Yahoo DFS Basketball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

Saturday brings five more games in the NBA, three of which will make up the main slate on Yahoo. It tips off early at 6 PM EST, so let's jump right into things and discuss some players to consider targeting for your entry, as well as a few to potentially avoid.

GUARDS

Paul George, LAC vs. NO ($32): George couldn't have looked much better in the Clippers' first game back against the Lakers, scoring 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the field. He also chipped in five rebounds, three assists and three steals across 34 minutes. It looks like the Clippers aren't going to be cautious with his minutes, so he's set up to thrive against a Pelicans team that has played at the third-fastest pace in the league.

JJ Redick, NO at LAC ($11): The Pelicans couldn't hold on to a big lead against the Jazz on Thursday, ultimately falling by two points. However, Redick did his job off the bench, scoring 21 points and hitting three three-pointers. He's had success against the Clippers this season, averaging 16.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.7 three-pointers across three games. With the Pelicans counting on him to provide a scoring punch off the bench, he could prove to be valuable at near the minimum price.

Guard to Avoid

Shake Milton, PHI at IND ($16): Milton played well filling in at point guard for Ben Simmons, averaging 17.9 points, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals across eight games before the season went on hold. Simmons is healthy now, but Milton may still find himself as a member of the starting five with Simmons possibly shifting to power forward. While that's good news for Milton, he's still not going to have the ball in his hands as much as he did when Simmons was out and he also might not play as many minutes. Until we see what type of rotations the Sixers use in their first game back, it might not be worth the risk to add Milton to your lineup.

FORWARDS

Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. NO ($45): The Clippers didn't have Leonard on a minutes limit in their first game back, either, which contributed to him posting 28 points, four assists, two steal and two blocks over 33 minutes. The only concern that ever surrounds Leonard is when, and how much, he will play. There are no indications that anything is going to change Saturday, so his upside is once again through the roof, especially when you consider this juicy matchup.

Norman Powell, TOR vs. LAL ($25): The Raptors have unleashed Powell and the move has paid significant dividends. After never averaging more than 19 minutes a game during his career, Powell has averaged 29 minutes a night this season. The result has been averages of 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 three-pointers per contest. Although he won't be needed to start anymore with both Kyle Lowry ($34) and Fred VanVleet ($26) finally healthy, he can still be productive as one of their main scoring options off the bench.

Forward to Avoid

Zion Williamson, NO at LAC ($32): Williamson was able to play in the Pelicans' first game back, but he logged just 15 minutes after being away from the team while tending to a personal matter. Despite the Pelicans having their backs up against the wall to make the playoffs, Williamson will remain limited in this contest as well. Until he's back to his normal workload, paying this much to add him to your entry is not advisable.

CENTERS

Joel Embiid, PHI at IND ($46): Embiid recently dealt with a calf injury, but he's not listed on the injury report for this matchup. The last time we saw him take the floor against the Pacers, he torched them for 32 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Pacers have allowed the ninth-most Yahoo points per game to opposing centers this season, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Embiid thrive again in their rematch.

Serge Ibaka, TOR vs. LAL ($22): Marc Gasol has only played 16 total minutes since the end of January because of injury. Even when he was healthy, his playing time was down at just 28 minutes a night. That is the lowest mark of his career. Meanwhile, Ibaka is averaging a career-high 16.0 points a night to go along with 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. It would seem unlikely that Gasol is going to log heavy minutes considering how long he has been out, so this could end up being another productive night for Ibaka.

Center to Avoid

JaVale McGee, LAL at TOR ($12): McGee continues to be in a timeshare with Dwight Howard ($10), which puts a damper on his upside. He played only 11 minutes against the Clippers and has logged fewer than 20 minutes in 11 of his last 13 games. If you're looking to save money at center, taking a chance on either Ivica Zubac ($10) or Joakim Noah ($10) at a couple dollars cheaper might be a better choice.

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. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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