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This article aims to highlight some of the best NBA DFS Plays at every position for your cash game lineups. Keep in mind that the following player write-ups were constructed earlier in the day, and sometimes injury/rest situations can alter the fantasy landscape. Monitoring our NBA News & Headlines Feed throughout the day will keep you in the loop while giving you the subsequent DFS consequences of each information piece.
We’ll take a look at Saturday’s 5-game slate starting at 7:00 ET. Happy New Year!
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POINT GUARD
James Harden – Brooklyn (vs. LA) - DK: $11,500 / FD: $11,300 / Yahoo: $51
Harden is one of the two stars I’m willing to pay up for tonight. It’s a strategy that’s very workable on Yahoo and FanDuel, presenting more of a challenge on DraftKings. Harden and the Nets are big favorites at home and the Clippers are playing the second half of a back-to-back, something no one should have to do on New Year’s Day. Harden has been out of this world, with two recent triple-doubles and a string of double-doubles that goes back to December 4. His best game of the stretch came against these same Clippers in LA last week. With the negligible salary difference, it’s easier for me to see Harden getting a fourth 70-plus fantasy point night than Steph Curry doing it in Utah.
Also Consider: Stephen Curry, Coby White, Reggie Jackson, Derrick White, Kevin Porter Jr.
SHOOTING GUARD
Luke Kennard – LA Clippers (at Brooklyn) - DK: $5,200 / FD: $4,900 / Yahoo: $13
Fitting a star guard and a star center means you have to find some big savings. I’m using Kennard in this same game despite his poor showing when they met last week. Since then, Kennard has ramped up his minutes, playing 36 and 40 in the Clippers’ last two games, and his fantasy numbers have followed. He’s scored double-digit points in the last three games with a good amount of rebounds and blocks. His floor won’t hurt you and anything above 25 fantasy points, which he’s done twice in a row, is great.
Also Consider: Zach LaVine, Will Barton, Jordan Poole, Hamidou Diallo, Eric Bledsoe
SMALL FORWARD
Keita Bates-Diop – San Antonio Spurs (at Detroit) - DK: $3,800 / FD: $4,300 / Yahoo: $10
You can also find some savings from the Spurs,including Bates-Diop, providing he can stay out of the protocols today and his hamstring is ok. He should get a ton of run with Doug McDermott and Lonnie Walker IV both ruled out and Dejounte Murray still not ready to play. Detroit is one of the better fantasy matchups, giving up the seventh-most overall fantasy points while ranking 28th in rebounding and turning the ball over at the fourth-highest rate. If Bates-Diop is ruled out, Devin Vassell would be the next man up.
Also Consider: Saddiq Bey, Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Durant, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
POWER FORWARD
Kyle Kuzma – Washington (vs. Chicago) - DK: $7,900 / FD: $6,500 / Yahoo: $23
Kuzma won’t fit on DraftKings with this build but he’s a player I’m trying to work in as much as possible. He’s scoring well above his average for the last week or so, with three double-doubles in his last four games. The game is expected to be close and despite their overall Top 10 defensive rating, Chicago gives up plenty of fantasy points to opposing forwards (fifth-most in the league to PF).
Also Consider: Jae’Sean Tate, Keldon Johnson, Juan Toscano-Anderson
CENTER
Nikola Jokic – Denver (at Houston) - DK: $12,600 / FD: $11,700 / Yahoo: $56
For the salary, you really need 60-plus fantasy points from Jokic, and he delivers that about 80 percent of the time. It’s good odds in this matchup that he does it tonight. You could definitely save at this position, but Gobert and Vucevic both played last night and I don’t see either of them approaching Jokic’s ceiling tonight. Houston gives up the second-most fantasy points to centers, and while Vuc also gets a good matchup, Jokic is the safest center option.
Also Consider: Nikola Vucevic, Nicolas Claxton, Rudy Gobert, Daniel Gafford
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Coby White (G – CHI) has been filling in admirably for Lonzo Ball, especially in the Bulls’ last two games, where he’s averaged 40 fantasy points. His salary ($14 Yahoo, $4900 DK, $6200) varies a bit between sites, but generally he’s an easy fit as long as Ball remains out tonight.
Andrew Wiggins (SF – GSW) picked up right where he left off before going into the health and safety protocols, one of a few players to do so. He scored 21 points Tuesday night with eight rebounds. It’s a tough matchup with Utah on paper, but the Warriors are well-rested while Utah played last night. This game should be a high scoring and competitive one, with both teams strong on both sides of the court. If you go with a more mid-range lineup strategy, Wiggins is a good candidate to fill one of your F slots.
