This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Seven games are on tap Saturday night, providing us with enough variety to put together balanced lineups. That size of player pool also affords us a solid array of value choices, which can come in handy when trying to find salary for the likes of five-figure stars such as James Harden, Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at who some of those cost-savings options are:
POINT GUARD
Bryn Forbes, SA vs MEM ($4,700): Always a gifted shooter, Forbes has taken it up a couple of notches recently, having scored 21.4 to 31.1 fantasy points in his last five games, and 39.3 fantasy points two games prior to the start of that streak as well. He remains very attractively priced, and despite Saturday's matchup not being the most enticing, he'll be in a good position to offer at least a solid return due to the very affordable cost he carries. Additionally, the Grizzlies have actually been susceptible to long-distance marksmanship as a whole, as they come in allowing a bottom-10 figure in three-point shooting percentage (36.3), including 40.9 percent over the last three. In turn, Forbes is draining an impressive 43.6 percent of his 5.0 three-point attempts per contest.
Dante Exum, UTA at DET ($4,100): Exum is starting to seemingly hit his stride in his backup role behind Ricky Rubio, as he'll come into Saturday's favorable matchup having scored 21.1 to 31.5 fantasy points in four of his last five games. Exum is seeing some decent run consisting of minutes in the high teens to low 20s on most nights, offering him enough of a platform to pay off what is a very appealing price. The Pistons also make for inviting targets, as they've allowed 41.9 fantasy points per game to ones, and they also rank in the bottom half of the NBA in points (21.5) allowed to the position.
SHOOTING GUARD
J.J. Redick, PHI vs. DAL ($5,600): Redick is coming off a 41.8 fantasy-point tally versus the Suns on Wednesday, and he's also eclipsed 30 fantasy points on two occasions over his last six games overall. Those spikes represent excellent returns on his current price, leaving him poised to serve as one of the best value guards Saturday when also considering his matchup. The Mavericks have allowed a robust 44.4 fantasy points and 25.5 actual points per game to shooting guards, along with the highest shooting percentage (46.0) in the NBA to the position. Moreover, they're also yielding a success rate from three-point range on the road that's over four points higher than their home figure (36.6, compared to 32.5), while Redick comes in taking a career-high 7.6 three-point attempts per contest and draining them at a solid 37.9 percent clip.
Austin Rivers, HOU at POR ($4,300): Rivers has wasted no time getting down to business in a Rockets uniform, as he's jumped right into an integral role with both Chris Paul (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (knee) currently on the shelf. Rivers scored 18.7 to 25.5 fantasy points in three of his first four games with Houston before racking up 31.8 against the Warriors in Thursday's overtime victory. Gordon has already been confirmed as out for Saturday's game, which should afford Rivers starter's run once again. He'll draw a matchup versus a Blazers team that's allowing 46.0 fantasy points per game to twos, along with the fourth-highest three-point percentage (37.0) to opposing teams overall. Notably, Rivers is already averaging seven three-point attempts per contest over his last four with the Rockets.
SMALL FORWARD
Kyle Anderson, MEM at SA ($6,100): Anderson gets a chance to face off against his old squad in the midst of a hot streak. The versatile wing has scored over 40 fantasy points in two of his last three games, and he also has a 38.1 tally in the last five contests overall. He's coming off his first career triple-double Friday versus the Nets and is posting career bests in multiple categories. His former Spurs teammates have struggled to contain small forwards all season as well, allowing the second-most fantasy points (48.5), along with the fifth-highest shooting percentage (46.0). Additionally, Anderson already produced a solid 27.8 fantasy points against San Antonio in one prior meeting this season, furthering his case.
Norman Powell, TOR at MIL ($3,900): Powell has come on in the last pair of contests, scoring 25.1 and 29.6 fantasy points, respectively. He also has another pair of contests with more than 20 fantasy points within the last six games he's suited up for, yet his price remains extremely appealing. He'll draw a matchup that's liable to help him produce one of his better returns Saturday, as the Bucks come in allowing 46.2 fantasy points per game to the two-guard position Powell is currently filling, as well as bottom-10 figures in both rebounds (7.9) and assists (5.7). Notably, Milwaukee is also yielding the fourth-highest three-point percentage overall during the last three games (40.4), while Powell is draining an impressive 42.9 percent of his tries from behind the arc on the road.
POWER FORWARD
Larry Nance, Jr., CLE vs. NO ($6,000): Nance continues to generate production that far exceeds his typical prices, and he'll come into Saturday's solid matchup having scored between 26.3 and 61.5 fantasy points in his last nine games. That stretch includes one game apiece over the 40, 50 and 60-marks. Meanwhile, the Pelicans come in allowing the third-most fantasy points (47.0) to power forwards, along with the second-most points (22.9), ninth-most rebounds (10.9) and 46.0 percent shooting to the position. Nance comes in averaging career bests in points (9.1), rebounds (7.7), assists (3.3) and steals (1.5), as well as logging 64 percent of his scoring in the paint. The last figure is particularly relevant, considering New Orleans is yielding an elevated 50.3 points in the paint per contest.
Jonas Jerebko, GS at SAC ($3,600): Jerebko offers the upside of a player of a notably higher salary than just $100 away from minimum, making him an intriguing option in a game that could be the fastest-paced of the night. The veteran floor-spacer has been down in recent games, which has depressed his price to its current point. However, he did tally 24.4 fantasy points four games ago, and 37.7 three games prior to that. That offers but a glimpse of what he might be capable of against a Kings squad that's yielding 42.5 fantasy points per game to fours, along with the eighth-most rebounds (11.0) and fourth-highest shooting percentage (50.0). Jerebko is still typically seeing minutes in the upper teens on most nights, and the matchup versus a Sacramento squad compiling the second-most possessions per game (107.6) should afford him extra scoring opportunities when he's on the floor.
CENTER
Brook Lopez, MIL vs. TOR ($6,000): While Lopez underwhelmed in a favorable matchup versus the Hawks on Friday with just 17.4 fantasy points, he'll have a chance for an immediate bounce-back effort Saturday. Lopez had come into Friday's game against Atlanta having scored 24.1 to 33.6 fantasy points in the five games prior, so he'd been demonstrating some solid upside relative to his current price. Then, the Raptors come in allowing the ninth-most fantasy points per game (42.2) to centers, as well as the sixth-most rebounds. Lopez had averaged 24.3 fantasy points in two previous games versus Toronto this season, a pair of contests where the floor-spacing big has drained an impressive 46.3 percent of his shots from three-point range.
