We have a seven-game main slate on tap Saturday night, one that could be devoid of a handful of big names. There are also a pair of especially large favorites that make DFS strategy difficult when it comes to those matchups, but due to the amount of teams in action, we still have plenty of options from both a game and player perspective.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, March 21 at 12:00 p.m. EDT:
Memphis Grizzlies at Charlotte Hornets (-17.5) (O/U: 235.5)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-4.5) at New Orleans Pelicans (O/U: 236.5)
Los Angeles Lakers (-3) at Orlando Magic (O/U: 233.5)
Indiana Pacers at San Antonio Spurs (-18.5) (O/U: 233.5)
Golden State Warriors at Atlanta Hawks (-10) (O/U: 229.5)
Miami Heat at Houston Rockets (-3) (O/U: 225.5)
Los Angeles Clippers (-7) at Dallas Mavericks (O/U: 234.5)
As alluded to, the projected advantages for the Hornets and Spurs makes it very plausible that the high-salary players on those teams play significantly less than their usual allotment of minutes. The good news is we have four other games that are projected to be very competitive, as well as a Warriors-Hawks matchup that could play out a bit closer than what's being projected. Totals are also encouraging for the most part, given five of the seven contests have figures of over 233 points, albeit with two of those being the likely lopsided matchups.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Kawhi Leonard, LAC (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Leonard can't play, the rest of the starting five will be in for a big usage boost, while Jordan Miller will likely draw a spot start.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE (eye): QUESTIONABLE
If Mitchell is sidelined, James Harden will see even more usage than usual, and Sam Merrill and Max Strus could see the majority of shooting guard minutes.
Austin Reaves, LAL (hip): QUESTIONABLE
If Reaves can't go, Jake LaRavia and Luke Kennard will likely share the majority of minutes at two-guard, while Luka Doncic and LeBron James will log even more usage than usual.
Pascal Siakam, IND (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Siakam is out, Obi Toppin (foot) and/or Kobe Brown could see most of the minutes at power forward.
Other notable injuries:
Stephen Curry, GSW (knee): OUT
Ja Morant, Grizzlies (elbow): OUT
Jarrett Allen, CLE (knee): OUT
Franz Wagner, ORL (ankle): OUT
Jaime Jaquez, MIA (hip): OUT
Bennedict Mathurin, LAC (toe): OUT
Andrew Wiggins, MIA (toe): OUT
Al Horford, GSW (calf): GTD
Moses Moody, GSW (wrist): GTD
Jonathan Kuminga, ATL (knee): GTD
GG Jackson, MEM (knee): GTD
Quinten Post, GSW (foot): GTD
Stephon Castle, SAN (hip): QUESTIONABLE
Kristaps Porzingis, GSW (back): QUESTIONABLE
Andrew Nembhard, IND (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Ty Jerome, MEM (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Obi Toppin, IND (foot): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate: Luka Doncic ($12,700), Victor Wembanyama ($12,100) and Jalen Johnson ($10,900).
Doncic went off for 60 actual points and 85.9 FD points against the Heat on Thursday, and he's been over 63 in five of the last six contests. He could also take the floor Saturday without Austin Reaves, which would set Doncic's expectations even higher.
Wembanyama has eclipsed 51 FD points in seven of the last eight contests, but the Spurs are massive favorites Saturday and he could therefore see fewer minutes than usual.
Johnson had a downturn against the Rockets in a lopsided loss Friday, but he'd been over 45 FD points in each of the six games prior and has a solid matchup against the Warriors on Saturday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($9,900)
If Leonard is announced as available, he should be a popular option as usual given his ceiling.
Evan Mobley, CLE ($9,600)
Mobley will continue to take the floor without Jarrett Allen and possibly Donovan Mitchell on Saturday, which should ensure a high roster rate.
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($9,500)
Banchero has been over 42 FD points in five of his last eight games and will be a key part of a competitive game against the Lakers, which should lead to him being on plenty of rosters.
James Harden, CLE ($9,500)
Harden will be even more popular than usual if Donovan Mitchell is ruled out, and he already checks in having scored 46 and 61.9 FD points in his last two games.
Cooper Flagg, DAL ($9,000)
Flagg has been over 46 FD points in two of his last three games and is always a candidate to eclipse 50, which should keep him very popular at his salary.
Key Values
Miles Bridges, CHA vs. MEM ($6,300)
Despite sounding the alarm about the blowout potential in the Grizzlies-Hornets clash Saturday, Bridges' salary is reasonable enough and the matchup that enticing that he deserves consideration. The veteran had a dud of 13.6 FD points against the Magic last time out, but he'd averaged 34.9 FD points in the three games prior. The Grizzlies' extremely thin frontcourt has been very targetable, and Memphis checks in allowing 46.6 FD points to power forwards in the last 30 games, as well as a Western Conference-high 58.0 rebounds per contest overall in the last three games.
John Collins, LAC at DAL ($6,000)
As alluded to previously, the Clippers could be operating without Kawhi Leonard on Saturday due to his ankle injury, but Collins is an intriguing play at his salary in any circumstance. The veteran forward checks into the solid matchup on an upward trajectory, having averaged 28.0 FD points across 24.5 minutes in his four games since returning from a neck strain. The Mavericks have already conceded one tally of 35.3 FD points to Collins this season, and Dallas checks in allowing an NBA-high 56.4 FD points per game to power forwards in the last 15 contests, along with league-high figures in points (28.4) and rebounds (11.9) to the position in that stretch.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, MEM at CHA ($5,500)
Prosper has been quite the revelation in a lost season for the Grizzlies, putting together some encouraging all-around play down low. The 2023 first-round pick is making good use of the most extensive opportunity of his career yet, averaging 24.1 FD points across 25.1 minutes per game during his ongoing 15-game starting run. Prosper has delivered a well-rounded 12.7 points (on 55.8 percent shooting, including 38.6 percent from three-point range), 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per contest in that sample, and even if Memphis falls behind big Saturday, he should still be in for his customary allotment of minutes given how thin the Grizzlies' roster is. The Hornets have been fairly effective against centers as of late, but they're still conceding 48.9 FD points per contest to the position in the last 15 games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Julian Champagnie, SAN vs. IND ($4,900)
