The NBA has six games set up for the Saturday night slate on DraftKings, which tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET. Of the 12 teams in the player pool, only the Nets are finishing a back-to-back set, and only the Spurs and 76ers have to turn around and play again on Sunday. Even without many back-to-backs, you’ll want to keep a close eye on the injury report since teams are doing so many different things with players battling injuries and also getting rest at this point in the season. Even with some uncertainty, though, several strong options are standing out in our projections for Saturday.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
The Bulls have been getting outstanding production from Josh Giddey, whose salary has climbed over $9,000. He has the second-highest median and floor projection at point guard and the third-highest ceiling projection. Since he’s much cheaper than Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he’s much easier to build around, especially coming into a favorable matchup against the Mavs that has the second-highest over/under on the slate.
Giddey did miss some time with an injury, but he has averaged 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in 35 minutes per game in his 13 games since the All-Star break, producing an impressive 1.63 DraftKings points per minute.
He had the heroic game-winner against the Lakers on Thursday to cap off an impressive triple-double that earned him 66 DraftKings points. He has over 47 DraftKings points in seven straight games while averaging 57.4 DraftKings points per contest over that stretch. His non-scoring numbers give him both a high floor and a high ceiling against the Mavs.
Value
The Heat are in Philly to take on the Sixers on Saturday night, and with Duncan Robinson (back) and Andrew Wiggins (hamstring) out, there are some great value opportunities for players to step up next to Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. On DraftKings, both Davion Mitchell and Alec Burks are eligible at point guard, even though both will be part of filling in for Robinson at shooting guard in Saturday’s matchup. They have the top two Projected Plus/Minus at point guard, with Burks holding a slight advantage.
Burks was listed as questionable with lower back discomfort but is also cheaper, which is why his Projected Plus/Minus is a touch higher. He had 17 points and 23.5 fantasy points in 24 minutes against the Warriors on Tuesday and followed that up with 11 points and 16.25 fantasy points in 16 minutes on Thursday.
Mitchell is the safer play of the two since he is getting more minutes and doesn’t have an injury to deal with. He has played over 32 minutes in six straight games, scoring exactly 12 points in five of those games before climbing to 16 points on Thursday against the Hawks. The defensive-minded guard has at least 29 fantasy points in four of those six games, averaging 27.7 fantasy points over that span. With even more work available on Saturday, he has a great ceiling at just over $4,000.
Fast Break
Luka Doncic has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection at the position, but he has fallen short of salary-based expectations in each of his last five games. He’s putting up monster numbers for the Lakers, but with LeBron James and Austin Reaves also available and taking usage, he hasn’t quite lived up to his huge salary.
The Pacers have been getting great production from Tyrese Haliburton, but he’s in a tough matchup against the Thunder, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to point guards this season. Haliburton had posted 12 straight double-doubles before only finishing with six assists on Thursday to snap that streak. He still had a good fantasy day, as he had 29 points and 47.5 fantasy points but only needed to play 25 minutes since the Pacers destroyed the Wizards, 162-109.
The Wizards now host the Nets. Bub Carrington is a good value to consider since he has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards on the slate, just ahead of Giddey. Carrington has played at least 28 minutes in each of his last four games, with over 24 DraftKings points and six assists in each of his last three. He went off for a double-double against the Raptors during that run for 42.25 DraftKings points and has a similar ceiling on Saturday.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
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NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
One of the exciting new features this season on FantasyLabs is our partnership with ShotQuality. In both sets of projections, Coby White has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection of all shooting guards even though he only has the fifth-highest salary.
White has been on a heater in March, leading the Bulls to win nine of their last 11 games. In his 13 games in March, White produced 43.9 DraftKings points per game on 29.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 3.4 three-pointers in 36.3 minutes per game.
While it was Giddey who hit the game-winner on Thursday, White also had a big game, finishing just one assist short of a double-double and totaling 44.75 DraftKings points. He had over 43 DraftKings points in each of his last four games and is cheaper than Giddey at just over $8,000. At this price point, he’s a great way to get a player with an elite ceiling without paying all the way up to the top of the salary structure.
Value
In the ShotQuality Projections, Stephon Castle has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard and the highest of all shooting guards over $5,000. In that range, Castle is just behind White in the FantasyLabs projections as well. He has a high ceiling at home against the Celtics, although the Spurs playing the first game of a back-to-back does complicate the situation.
Castle has started the last eight games for the Spurs since the loss of De’Aaron Fox (finger) for the season. He averaged 33.0 DraftKings points per game over that stretch on 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in 29.6 minutes per game.
In his last four games, Castle has shown off a very high ceiling with 52.25 DraftKings points on a double-double with 17 points and 14 assists against the Sixers. He had another big game against the Cavs, posting a double-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 50.75 DraftKings points in his last game on Thursday.
Fast Break
The Grizzlies take on the Lakers in their first game since shocking the NBA world by firing Taylor Jenkins. Ja Morant (hamstring) is questionable after missing six straight games, and if he’s out again or at less than 100%, Desmond Bane would be an interesting pay-up option. He has the second-highest ceiling projection of all shooting guards in both sets of projections.
The Wizards have been giving guard AJ Johnson more playing time, and with Khris Middleton (knee) out, he could be back in the starting lineup. Before moving to the bench for Middleton on Thursday, Johnson produced 18.5, 31, and 24.25 fantasy points in three straight starts. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard in the FantasyLabs projections for Saturday.
The Spurs rotation has shifted around over the last few weeks, but Julian Champagnie has shown the ability to contribute when given playing time. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus in both sets of projections at shooting guard for this slate since he’s available at a bargain of just $3,400. He has played over 20 minutes in each of the last three games for San Antonio, producing 38.25, 18, and 27.25 DraftKings points
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Against the Grizzlies, LeBron James has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at small forward by a wide margin in both sets of projections. It should be a great pace-up spot for LeBron since the Lakers have the highest pace differential on the slate as they take on the uptempo Grizzlies, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards all season.
LeBron played 38+ minutes in each of his last three games with at least 41 fantasy points in each of those contests. He had a double-double with 13 rebounds against the Pacers on Wednesday and followed that up with another double-double with 12 assists against the Bulls on Thursday.
He’s still working his way back to full speed after missing seven games with a groin injury, but the fact that he played so many minutes in both games of the back-to-back shows he’s recovering well.
On Saturday, he’s in a great spot against Memphis and could have even more work if Austin Reaves (ankle) misses the game after being listed as questionable.
Value
Many of the options with the highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward are bargain options (highlighted below), but one of the best mid-range plays is Keldon Johnson of the Spurs, who has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all small forwards between $4,000 and $6,000 in both sets of projections.
Johnson had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday, finishing with 35 DraftKings points in the team’s narrow loss to the Cavs. He has scored double-digit points in 18 of his 20 games since the All-Star break, averaging 15.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 27.3 DraftKings points per contest.
He’s in a tough matchup against Boston, but at under $5,000, he brings a high enough ceiling to still be a great value play.
Fast Break
Devin Vassell has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of his last nine games with over 34 DraftKings points in four straight. Like Johnson, the matchup is a tough one, but he is underpriced relative to his recent production.
Without Wiggins and Robinson, Haywood Highsmith will likely play huge minutes for the Heat. He played 34 minutes against the Hawks on Thursday and finished with 11 points and 21 DraftKings points. In three of his last four games, Highsmith has over 20 DraftKings points, and at barely over the minimum salary, he is a solid option at either forward spot. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward in both projections and the second-highest at small forward.
Jaylen Martin is another cheap option, and he actually has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward in both sets of projections. Martin played 32 minutes for the Wizards against the Sixers and had 24.5 DraftKings points on Wednesday, and then on Thursday, he played 23 minutes even with Middleton available. Since he’s barely more than the minimum, he makes sense as a punt play on Saturday.
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NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
The Heat will likely give plenty of work to Bam Adebayo in Saturday’s matchup with the Sixers. He has the third-highest median, floor, and ceiling projections in the Fantasy Labs projections at power forward behind only LeBron and Jayson Tatum, who both come with five-figure salaries.
Adebayo had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards for 37 DraftKings points against the Hawks on Thursday and has at least that many fantasy points in three of his last five games. At the start of that stretch, he had a ceiling game against the Pistons in which he earned 57.25 DraftKings points on 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
In his seven games without Wiggins since the All-Star break, Adebayo averaged 49.1 DraftKings points per contest. In a favorable matchup against the injury-depleted Sixers, he’s in a smash spot on Saturday night.
Value
Bulls power forward Patrick Williams has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position in both sets of projections behind only Highsmith.
He has exceeded salary-based expectations in three straight games and seems to have worked his way back into a very meaningful role in the rotation. He had 14 points and 26.25 DraftKings points against the Lakers last Saturday and matched that total with 26.25 DraftKings points in the rematch on Thursday in 29 minutes off the bench.
Williams has a high floor for a play under $4,000, but he also has a high ceiling depending on how the game unfolds against the Mavs, who are still very uncertain about who will be available in the frontcourt.
Fast Break
For the Sixers, Justin Edwards has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven straight games, producing double-digit points in each of those contests and averaging 32.9 DraftKings points per contest. He had 30+ fantasy points in each of his last four, so even though his salary is up to almost $6,000, he’s still a solid option.
Harrison Barnes has a top-four Projected Plus/Minus in both sets of projections at the position. His minutes have fluctuated over the last few weeks, but he has hit for at least 18 DraftKings points in four of his last five contests.
Another beneficiary of the Heat’s injuries could be veteran Kyle Anderson, who has over 18 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and could get more minutes without Wiggins. He’s only $3,100, so he doesn’t have to do much to be a great value.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
While Bam has the top spot in the FantasyLabs projections at center, the ShotQuality projections give a slight edge in median, ceiling, and floor projections to Anthony Davis. Davis is more expensive than Adebayo, but he could be a good place to pay up for leverage.
Davis is officially probable for this matchup, while Daniel Gafford (knee) and Dereck Lively II (ankle) are doubtful, and P.J. Washington (ankle) and Kai Jones (hip) are questionable. Depending on who else is available, Davis may have more minutes to fill, but as long as he’s active, he should step in as the primary focus of the offense.
In his two games since returning from injury, Davis had 27 DraftKings points in 27 minutes against the Nets, followed by 29.25 DraftKings points in 29 minutes against the Magic. He should continue to ramp up this Saturday in Chicago, and it will be a good matchup for him if he’s ready to return to full strength. In Orlando, he only made 5-of-19 shots, but that shows how heavily the Mavs will lean on him and how high his ceiling is when he’s 100%.
Value
The No. 2 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, Alexandre Sarr has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers in the ShotQuality projections and the second-highest in the FantasyLabs projections.
Sarr has exceeded salary-based expectations in 10 of his last 12 games, averaging 35.9 DraftKings points in 28.0 minutes per game. He has shown a very high ceiling and limitless upside on both ends of the floor and has over 35 DraftKings points in each of his last two games.
He should be in a great matchup against the Nets, who have been a good matchup for centers lately and will be without Day’Ron Sharpe (knee) and Nicolas Claxton (rest).
Fast Break
With Jayson Tatum (ankle) out on Wednesday, Kristaps Porzingis stepped up with 30 points and 48 DraftKings points in a comfortable win over the Suns. With Tatum back in the mix on Saturday, he could be in for a reduced role but is still in a smash spot against the shorthanded frontcourt of the Spurs. He has the third-highest ceiling projection at center in both sets of projections.
Kel’el Ware has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games, with three double-doubles and at least 29 DraftKings points before slowing down with just seven points (but still 12 rebounds) on Thursday. With more offensive work available in the Miami rotation, he’ll be a solid play under $6,000 alongside Adebayo.
Without Claxton and Sharpe, Trendon Watford will have to carry the workload in the frontcourt. He has 20+ DraftKings points in four of his last five games, including two big games against the Pacers that earned him 26.25 and 36.25 DraftKings points. He should have a huge workload and a high ceiling in a favorable matchup against the Wizards on Saturday.
