This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a modest four-game slate Saturday night after a very busy Friday, giving us a compact player pool to work with. However, there are some very big names in action and a relatively light injury report, two key aspects that make up for the overall lack of volume in terms of options.
Slate Overview
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One less-than-ideal aspect of the slate is the point spreads, as there are no lines below six points as of Saturday morning. With no major injuries at play, these numbers figure to remain fairly stable throughout the day.
Projected totals do paint a more encouraging picture, as there isn't a number below 238 points, while the 247.5 attached to the Celtics-Pacers game is the high end of the scale.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Tobias Harris, PHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Harris, who left Friday's game against the Knicks with his injury, can't play, then Marcus Morris could be a beneficiary.
Other notable injuries:
De'Anthony Melton, PHI (back): GTD
Tari Eason, HOU (leg): GTD
Aaron Nesmith, IND (ankle): GTD
Al Horford, BOS (rest): GTD
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Joel Embiid ($12,600), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,400), Tyrese Haliburton ($11,500) and Jayson Tatum ($10,200).
Embiid posted 52.5 FD points against the Knicks in the 76ers' surprising Friday night loss, and he could be in for even more usage than usual if Tobias Harris sits out with his ankle injury Saturday.
Antetokounmpo has eclipsed 70 FD points in two of his last three games and hasn't been under 60 FD points in any of the last six contests.
Haliburton put together another double-double Friday against the Hawks and has at least 53.6 FD points in seven consecutive games.
Tatum has back-to-back tallies of more than 50 FD points and also scored 66.4 FD points four games ago, and he should be in for even more opportunity than usual with a matchup against the fastest-paced team in the league in the Pacers.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kristaps Porzingis, BOS ($9,200)
Porzingis' scoring does fluctuate some, but he has a ceiling north of 50 FD points, which should keep him very popular at his salary on a small slate.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,200)
Brunson has flashed a floor of at least 40 FD points in seven of the last eight games and also offers a ceiling north of 50 FD points, which should keep him in plenty of lineups.
Julius Randle, NYK ($9,000)
Randle posted only 25.9 FD points Friday against the 76ers, but his tendency to often land in the 40-50 FD-point range should keep him in plenty of lineups on this slate.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,000)
Sengun is a breakout star who has a pair of 50- and 60-point FD tallies apiece in his last seven contests alone, and his upside should make him even more popular than usual at position that's always at a premium on a small slate.
Damian Lillard, MIL ($8,900)
Lillard is coming off having scored 47.8 FD points against the Spurs in his most recent game and is always a candidate to exceed 50 FD points, which makes him a likely chalk option at his salary.
Key Values
Kelly Oubre, PHI vs. UTA ($6,100)
Oubre has hit his stride of late, scoring 29 to 32.1 FD points in his last three games and also putting up 42.9 six games ago on Christmas Day against the Heat. The talented wing could be taking the floor without two key teammates whose position he can fill, as both De'Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris are questionable at best to suit up Saturday. The Jazz makes for a good target for Oubre as well, ranking in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency rating allowed to both shooting guards and small forwards. Oubre is also putting up career bests in both overall shooting percentage (47.7) and three-point shooting (38.5) – he's been red hot from distance of late with a 48.5 percent success rate from deep in the last seven contests – while Utah checks in allowing 39.4 percent three-point shooting on the road.
Josh Hart, NYK at WAS ($5,500)
Hart offered a reminder of what he's capable of contributing in a bench role Friday against the 76ers, posting 38 FD points on the strength of a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double that included six assists. The veteran also had four other tallies between 20.4 and 30.8 FD points in four of the prior six games, offering a glimpse at the upside he brings at his salary. The Wizards are a defensively vulnerable team that make for good candidates to facilitate another strong return, as Washington is allowing an NBA-high 52.1 offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players and the second highest to small forwards (26.0), along with an NBA-high 49.8 FD points per game to threes.
Quentin Grimes, NYK at WAS ($3,900)
Grimes is a second Knick carrying a very appealing salary that I feel can thrive against the Wizards' porous defense. Washington's troubles against second-unit players were already alluded to in Hart's entry, and in addition to the numbers cited there, it's also worth noting the Wizards are giving up 48.3 percent shooting to reserves and the second-most FD points per game to shooting guards (45.8) in the last 15 contests. Grimes just scored 36.6 FD points Friday against the 76ers and has a trio of tallies of at least 23.8 FD points thus far this season, making him an interesting tournament play that can open up enough for you elsewhere to cram in a couple of especially big names to your lineup.
