Welcome back to the weekend DFS grind! ☕🏀 Grab a massive espresso because this Saturday FanTeam NBA slate is an absolute beauty. We have a glorious seven-game puzzle to solve, and the injury report is already doing its best to cause complete chaos.
We are leaving no stone unturned today, attacking every single matchup: Warriors vs. Hawks, Grizzlies vs. Hornets, Spurs vs. Pacers, Rockets vs. Heat, Cavaliers vs. Pelicans, Jazz vs. 76ers, and Lakers vs. Magic.
Let’s dive straight into the top anchors, the critical injury news you must monitor, and the value gems that will win you some Saturday GPPs!
Critical Saturday Injury News
To build a winning FanTeam lineup, you have to navigate the MASH units. Here are the biggest tags to monitor before lock:
- San Antonio Spurs: The biggest news of the slate is Victor Wembanyama, who is questionable with right ankle soreness. Furthermore, Stephon Castle has already been ruled out with a hip injury.
- Golden State Warriors: The Dubs are dealing with a massive injury crisis. Kristaps Porzingis is officially out with a back injury. Meanwhile, Draymond Green (back), De’Anthony Melton (knee), Gary Payton (knee), Malevy Leons (wrist), and Quinten Post (foot) are all carrying questionable tags.
- Memphis Grizzlies: The Memphis backcourt is decimated. Ja Morant (elbow), Jahmai Mashack (ankle), and Cedric Coward (personal) are all out. Ty Jerome is doubtful, while GG Jackson and DeJon Jarreau are questionable.
- Houston Rockets & Miami Heat: Big man Alperen Sengun is questionable for Houston with back tightness, though Jae’Sean Tate has been upgraded to probable. For Miami, Norman Powell is questionable with a calf injury.
- Other Notes: Utah’s John Konchar has been upgraded to probable, Cleveland’s Jaylon Tyson is doubtful, and the Lakers have ruled out Maxi Kleber.
Elite Anchors: The Premium Spend-Ups
If you have the salary, these are the massive ceiling plays that the FanTeam preference model absolutely adores today.
Luka Doncic (PG, LAL) – 20.8M Doncic is the most expensive player on the board, but for good reason. He boasts a slate-leading 56.0 point projection and ranks as the number one overall point guard in FanTeam Preference (5.1). In this cross-country clash against Orlando, he is the ultimate unfading anchor.
Victor Wembanyama (PF, SAS) – 19.2M If Wemby clears his questionable tag, he is a tournament-winning cheat code against the Pacers. He projects for 54.6 points and holds the absolute highest FanTeam Preference score on the entire slate at 5.3. If he plays, jam him in!
Bam Adebayo (C, MIA) – 14.5M Adebayo is checking every single box today against Houston. At a very reasonable 14.5M, he projects for 44.1 points, giving him a fantastic 3.04x value multiplier. He is currently the number one preferred center on the board with a 4.9 preference score.
Other Elite Options: Keep an eye on Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson (PF, 18.0M) who boasts a 47.8 projection against the battered Warriors, and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley (PF, 14.8M), who projects for 44.5 points against the Pelicans. You also can’t go wrong grabbing LaMelo Ball (PG, 14.4M) from Charlotte in a fantastic matchup against the severely depleted Grizzlies backcourt.
Click to see our full NBA Projections
Top Value Gems & Salary Relief
To afford Luka and Wemby, you need the absolute best budget pieces. The data is screaming at us to target these elite value plays:
Dylan Harper (PG, SAS) – 7.0M With Stephon Castle ruled out, Harper is an absolute smash play. At just 7.0M, he projects for 27.5 points, giving him a massive slate-leading 3.93x value multiplier. He is even ranked as the number two preferred point guard on the entire slate!
Keldon Johnson (SF, SAS) – 6.4M San Antonio offers incredible value today. Johnson costs just 6.4M but projects for 24.4 points, returning an elite 3.82x value. He also cracks the top five preferred small forwards.
Amen Thompson (SG, HOU) – 13.6M While not a bottom-barrel punt, Thompson is wildly underpriced for his ceiling. He projects for 40.6 points at just 13.6M (2.99x value). More importantly, the algorithm loves him—he is the number one preferred shooting guard on the entire Saturday slate.
Deep Punts & Center Pivots If you need a cheap center, look to Philadelphia’s Andre Drummond (8.7M), who yields a 3.30x value multiplier with a 28.7 projection against Utah. Alternatively, if Golden State’s Quinten Post (6.2M) clears his questionable tag, he is a phenomenal punt projecting for 22.8 points (3.68x value).
Keep refreshing those injury reports, lock in that Spurs value, and let’s go win some Saturday FanTeam GPPs!
Click to see our full NBA Projections
In conclusion, good luck tonight! Finally, please remember to watch that crazy Indiana Pacers injury report before lock
| PG | Name | Pref | Own% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniss Jenkins | 5.0 | 23.9% |
| 2 | LaMelo Ball | 4.1 | 31.1% |
| 3 | Devin Carter | 3.9 | 13.0% |
| 4 | Jalen Brunson | 3.8 | 37.6% |
| 5 | Coby White | 2.8 | 10.7% |
| SG | Name | Pref | Own% |
| 1 | Ausar Thompson | 4.1 | 12.1% |
| 2 | Desmond Bane | 4.0 | 23.4% |
| 3 | Kevin Huerter | 4.0 | 3.8% |
| 4 | Jalen Suggs | 3.9 | 14.1% |
| 5 | Dejounte Murray | 3.7 | 23.0% |
| SF | Name | Pref | Own% |
| 1 | Tobias Harris | 3.5 | 14.3% |
| 2 | Brandon Miller | 3.5 | 20.5% |
| 3 | OG Anunoby | 3.3 | 14.9% |
| 4 | Herbert Jones | 3.2 | 10.3% |
| 5 | Mikal Bridges | 3.2 | 11.3% |
| PF | Name | Pref | Own% |
| 1 | Paolo Banchero | 4.8 | 33.2% |
| 2 | Zion Williamson | 4.0 | 26.3% |
| 3 | Karl-Anthony Towns | 3.8 | 33.7% |
| 4 | Saddiq Bey | 3.4 | 18.4% |
| 5 | Moussa Diabate | 3.0 | 11.7% |
| C | Name | Pref | Own% |
| 1 | Jalen Duren | 5.0 | 33.7% |
| 2 | Maxime Raynaud | 3.8 | 16.4% |
| 3 | Wendell Carter Jr. | 3.3 | 11.9% |
| 4 | Yves Missi | 2.9 | 10.2% |
| 5 | Derik Queen | 2.8 | 11.2% |