This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We only have a five-game slate for NBA Saturday, but there are a lot of potential value plays to touch on. Of these five games, the only one that I would shy away from is the New York at Chicago matchup. The total is the lowest on the day at only 191, and the spread is -15. A low-scoring blowout is not a game we would like to target heavily for daily fantasy purposes. Let's take a position-by-position look at some of the key value players to look at for Saturday night.
Saturday Value Plays
Point Guard
Dennis Schroder ($5,300) ATL vs. CHA:Jeff Teague is not in danger of missing the rest of the season. However, his ankle did swell up badly, and the coaching staff has said it is still tender. At this point in the season, there is no reason for them to risk further injury to their floor general. Vegas only has the line at -1 for Atlanta, which leads me to believe they think Teague will be out again Saturday. Even when he has played, we still see Schroder getting 20+ minutes of time. In the recent games Teague has missed, we've seen Schroder with over 30 minutes of game action, putting up between 28 and 40 fantasy points. At a price of only $5,300, that is five to eight points per thousand of cost, which keeps you in line for a score of 300 or above.
Other Options: Schroder is not a great option if Teague does play. If that is the case, I would look at Langston Galloway ($5,900) of the Knicks. With Shved and Hardaway both out, he has averaged over 40 minutes per game in his last six, putting up 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, and 1.5 steals per game, which is good for 29 fantasy points. At $5,900, 29 is exactly the number he needs to pay it off, and that is his average lately. Aaron Brooks is not a good defender, but he is the likeliest matchup for Galloway (although he may see some Jimmy butler defense as well). Galloway has a great chance to reach 30 fantasy points Saturday as his minutes and usage should remain high with the Knicks having few other options.
Shooting Guard
Kyle Korver ($4,700) ATL vs. CHA: Korver recently returned from injury and was worked back into the game flow slowly. That changed Wednesday night when he put up 33.6 fantasy points in 37 minutes of action. He needs to only score about 24 to pay off his price and should be able to do that Saturday. He has the safest minutes of any option in his price range and has already shown the ability to produce numbers that would give you upside at his cost. Korver is usually a little more expensive, so take the discount on him now before his price readjusts to his pre-injury levels.
Small Forward
All the value at small forward for Saturday dried up when all the questionable plays stepped onto the floor on Friday night. Unless one of them reinjures themselves and is out for Saturday, we will not have any cheap options stepping into larger roles. Of the reasonably priced players, I think my favorite option is Wilson Chandler ($5,900) DEN vs. POR. Chandler has really picked up his rebounding lately as he is averaging almost eight over his last five games. He is also playing over 32 minutes per game, averaging over 14 points, two assists, and 1.5 steals/blocks. That gives him a five game average of 30 fantasy points, which is exactly what he needs to pay himself off. His game also has the highest total on the day, and his team has been playing at a faster pace. As far as solid value goes for your cash games Saturday, I think he is one of the safer guys who will get you close to value or above with minimal risk.
Other Options:DeMarre Carroll ($5,700), Gerald Henderson ($5,400), and Andre Iguodala ($5,100) are all seeing a lot of minutes lately as well. None of them have huge upside, but all three could score in the 25-30 range Saturday and pay off their salaries.
Power Forward
Ersan Ilyasova ($6,000) Mil vs.GS: Ilyasova has put up over 40 fantasy points in three of his last four games. He is averaging over 35 minutes during his last six games with 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks/steals. That is good for 39 fantasy points from a guy who is priced to only need 30 to make value. Golden State does have some strong defense on Post players, but they also play at a much higher pace than the Bucks do. I think the added possessions offset any tough defense Ilyasova will see, and he should still have a chance to score and grab a few extra rebounds. He can continue to be used until his price catches up to his recent production.
Center
Andrew Bogut ($5,300) GS vs. MIL: I do not like the matchups tonight for many of the expensive centers, but Bogut has the right combination of matchup and recent performance to make himself interesting. He has seen a slight uptick in his minutes and has produced an average of 32 fantasy points in his last three games. He would need about 26 points at his price to make value, and he has done that in each of the last three. Two of those games were against the Jazz and Wizards who are two of the better defenses in the league. Milwaukee has also been struggling mightily lately, so this seems like the best match up he has had in over a week. Bogut can contribute across the board, and his talent has never been questioned. When he is healthy, he is one of the best defensive big men in the game. He can rebound, pass, and score a few points as well. Now that his minutes are up a little bit, I think he is a very safe bet to make value. He will never be a 35-40 minutes per night guy, but if he makes value at 22-25 minutes, then what will he do when he gets closer to 30 minutes? I expect the Bucks to stay within striking distance Saturday, and with Zaza in the middle, they will need a solid defender who can shut him down. I expect a few extra minutes out of Bogut Saturday, and that should lead to an easy pay off for his salary.
