This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a seven-game Saturday night slate, topped off with a Lakers-Blazers showdown on the West Coast. Additionally, there's an interesting battle of big men between Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic in the Jazz-Nuggets tilt, a clash of Western Conference contenders between the Pelicans and the Spurs, and an Eastern Conference tilt featuring the Pacers and Celtics. With a few high-priced assets on the shelves tonight, we'll need get the most bang for the buck with each selection.
Without further ado, let's dive into some candidates at each position that can help you do just that:
POINT GUARD
Jamal Murray, DEN vs. UTA ($7,200): Murray has had a couple of clunkers thus far, but he's still averaging a solid 29.1 fantasy points per game. He's scored between 29.2 and 47 fantasy points in three of his first four games, and despite the Jazz's defensive reputation, they actually shape up as an attractive matchup for point guards. Utah is surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points per game to ones (52.1), including the third-most points (31.8) and sixth-most made threes (3.2) to the position per contest. Murray also thrived in the matchup last season, averaging 16.5 points (on 53.2 percent shooting, including 45.8 percent from three-point range), 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists across four games.
Jeremy Lin, ATL vs. MIA ($3,900): Lin has seen over 20 minutes in each of his last two games, which has led to fantasy-point tallies of 26.2 and 27.7. The bump in volume could well be a trend, and for the moment, it makes Lin one of the true bargains of the night with a sub-$4K price tag. What's more, he'll be locked into an appealing matchup when he does see the floor, as the Heat has yielded the fourth-most fantasy points per game to point guards (52.7), as well as the second-most points (31.8) and second-most made threes (4.1) per contest to the position. The fact Atlanta is also currently playing at the fastest pace in the league (111.0 possessions per game) also fits perfectly with Lin's style and skill set.
SHOOTING GUARD
C.J. McCollum, POR vs. LAL ($6,800): McCollum had one of his rare off nights Thursday versus the Pelicans, leading to an underwhelming eight-point tally that might lead to at least a slight drop in ownership for GPPs on Saturday. Fading him could well prove to be a mistake, however, as the Lakers come in allowing the most fantasy points per game to shooting guards (50.7). That number is partly the result of Los Angeles yielding the most points (30.3) and assists (6.2) per game to two-guards. Moreover, one of the Lakers' biggest weaknesses overall – three-point shooting – dovetails with McCollum's long-range marksmanship perfectly for fantasy purposes. The Lakers have also allowed the sixth-highest success rate from three-point range (38.3 percent), while McCollum drained an impressive 52.9 percent of his long-range shots against them in three games last season.
Rodney McGruder, MIA at ATL ($5,700): McGruder continues to produce and his price continues to mostly hold steady, making him a player to go back to the well on Saturday if you're looking to save at two-guard. The third-year pro is averaging 29.5 fantasy points per contest. He's scored between 24.6 and 40 fantasy points in five of his last six games, and he'd be hard-pressed to find a better matchup Saturday. The Hawks come in allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to shooting guards (45.3), while also yielding the third-most points (28.6), fifth-most rebounds (7.2), fourth-highest shooting percentage (48.8) and second-most made threes (3.7) per game to the position. McGruder is averaging career bests in points (14.3), rebounds (6.0), overall field-goal percentage (49.3) and three-point percentage (50.0), putting him in prime position to take advantage of all of those weaknesses. And, with Goran Dragic (toe) now ruled out of Saturday's game, McGruder should be in for a sizable bump in usage.
SMALL FORWARD
Rudy Gay, SA vs. NO ($6,800): Gay remains priced very reasonably relative to his consistency and recent returns. The veteran wing has proven to be an excellent complementary third option on the Spurs offense, averaging 14.3 points and also pulling down a career-best 8.3 rebounds per contest. He's eclipsed 40 fantasy points in two of his last three games, and he's been over 25 on three other occasions. The Pelicans have been about middle of the pack against small forwards in most categories, but they are allowing the fifth-most assists (4.4) to the position, along with a 44.7 percent success rate from the floor. Meanwhile, Gay is draining a career-best 52.5 percent of his attempts, including a career-high 64.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc.
E'Twaun Moore, NO at SA ($4,800): Moore is perpetually under-owned in tournaments, yet all he seemingly does is provide a solid 4x-5x return at minimum every time he's on the floor. Already having shot an impressive 50.8 percent last season, Moore has improved that figure to 53.3 percent this year on a career-high 11.3 shot attempts per contest, including 46.7 percent from three-point range. Moreover, with Kawhi Leonard now in Toronto, the Spurs have become highly vulnerable to small forwards, allowing the most fantasy points per game (49.0) and points (26.0) to the position, along with the second-most rebounds (9.9) and assists (5.4). What's more, they're surrendering a healthy 48.8 percent success rate from the floor to threes, which could spell trouble against Moore's above-average accuracy.
POWER FORWARD
Wendell Carter, Jr., CHI vs. HOU ($7,400): The Bulls record isn't pretty, but they've played competitively in several of their losses to quality teams and Carter's play has been one of the bright spots. The rookie is averaging a solid 28.7 fantasy points per contest and has scored 31.5 to 59.1 over his last four contests. He'll find himself in a matchup that could well facilitate more of the same Saturday, as the Rockets are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to centers (63.9), as well as the fourth-most blocks (3.5) and second-highest shooting percentage (65.2) to the position. Carter is averaging an impressive 1.7 blocks per game and will also be positioned to take advantage of the fact Houston allows the most points in the paint per game (57.7) in the league, considering more than half his scoring (51.5 percent) originates from that area of the floor.
P.J. Tucker, HOU at CHI ($5,600): Tucker has scored 24.2 to 34.7 fantasy points in his last four games, and he's eclipsed the 20-mark at a minimum in all but one contest. The versatile veteran is getting it done across the stat sheet as usual, putting up his best scoring average (8.4) since the 2014-15 season while recording a career-high 2.0 steals per contest. He's offering solid production in rebounds (6.0) and assists (1.6) as well and faces a Bulls squad that's allowed 52.1 fantasy points per game to power forwards. With his multiple paths to fantasy success and highly affordable price, he shapes up as one of the more appealing bargains at power forward.
CENTER
Jusuf Nurkic, POR vs. LAL ($7,000): Following back-to-back tallies of over 30 fantasy points, Nurkic is now averaging an impressive 31.1 fantasy points thus far this season and has already compiled a trio of double-doubles. He remains reasonably priced relative to his upside and draws a matchup he's thrived in previously in the Lakers. Nurkic averaged 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals across a modest 25.0 minutes over three games versus Los Angeles last season, and he essentially hit those marks again in this year's season opener with 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals in just 17 minutes. The Lakers continue to be highly vulnerable to centers this season despite swapping out Brook Lopez for JaVale McGee down low, as they're yielding the fourth-most fantasy points (64.0) and rebounds (18.4) per game to the position. Their weakness is further exemplified by the fact they're surrendering the third-most points in the paint per game (57.0), particularly relevant considering that Nurkic is scoring 68.3 percent of his points (10.3 per game) in that area of the floor.
