The Golden State Warriors march into Toronto Saturday when they visit the Raptors looking to extend their perfect start to the season to 20 straight wins. While all eyes will be on that matchup in the evening, they aren’t the only show worth tuning into see. The Warriors and Raptors are one of 10 matchups on the board for Saturday’s NBA slate and with so many different games to choose from, there will be important decisions to make when it comes to building the perfect roster in Daily Fantasy Leagues. Here is some important advice to consider for Saturday’s NBA fantasy action.
Weak Defense To Target: Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers have dropped two of their last three games while giving up 102 points or more in all three of those contests. This has been a fading team since they started the season 4-2. They are just 4-10 since.
They entered the weekend ranked 21st in the NBA in points allowed per game and it appears to be getting worse. Minnesota has struggled with consistency of late but they will be eager to get back on track following back-to-back losses. They should be able to take advantage of the Portland defense, so fire up players like Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and more in your daily fantasy setups.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
The Jazz will also be looking to get back in the win column following back-to-back losses. They will be banking on their hottest player right now coming through with a big game when they host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. Hayward has averaged 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 assists in Utah’s last two games and he’s been hot since he had his one dud (seven-point) performance on November 15th.
Injuries & Rest Create Opportunities For… Avery Bradley, Zach LaVine
The Boston Celtics will welcome back injured guard Marcus Smart in a few weeks but he will come off the bench for them when he’s ready. In the meantime, that means Bradley should continue to see decent minutes. Bradley has averaged 19.5 points, 2.0 assists, 2.8 three-point shots and 1.8 rebounds overs the last week of action and should stay productive as long as the minutes are there. When he’s been starting this season, he’s seen about six more minutes per game (31.5) but he’s been well above that average over the last handful of games. He’s played at least 31 minutes in six of the seven games while averaging 34 minutes of action. He’s a quality DFS play given the usage rate.
Meanwhile, Ricky Rubio struggled in his return from an ankle injury this week, missing all five of his shots while collecting just five rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. That should mean more opportunities for Zach LaVine as well as Andre Miller. LaVine in particular has averaged 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 three-point shots over the past week of action. He’s been working diligently on his game with former legend Gary Payton and the goal is for him to prove that he can play more as a shooting guard. He’s worth starting for now until Rubio proves he’s healthy again.
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Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: SAC @ HOU
There should be no doubt about the highest scoring game of the night as the Kings visit the Rockets in a clash that should feature plenty of offense. James Harden trails only Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook in points per game this season and should have no trouble carving up the Sacramento defense, which is ranked 29th in the NBA giving up 108.8 points per game. Meanwhile, the Kings have been far more effective at the offensive end now that DeMarcus Cousins is over his myriad of injuries. He has been outstanding at the offensive end. Players like Marcus Thornton and Clint Capela might be worth considering at decent price points for Houston while Rudy Gay and Rajon Rondo have been strong fantasy options from the Kings of late and are worth the splurge.
