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 4-game Main slate starting at 7:35 ET.
POINT GUARD
Stephen Curry – Golden State (vs. Brooklyn) - DK: $10,100 / FD: $10,800 / Yahoo: $48
Curry is back in a big way, and while his salary certainly reflects that, he’s my top option at the point tonight. Ranking eighth in the league in player efficiency rating and ninth in usage rate, Curry is regularly putting up 50-plus fantasy point games. This East vs. West showdown should be the game of the short night, with a 243.5-point total and relatively narrow margin. Curry has been a bit better at home than on the road, and Brooklyn offers some attractive defensive stats to consider: they give up the seventh-most overall fantasy points, rank just 23rd in defensive efficiency, play at the eighth-fastest pace, and turn the ball over at the sixth-highest rate. Curry should be the best floor/ceiling combo guard tonight.
Also Consider: Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, Malcolm Brogdon, TJ McConnell, Kendrick Nunn, Derrick Rose
SHOOTING GUARD
Eric Gordon – Houston (at New York) - DK: $5,800 / FD: $5,600 / Yahoo: $21
John Wall is probable tonight, but Victor Oladipo is still sidelined, which means that Gordon should start. This game lacks some of the features I try to target (like fast pace and lax defense), but Gordon has been as steady as they come, averaging well over 30 fantasy points per game in February. His biggest competition at the position is Andrew Wiggins, who is similarly safe but more expensive, and the Utah guards, who are playing on a back-to-back against another quality defense (Miami). If you can pay up for James Harden at SG, I don’t have a huge problem with it, but my preference is made clear below.
Also Consider: Andrew Wiggins, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Jordan Clarkson, Kevin Huerter
SMALL FORWARD
Kevin Durant – Brooklyn (at Golden State) - DK: $9,600 (PF) / FD: $10,000 / Yahoo: $48
Durant claims he’s ready to play and no longer angry about the circumstances that messed us all up last week, but I like an angry Durant who feels like he has something to prove. Yes, there is the revenge game narrative on top of that. Try building a lineup without Durant and see how scary that feels given the short slate. There are plenty of stars in these four games, but none I want more of than Curry and Durant.
Also Consider: Juan Toscano-Anderson, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jimmy Butler
POWER FORWARD
Domantas Sabonis – Indiana (at Atlanta) - DK: $9,000 / FD: $9,600 / Yahoo: $44
Sabonis could go overlooked on DraftKings and Yahoo where Durant can fill the PF slot, but I think he’s in store for a big game, maybe the best he’s had in a while. Sabonis has gone four straight games without a double-double, and Atlanta is a Top 10 PF matchup. This game should be close and high scoring, with Atlanta and Indiana matching up well on pace, offensive and defensive efficiency stats. Look for Sabonis, who was close to a triple-double Thursday night, to keep it going and get that bonus tonight.
Also Consider: Draymond Green, Jeff Green, Nerlens Noel, Bam Adebayo
CENTER
DeMarcus Cousins – Houston (at New York) - DK: $6,500 / FD: $6,200 / Yahoo: $24
Cousins has advantages over the other center options that start with his salary, include his matchup with the seventh-most generous frontcourt defense, and there are no holes in his recent game logs. In the past week, four games, Cousins is averaging about 30 fantasy points per game with two double-doubles. He’s contributing in every statistical category and doing it against some similarly good defenses, like Miami Thursday night. I can absolutely see going with Gobert on DraftKings, where his salary came down $400 (to $7100) after a 50-plus point game last night, but otherwise, it’s Cousins for me.
Also Consider: Rudy Gobert (DraftKings especially), Clint Capela, Myles Turner
ADDITIONAL NOTES
TJ McConnell (PG – IND) might be a possibility for those wanting to take advantage of the league-best PG matchup with Atlanta, but reluctant to pay up for Malcolm Brogdon tonight. McConnell has scored at least 28 fantasy points in five of his last six games (Utah, the league-worst PG matchup, was the outlier). At just $13 (Yahoo), $5000 (DK), and $5400 (FD), McConnell is a great second PG or G option with a super-solid floor.
Derrick Rose (PG – NYK) has seemingly found a home in New York. His first two games have been solid to good for DFSers, and his salary also provides welcome relief at a guard or utility slot tonight. In contrast to the Rockets, the Knicks get the advantages of a Houston team that plays at the fourth-fastest pace, ranks 11th in overall fantasy points allowed, and turns the ball over at the fourth-highest rate. This game has the lowest over/under of the slate (210 points), but I think Rose ($14 Yahoo, $4800 DK, $5200 FD), and teammate Nerlens Noel ($4000 FD, $3900 FD, $10 Yahoo), can reach value at these salaries.
Jeff Green (PF/C – BKN) DeAndre Jordan is away from the team tonight, and the Nets are taking on a Warriors team that is severely lacking in frontcourt depth anyway. I expect the Nets to play small to matchup with Golden State, meaning Durant and Jeff Green should be the frontcourt duo tonight. Green is eminently cheap ($4500 FD, $13 Yahoo, but $5500 DK) and a strong option to fill your PF or utility slots.