FanDuel NBA: Saturday Value Plays

FanDuel NBA: Saturday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.

We've got plenty of value options at our disposal on the seven-game Saturday evening main slate, including multiple selections from a pair of contests. Even with Stephen Curry sitting for the Warriors, there's still plenty to pay up for in the form of Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant, for example, so let's examine some of the bargains that can help you fit up to two studs in your lineups: 

POINT GUARD  

Ricky Rubio, UTA at CHI ($6,700): Priced just above the $6,500 threshold I usually stick to for value plays, Rubio is nevertheless worthy of consideration Saturday in a solid matchup. The Bulls have allowed a bottom-10 figure in fantasy points per game to point guards for the season (38.8), including the last 10 games (47.8). They're also yielding the third-highest offensive efficiency rating (28.4) to the position and the second-highest three-point success rate (38.2 percent). For his part, Rubio has drained 58.0 percent of his attempts in the last three contests after emerging from a slump where he shot 25.1 percent or worse in six straight games.

Shaquille Harrison, CHI vs. UTA ($4,500): Otto Porter (shoulder) is considered doubtful for Saturday's game, which leaves Harrison poised for another start. With Porter missing the last two games, Harrison has posted 18.8 and 33.5 fantasy points, respectively, while logging over 30 minutes in each contest. Additionally, he tallied 26.5 fantasy points over just 20 minutes three games ago versus the Kings. The Jazz have been more generous to small forwards of late as well, allowing the ninth-most fantasy points (54.5) per game to the position over the last five, along with the sixth-most points (28.8) and second-most steals (2.6).

SHOOTING GUARD        

Dion Waiters, MIA at WAS ($4,100): Waiters can be hit or miss, but he walks into a favorable overall matchup Saturday at a very reasonable price. The Wizards are allowing the third-highest three-point percentage (37.2) in the NBA, while Waiters is equaling a career high with 5.7 three-point attempts per contest and is draining them at a 36.8 percent clip. He's also scored 23 fantasy points or more in four of his last seven games, and Washington is ranked just middle of the pack versus shooting guards with 37.7 fantasy points per game allowed to the position for the season.

Justin Holiday, MEM vs. MIN, ($3,900): Holiday is another player susceptible to yo-yo production, but he'll draw a very appealing matchup Saturday that could help him extend his current solid stretch of play. The veteran wing has scored 22.5 and 28.0 fantasy points in two of his last three games, respectively. Holiday has been done in by poor shooting for most of the season, but the T-Wolves come in allowing the highest offensive efficiency rating (24.0) to small forwards, along with the fourth-highest three-point percentage (38.7) and the most fantasy points (43.3) and points (22.2) per game to the position.

SMALL FORWARD

J.J. Redick, PHI at ATL ($6,300): Redick is always a threat for a spike in production due to his three-point prowess, and the Hawks are just the type of team that could facilitate such an explosion. Redick is taking a career-high 7.9 three-point attempts per contest and has posted 27.8 and 35.0 fantasy points versus the Hawks in his last two meetings with them. Atlanta also comes in allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to shooting guards for the season (41.1, including 67.7 over the last five), along with the second-highest offensive efficiency rating (24.3).  They're yielding a bottom-10 figure in three-point percentage (36.0) overall as well, a weakness Redick is very capable of exploiting.

Justin Jackson, DAL at GS ($4,000): The Grizzlies' Chandler Parsons ($4,500) is also an interesting option if you have a few extra hundred, but Jackson has significantly outpaced his price the last two games. The 2017 first-round pick has posted 27.3 and 25.5 fantasy points in that pair of contests, respectively. The Warriors bring a nice bump in pace for the Mavericks and allow the fifth-highest shooting percentage (44.0) to small forwards, including a bottom-10 figure in three-point percentage (37.6). Jackson has taken 14 three-point attempts over the last two games while seeing extended minutes, and the same could certainly be true again Saturday in a game the Mavs will need to be aggressive in.  

POWER FORWARD   

Kelly Olynyk, MIA at WAS ($5,300): Olynyk scored just 15.8 fantasy points against the Spurs in his last game due to foul trouble, but he'd eclipsed 20 fantasy points in seven of the prior nine. The Wizards come in allowing the highest offensive efficiency rating (64.3) to power forwards, as well as the highest overall shooting percentage (53.6) and three-point percentage (40.1) to the position. Olynyk is sporting a 36.4 percent success rate from distance for the season on a career-high 4.0 three-point attempts per contest and should thrive with the much faster pace the Wizards play at (106.1 possessions per game, seventh most in the NBA) as compared to the Heat.

Richaun Holmes, PHO at SAC ($4,400): Holmes racked up 25.8 fantasy points in just 21 minutes against the Pistons in his return from a two-game absence on Thursday, and he'll be in a good position for similar production Saturday. The Kings have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game (41.0) to power forwards, along with the fourth-most rebounds per contest (10.6). They're also yielding the fourth-most points in the paint (51.7) and the 10th-highest offensive efficiency rating (59.9) in that part of the floor. Meanwhile, Holmes logs 77.3 percent of his scoring in that part of the floor. He's also posted 30.0 and 26.5 fantasy points in his last two meetings against Sacramento.

CENTER  

Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC vs. PHO ($6,100): Cauley-Stein has averaged over 33 fantasy points in three games against the Suns this season and the Suns come in yielding the second-most fantasy points per game (39.5) to centers and second-highest offensive efficiency rating (36.7) to the position. Phoenix is also allowing the most points in the paint per game (52.8) for the season, while WCS has produced 80.2 percent of his points in that part of the floor. He's been trending upward recently as well, scoring 41.0 fantasy points in his last game against the Mavs on Thursday and no fewer than 26.3 in four of his last five contests overall.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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