start at shooting guard while the rest of the starting five sees elevated usage.
James Harden, PHI (personal): OUT
In Harden's ongoing absence, De'Anthony Melton should remain in the starting five, while Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid should see the biggest bumps in usage.
Bradley Beal, PHO (back): OUT
In Beal's ongoing absence, Grayson Allen should remain in the starting five.
Darius Garland, CLE (hamstring): GTD
If Garland, who missed Friday's game against the Thunder, can't suit up Saturday, Donovan Mitchell could potentially slide over to point guard and Dean Wade could remain in the starting lineup.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Haliburton can't suit up, Andrew Nembhard or T.J. McConnell could enter the starting five and the usage of the remainder of the first unit would see a significant bump.
Other notable injuries:
Jarrett Allen, CLE (ankle): GTD
Jaden McDaniels, MIN (calf): DOUBTFUL
Caleb Martin, MIA (knee): GTD
Santi Aldama, MEM (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Josh Richardson, MIA (foot): OUT
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Joel Embiid ($11,100), Kevin Durant ($10,800) and Donovan Mitchell ($10,000).
Embiid posted a relatively modest 37.4 FD points against the Bucks in the 76ers' opener Thursday, but that involved a tougher matchup down low than he should encounter Saturday versus the Raptors.
Durant bounced back from a relatively average opener (by his standards) to rack up 53.2 FD points across 39 minutes against the Lakers on Thursday night. With both Booker and Beal expected to remain out Saturday, Durant should be in for another very high-usage night against the Jazz.
Mitchell has been outstanding over the first two games of the season, averaging 57 FD points. He will be on his third game in four nights Saturday, but it's early enough in the season that fatigue shouldn't be much of a factor, and he also could take the floor against the Pacers without Darius Garland.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jimmy Butler, MIA ($9,800)
Butler managed only 29.5 FD points against the Celtics in Friday night's tough matchup, but given his role in Miami's attack, he should remain very popular Saturday.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND ($9,600)
If Haliburton is announced as available (he's questionable due to an illness), he should be in plenty of lineups after posting 46.1 FD points in Indiana's season-opening victory over the Wizards.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,500)
Edwards opened the season in strong form with 42.3 FD points across 38 minutes versus the Raptors, and he should be highly rostered in what should be a very competitive game against the Heat.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,200)
Brunson has picked up right where he left off in his stellar Knicks debut campaign, posting 34.6 and 41.1 FD points in his first pair of contests. Given his salary, he should be especially popular.
Jusuf Nurkic, PHO ($7,300)
Nurkic racked up 37.3 FD points in his Suns debut Tuesday before dipping to 24.3 against the Lakers on Thursday, but with Booker and Beal both expected out again Saturday, the big man should be very popular in a more favorable matchup against the Jazz.
Key Values
Marcus Smart, MEM at WAS ($6,200)
Smart is holding down the fort at point guard for the Grizzlies during a 25-game suspension for Ja Morant, and he's gotten his Memphis tenure off to a very encouraging start. The veteran opened with 22.5 FD points against the Pelicans in the opener before producing an impressive haul of 42.9 FD points across 30 minutes versus the defending champion Nuggets on Friday. He now draws a highly favorable matchup against a Wizards team that gave up 143 points to the Pacers in the opener and a total of 38 assists in that contest, including 21 to point guards Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard.
Isaac Okoro, CLE vs. IND ($5,400)
Okoro has surprisingly been a surprisingly solid source of fantasy production in his first two games, totaling 38.2 and 29.4 FD points in that span while spotting into the Cavs' starting five. The fourth-year pro has a pair of steals apiece in those contests and has turned in solid seven- and six-rebound tallies as well to go along with double-digit point totals, giving him some impressively well-rounded production. Okoro has a good chance of delivering another strong return, especially if he sees something in the neighborhood of the 29.5 minutes per game he's logged thus far.
Jaden Ivey, DET vs. CHI ($4,400)
Ivey disappointed with just 7.9 FD points in 17 minutes off the bench in the opener, but the second-year guard bounced back to generate a tally of 27.4 across 18 minutes with much crisper shooting (8-14 FG) Friday against the Hornets. Ivey showed plenty of promise as a rookie a year ago while averaging 16.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds over 74 games, and he could certainly be in for another solid showing against a Bulls team that could struggle defending second-unit players this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Bruce Brown, IND at CLE ($6,300); Kelly Oubre, PHI at TOR ($5,600); Jordan Goodwin, PHO vs. UTA ($5,500)
