After being overwhelmed with 28 rosters and 14 games to choose from in NBA fantasy leagues on Friday, it might feel like there aren’t nearly enough teams to choose from on Saturday night with just four games on the schedule. It also means that there will be much less room for error when it comes to identifying the top superstar and value options on the board, which is why we wrote this column. Here is some important NBA fantasy advice to consider for Saturday’s action.
Weak Defense To Target: Minnesota Timberwolves
Basketball fans in Minnesota have to be excited about the potential of their young stars, but the Timberwolves aren’t ready to contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference just yet and their soft defense is part of the reason for it. The Timberwolves rank 23rd in the NBA with an average of 104.1 points allowed per game this season and that makes them worth targeting when they host the New York Knicks on Saturday night. New York has been terrible in the month of February, but they are bound to break out of their funk eventually and this will be the perfect opportunity for the offense to break out. Carmelo Anthony is the obvious superstar option from the Knicks, but it might make more sense to target Robin Lopez as a strong value option. Lopez has averaged 13.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.0 block per game over the past couple of weeks and as long as he gets his touches he should continue to produce versus Minnesota.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks weren’t willing to move Millsap and based on his recent play it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did everything they possibly could in order to keep him in town. Millsap has absolutely dominated of late and that makes him worth targeting when Atlanta hosts the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Millsap has averaged 18.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 three-point shots over the last 15 days so ride the hot hand and make sure he is in your lineup.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Markieff Morris, Goran Dragic
The Phoenix Suns finally pulled the trigger on a deal that moved Markieff Morris and their loss was the Washington Wizards’ gain. Morris is the best player that switched teams at the NBA trade deadline and there is every reason to think he will thrive in Washington. The change of scenery should make him more motivated and he gets the opportunity to play with a top point guard in John Wall. Morris had averaged 15.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 block per game over the last month of action with Phoenix. He should be able to top those averages with a chance for his production to explode with the Wizards including Saturday night against the Miami Heat.
Meanwhile, the Heat will need their depth players to step up against Washington with Chris Bosh out and both Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside nursing nagging injuries. That could mean a very productive night for Goran Dragic, who has the potential to play above the level of his price tag in Daily NBA Fantasy Leagues. Dragic has averaged 13.0 points, 6.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 three-point shot per game over the last 15 days and should at the very least be able to match those averages on Saturday night.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: GS @ LAC
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers rank 1st and 6th in points per game this season, so it won’t be a surprise when they combine for the highest scoring game of the night on Saturday. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson continue to perform at an elite level pretty much every night while Harrison Barnes is a decent value play if you can’t afford either of the splash brothers. You can expect the Warriors to be quite pissed off heading into this contest after suffering their worst loss of the season on Friday night (137-105 in Portland).
Meanwhile, Blake Griffin’s injury has opened the door for J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford to become extremely productive players and both are available at a very reasonable price tag for Saturday’s NBA Fantasy Leagues.
