With the All-Star break right around the corner, now is the time to cash in when it comes to NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues with plenty of big prize pots every single night. There are seven games on the schedule in the NBA on Saturday night and as always we have looked through every matchup in order to provide some insight for how to build the perfect NBA daily fantasy lineup. Here is some important advice to consider for Saturday’s action.
Weak Defense To Target: Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn is in free fall mode right now and their terrible defense is just one reason why they have recorded only two wins in their last 10 games. The Nets have given up an average of 103.1 points per game so far this season and they have been particularly bad on the road where they have just four wins in 20 games overall so they are definitely worth targeting on Saturday when they visit a New Orleans side that ranks eighth in the NBA with an average of 102.8 points per game. Anthony Davis is the obvious superstar choice from the Pelicans roster but it’s also worth considering Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday in order to exploit the matchup against the Brooklyn defense. It’s an ugly contest but it does look like there could be some quality playing options in this matchup.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
No NBA player has been hotter than Cousins over the last couple of weeks and there is every reason to expect him to continue to dominate when he and the Kings visit the Memphis Grizzlies. Cousins has averaged a ridiculous 36.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 blocks per game over the last week of action and while it’s not really translating into wins for his team, the NBA daily fantasy numbers can’t be ignored. At this point, his stats are just too good to overlook him as the superstar player that every lineup should be built around on Saturday night.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Danny Green, Emmanuel Mudiay
It was only a matter of time before the San Antonio Spurs’ commitment to Danny Green paid off with him finally rewarding them with some decent numbers and he has taken advantage of playing 24.0 minutes per game over the last week by averaging 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 three-point shots, 2.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per game over that span. Green has the potential to put together another strong fantasy performance when the Spurs visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night so consider him as a strong value option.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets appear committed to giving rookie first-round pick Emmanuel Mudiay big minutes again as he has averaged 30.5 per game over the last week of action with his numbers benefiting across the board as a result. Mudiay has averaged 15.3 points, 4.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 three-point shot per game over that span. He’s playing 30.7 minutes per game now that he’s back in the lineup and healthy, which is a noticeable bump over the 25.4 he played in December. It won’t be a surprise when the Nuggets lean on him again for Saturday’s date with the Indiana Pacers. Also, it’s worth noting that the Nuggets scored their season-high in points the last time they met up with the Pacers.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: WAS @ HOU
The Houston Rockets rank fourth in the NBA with an average of 104.7 points per game this season while the Washington Wizards rank 12th with an average of 101.9 points per game so at least on paper this appears to be the most promising matchup in terms of trying to project the highest scoring game of the night. James Harden is the obvious superstar play from Houston but if you can’t afford him then both Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley are worth taking a chance on in order to take advantage of the matchup. Meanwhile, John Wall has consistently been Washington’s best player all season but Marcin Gortat has also been very consistent both in terms of scoring and rebounding of late so he is worth taking a chance on for Saturday night’s Daily Fantasy Leagues.