This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a five-game main slate Saturday night, and it's filled with intriguing matchups across the board. There are also four games with projected totals of 227 points or greater, which enhances the appeal from a DFS perspective.
Slate Overview
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In addition to the aforementioned elevated totals, another appealing aspect is the fact no spread is greater than 7.5 points as of early Saturday. There are a couple of key injuries at play, but there's also one notable return on tap and a fairly robust player pool overall.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Jrue Holiday, MIL (illness): PROBABLE
Holiday's expected return to action will lead to reduced roles for Jevon Carter and George Hill.
Deandre Ayton, PHO (ankle): OUT
Ayton's ongoing absence will lead to Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale logging the majority of minutes at center.
Khris Middleton, MIL (knee): OUT
Middleton's absence should lead to Pat Connaughton and Wesley Matthews filling in at small forward.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Antetokounmpo sits out, Bobby Portis could be inserted into the starting unit at power forward.
Other notable injuries:
Brandon Ingram, NOP (toe): OUT
Desmond Bane, MEM (toe): OUT
Alperen Sengun, HOU (ankle): PROBABLE
Collin Sexton, UTA (hamstring): OUT
Luguentz Dort, OKC (hand): QUESTIONABLE
Cameron Payne, PHO (foot): OUT
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Luka Doncic ($11,900), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,600), Ja Morant ($10,700), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200) and Zion Williamson ($10,100).
Doncic has scored no fewer than 46 FD points in nine straight games, with that total coming against the same Cavaliers team he'll face Saturday.
Antetokounmpo has scored at least 48.8 FD points in 11 of the last 13 games, making his salary reasonable despite the fact it's just under $12K.
Morant has scored 53 to 61.1 FD points in three of the past four games, with the high end of that range coming against the same Thunder squad he'll square off against Saturday.
Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to just 38.1 FD points in 33 minutes against the Grizzlies on Dec. 7, but he's scored 45.1 to 55.9 FD points in his last three contests.
Williamson has scored over 50 FD points in three of the last five games, and he put up 50.4 and 47.1 FD points in the recent two-game series on Dec. 9 and 11 versus the Suns.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Damian Lillard, POR ($9,900)
Lillard has scored over 50 FD points in three of the past five games, which should keep him very popular in an advantageous matchup.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($8,900)
Mitchell has scored 43.6 and 47.7 FD points in his last two games, making his salary especially palatable.
Devin Booker, PHO ($8,700)
Booker struggled in his return to action against the Clippers on Thursday night after his two-game absence due to a hamstring issue, but his ceiling should keep him very popular on the small slate.
Jaren Jackson, MEM ($8,000)
Jackson logged only 12 minutes against the Bucks on Thursday night because of foul trouble, but he scored 37.1 to 48.4 FD points in the three games prior.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA ($7,900)
Markkanen has scored 37.7 and 39.5 FD points in his first two games back from a three-game absence due to an illness, which should keep him very popular on a small slate at his salary.
Key Values
Larry Nance, NOP at PHO ($5,800)
Nance has been enjoying a solid role off the bench for the last eight games, in particular, averaging 27.5 FD points across 25.1 minutes per contest in that span. The big man has been exceptionally efficient, shooting 59.6 percent from the field, including 41.7 percent from behind the arc. What's more, Nance's two biggest games of not just that sample but the entire season have come against the Suns, with the veteran recording 47.4 and 49.3 FD points in that pair of games Dec. 9 and Sunday. Phoenix is also allowing the sixth-most FD points per game to power forwards in the last seven games (47.8), with Nance naturally having a significant role in those numbers.
Josh Okogie, PHO vs. NOP ($5,300)
Okogie encouragingly logged 25 minutes in Devin Booker's return to action against the Clippers on Thursday night, leading to his third game with over 30 FD points (35.2) in his last seven. The fifth-year veteran has logged at least 20 minutes on five occasions over that span and scored at least 27.9 FD points in each of those games, leaving him poised to potentially overdeliver on his very modest salaries against a Pelicans team that's surrendered the 10th-highest offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players (42.0) and 47.0 percent shooting.
Grayson Allen, MIL vs. UTA ($4,300)
Allen's salary has experienced a significant drop due to recent downturns, and his occasionally erratic performances make him much more suitable for tournaments. However, he'll take the floor without Khris Middleton (knee) on Saturday and now faces a Jazz team that's tied for the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating allowed to shooting guards (24.3) and that's surrendered just under 44 FD points per game to the position in the last 15.
ALSO CONSIDER: Lamar Stevens, CLE vs. DAL ($4,600)
