This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We've got a solid eight-game slate Saturday night, and there's plenty to pay up for in the form of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. There's also plenty of value to make that possible, including quite a few options in the Magic-Pacers tilt. Furthermore, injuries are opening up more opportunities to lock in some solid point-per-dollar values. Without further ado, let's examine some of the night's best bargains:
POINT GUARD
Tyler Johnson, PHO vs. LAL ($5,700): Granted, Johnson has been far from consistent since joining the Suns, but viable value point guards are actually somewhat at a premium Saturday night. Johnson has shown some nice GPP upside in two of his games in a Phoenix uniform thus far, posting 33.1 and 50 fantasy points three and four games ago, respectively. Moreover, he touched up his old Heat teammates for a solid 28.7 fantasy points last Monday, but he was back to struggling with his shot Friday night versus Pelicans while posting just three points (1-7 FG). However, the Lakers could help him bounce right back, considering they're now allowing 37.9 fantasy points per game to ones for the season, including the second most (54.6) over the last 10 games. Los Angeles is also allowing 46.0 percent shooting to the position over the latter span, a sharp increase from the NBA-low 37.0 percent they've yielded on the season.
D.J. Augustin, ORL at IND ($4,800): Augustin has been outpacing his current price lately, scoring 22.7 to 30 fantasy points in the last five games. The veteran point guard has also seen a welcome bump in usage over the last two games, taking double-digit shot attempts in each. The Pacers have been the stingiest team in the NBA versus ones in terms of fantasy points allowed per game (32.0), but Augustin has been solid versus Indiana in two prior meetings this season, averaging 12.5 points (on 42.9 percent shooting, including 50.0 percent from three-point range). Given the combination of recent returns and very reasonable price, he's in play if you need to save at the position.
SHOOTING GUARD
Terrence Ross, ORL at IND ($5,300): Ross has turned into a highly reliable source of scoring off the bench for the Magic, and he'll come into Saturday's game averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game. The veteran wing has scored 23.9 to 38.3 fantasy points in four of the last five games, just the latest example of the type of returns he's made the norm the majority of the season. While the Pacers were very tough on shooting guards when Victor Oladipo (knee) was still in the lineup, that's naturally changed following his season-ending injury. Indiana is allowing 47.2 fantasy points per game to two-guards over the last 10, including 60.5 over the last five contests overall.
Wesley Matthews, IND vs. ORL ($4,600): Matthews has been solid holding down the reins of the starting two-guard job in Indiana, scoring 20.2 to 25.1 fantasy points in the last five games. Just as encouraging is how aggressive Matthews has been from distance, taking between six and 11 three-point attempts in each contest over that span. The matchup lines up reasonably well for him Saturday, considering Orlando is allowing a hefty 51.2 fantasy points per contest to shooting guards over the last 10 games, a sharp spike from their 34.4 seasonal figure. Additionally, the Magic is allowing a 36.2 percent success rate from distance to twos on the season, while Matthews currently checks in with his best three-point shooting percentage (38.4) since the 2014-15 season.
SMALL FORWARD
Justise Winslow, MIA vs. BKN ($6,300): The oft-injured Goran Dragic (calf) is already listed as questionable for Saturday's contest, which potentially leaves Winslow back in the starting point guard job he's often thrived in this season. It's worth noting Winslow has continued to log solid playing time even during Dragic's recent return, as he played 31 minutes apiece in the last two games with his teammate in the lineup. The Nets come in allowing the third-most fantasy points (54.6) over the last 10 games to point guards, along with the second-most assists (11.3). They'll also force the Heat into a bump in pace, as Brooklyn is averaging the 10th-most possessions per game (105.4). That should give the talented Winslow, who's scored over 30 fantasy points in four straight, even more opportunities.
Will Barton, DEN vs. NO ($5,600): Barton had been having some trouble finding his stroke in what's been an injury-marred season, but he seems to be hitting his stride of late. The veteran wing has scored 33.1 and 49.1 fantasy points in his last two games, respectively, shooting 50.0 percent over that span. He's also scored 26.8 to 32.1 fantasy points in three other games over his last seven overall, and he could be in for another strong return Saturday. The Pelicans come in allowing a bottom-10 figure in fantasy points (36.7) to small forwards for the season, including the most over the last 10 games. For the season, New Orleans is also yielding the third-highest offensive efficiency rating (23.0) to the position and will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, furthering Barton's case.
POWER FORWARD
Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. BKN ($5,200): Hassan Whiteside remains very iffy for Saturday's game due to his hip pointer, and his minutes would likely be somewhat limited even if he does suit up. That thrusts Adebayo right into the spotlight, especially considering the matchup. The Nets have allowed the third-most fantasy points (38.6) to centers on the season, along with the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating (35.3) to the position. Adebayo has scored 29.1 to 35.3 fantasy points in the last three games, and he's thrived on multiple occasions this season with Whiteside out of the lineup. Furthermore, he's highly capable of exploiting the fact the Nets allow the third-most points in the paint (52.0) per contest – Adebayo logs just under 70 percent (69.4) of his scoring in that part of the floor.
Markieff Morris, OKC at SA ($4,200): Morris is set for another start Saturday with Paul George (shoulder) still sidelined. The veteran big scored 24.8 fantasy points Thursday against the Sixers with George out of the lineup, and he'd tallied 25.6 two games prior versus the Kings as well. While his minutes have been capped at 20 thus far in OKC, his price certainly accounts for that. Although the Spurs have been mostly effective against small forwards this season, they've allowed 45.0 percent shooting to the position, including 37.1 percent from three-point range. For his part, Morris is taking a career-high 4.1 three-point attempts per game and has put up 13 over the last three games alone.
CENTER
Mason Plumlee, DEN vs. NO ($5,000): The Grizzlies' Joakim Noah ($5,800) and the Spurs' Jakob Poeltl ($4,600) are two other viable value candidates if you've either got the cash to spend up or need to save a bit more. However, Plumlee is appealing in his own right at a price point that settles nicely between the two. The veteran continues to offer strong, consistent production off the bench, having scored 34.8 fantasy points in his most recent game and having eclipsed 30 on four other occasions over his last nine games overall. Plumlee has scored under 22 fantasy points only once in the last 11 games, and he'll draw a friendly matchup versus a Pelicans team that's allowed 41.8 fantasy points to centers over the last 10 games (compared to 33.2 for the season), along with the third-highest shooting percentage (63.0). New Orleans also yields the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating (35.0) to fives and eighth highest (44.6) to second units, making Plumlee all the more appealing.
