The NBA schedule is fairly balanced for this weekend with seven games on Saturday and nine games on Sunday so that means plenty of options to choose from when it comes to Daily Fantasy League action. Saturday’s action begins with the Los Angeles Clippers hosting the Charlotte Hornets in a matinee date on the west coast and will wrap up in the early hours of the morning for those on the east coast as the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors visit the Sacramento Kings. Here is some important fantasy advice to consider for Saturday’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Philadelphia 76ers
The Kings rank dead last in the NBA in scoring defense and would make for an obvious target with the Warriors in town but the better value might actually be to target the Philadelphia 76ers’ 25th-ranked scoring defense with the Toronto Raptors in town on Saturday night. Philadelphia has allowed an average of 105.2 points per game this season and has won just two of its 15 home games so far this year. The Raptors don’t own the top-ranked scoring offense in the NBA like the Warriors but they should put up some decent numbers against the 76ers. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry should both be excellent options while Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola should both be solid sleeper value plays. DeRozan is hot right now coming off his best game of the season. He had 35 points against the Washington Wizards last night.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have won six straight games heading in to Saturday’s date with the Atlanta Hawks and Butler has been among the biggest reasons for their hot streak as he has been absolutely on fire over the past week of action. Butler has averaged 29.0 points, 7.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 three-point shots and 1.0 steal per game over the last seven days and Chicago will need him to be at his best when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and Golden State Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson have also been hot of late but Butler is probably the best option in terms of the superstar players you will want to build your lineup around for Saturday’s NBA action.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Jeff Withey, Cody Zeller
The Utah Jazz are in an enviable position with a pair of solid centers in Rudy Gobert and Jeff Withey and while Gobert remains the starter, a knee injury has led to Withey earning more minutes of late and has delivered from a fantasy perspective. Withey has averaged 9.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game over the last week of action and he should be a strong value play for Saturday night.
Meanwhile, with Frank Kaminsky struggling to find his shot for the Charlotte Hornets, Cody Zeller has stepped up big time of late with some solid stats over the past week. Zeller has averaged 10.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game over the last week of action and he is another strong sleeper option with the Hornets set to visit the Clippers. The Clippers have been red-hot of late but someone needs to score for the Hornets and Zeller is a good bet.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: GS @ SAC
Golden State leads the NBA with an average of 113.7 points per game while Sacramento ranks third with an average of 106.3 points per game so there should be no doubt about what should be the highest scoring matchup of the night. The Warriors and Kings should combine to produce plenty of offense on Saturday night and while Cousins, Thompson and Stephen Curry are all fairly expensive there are some strong sleeper plays available as well. Rudy Gay and Marco Belinelli have put up decent numbers for Sacramento of late while Marreese Speights has quietly been very productive for Golden State so don’t be shy to target any one of those players for Saturday night’s NBA action.
