This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
It's an intriguing nine-game Saturday night slate on tap, with plenty of value across the board to pluck from. High-priced stars such as LeBron James, Ben Simmons, Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are in action, so finding some cost-saving options with upside is key to fitting in one or two of the studs into your lineup. Without further ado, let's examine some viable value plays that could help get you there Saturday:
POINT GUARD
Mike Conley, MEM vs. PHO ($7,800): Conley is a bit up there in price, but he remains well below the cost of the trio of Ben Simmons, Damian Lillard and Kemba Walker. Moreover, he's been providing some explosive production in his own right, scoring 37.3 to 45.4 fantasy points in his last three games after a quiet opener. He'll be in an excellent position to continue his excellent stretch of play, as the Suns check in allowing the most fantasy points per game (50.59) to point guards, including the most assists (6.2) and most steals (2.19) to the position.
Cameron Payne, CHI at ATL ($5,600): Payne has been doing a solid job filling in for Kris Dunn (knee), turning in 25.6 to 36 fantasy points in three of his past four games. The young point guard is getting it done with serviceable production across the stat sheet, averaging 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds alongside his 11.8 points. The conditions line up well for another strong outing Saturday, considering the Hawks are yielding the seventh-most fantasy points per game (49.5) to point guards. Atlanta's third-highest pace in the NBA (111.9 possessions per game) also furthers Payne's case as a strong value play, given the extra opportunities he should see.
SHOOTING GUARD
DeMar DeRozan, SAN vs. LAL ($8,100): DeRozan touched up this same Lakers squad for a season-high 63.6 fantasy points two games ago, pouring in 32 points and dishing out a whopping 14 assists along the way. DeRozan is already averaging a career-high 7.8 dimes, a nice supplement to his impressive 26.5 points per game during his first four contests in a Spurs uniform. The Saturday rematch sets up as highly appealing, considering the Lakers have been the most vulnerable team to two-guards in the early going. Los Angeles comes in allowing the most fantasy points per game to the position (49.9), along with the most points (30.7), second-most assists (6.6) and fifth-most made threes (3.7).
Rodney McGruder, MIA vs. POR ($5,200): Wayne Ellington is listed as probable to make his season debut Saturday, but McGruder should remain firmly entrenched in a starting two-guard role that he's excelled in thus far. The third-year wing is averaging 16.5 points (on 55.0 percent shooting, including 57.1 percent from three-point range), 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists, making him one of the season's early surprises. He's outperformed his current price by a wide margin in the last three games as well, scoring 36.7 to 40 fantasy points in those contests. It's also worth noting the Blazers check in allowing the ninth-most fantasy points per game to two-guards (42.06), along with the most assists (6.9) to the position.
SMALL FORWARD
Taurean Prince, ATL vs. CHI ($7,200): Prince is one of the rebuilding Hawks impressive young building blocks, and he's opened the season scoring 29.7 to 42.3 fantasy points and sporting a team-high 28.5 percent usage rate. Prince is also shooting a career-best 49.2 percent (including 41.9 percent from distance) and should thrive in a matchup versus a Bulls squad that's allowing 44.3 fantasy points per game to the small forward position. The Bulls' accelerated pace of play on the road (105.7 possessions per game, compared to 101.7 at home) should also dovetail well for fantasy purposes with the career-high 15.3 shot attempts per contest Prince is already taking.
Robert Covington, PHI vs. CHA ($5,700): Covington will be subject to an occasional clunker, such as in his most recent contest when tallied just 14.9 fantasy points against the Bucks. However, that downturn is offset by his tallies of 22.2 to 36 fantasy points over his first four games of the season. He should be in a good position to bounce back Saturday, courtesy of a matchup versus a Hornets squad that comes in allowing the sixth-most fantasy points (46.5) per game to small forwards. That number is partly comprised of the third-most rebounds (10.5) and fifth-most steals (2.2) surrendered to the position, which dovetails well with Covington's typically solid production in those categories.
POWER FORWARD
Dario Saric, PHI vs. CHA ($6,000): Saric understandably often flies under the radar while sharing the floor with the likes of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but he checks in at a nice price Saturday relative to his production. The emerging big man has eclipsed 30 fantasy points twice over his first five games, and he produced 29.5 in another. The Hornets could be willing facilitators to more of the same caliber of production, considering they've yielded 40.0 fantasy points per contest to power forwards, a number partly comprised of 13.3 rebounds yielded to the position per game.
Marcus Morris, BOS at DET ($4,500): Morris is priced to move Saturday, considering he's scored 25.2 to 33 fantasy points in three of his first five games. While the risk for a downturn is always there due to his bench role, his price opens up plenty elsewhere for you and gives you an opportunity for a 5x-6x return if he gets hot from the field. The matchup isn't the easiest on paper, but Morris should be able to avoid Blake Griffin's defense a fair amount while coming off the bench, and his averages of 14.0 points (on 46.2 percent shooting from three-point range), 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 23.5 minutes over two games against the Pistons last season seem to indicate Morris has a bit of extra motivation when facing his old squad.
CENTER
Myles Turner, IND at CLE ($5,500): Turner's inconsistency typically keeps his price relatively capped, and such is the case again in the early going of the new season. The young big man has only had one truly down game thus far, however, posting 16.8 fantasy points in his second game of the season against the Bucks in a tough matchup. Otherwise, he's compiled 24.2 to 32.6 fantasy points in his four other contests, and he now draws a matchup versus a Cleveland squad that's yielded 59.2 fantasy points per game to centers, including the third-highest rebounds (19.5) and fifth-highest blocks (3.0). It's also worth noting that Cleveland is allowing the ninth-most points in the paint (51.6), an area of the floor where almost half (47.6 percent) of Turner's scoring is emanating from.
