After taking Thursday off and providing us with a big 14-game slate Friday, the NBA has fallen back to an average slate Saturday with seven games, one of which projects to be the definition of racehorse basketball. Let’s waste no time in getting to the breakdown and trying to project Saturday’s action here.

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Vegas lines and totals

Toronto Raptors (-3) @ Washington Wizards – total of 205
Brooklyn Nets @ Cleveland Cavaliers (-10) – total of 201
Atlanta Hawks @ San Antonio Spurs (-7.5) – total of 192.5
Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks (-9) – total of 205
New Orleans Pelicans @ Utah Jazz (-8) – total 197
Los Angeles Lakers @ Portland Trail Blazers (-8) – total of 204
Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors (-15) – total of 219

The Kings-Warriors game has a high total but is also a potential blowout, especially if DeMarcus Cousins can’t play. Nuggets-Mavericks also has a smidgen of blowout potential, as does Lakers-Blazers, which means you may want to shy away from some of the top players in those games in GPPs. Or, you may want to play them since others will be off them for those reasons. You can justify either strategy. In cash games, though, any key players will always be a big part of building a big lead, so it’s less risky than some tend to think. As always, here’s the DraftKings scoring system below.

Point = +1 PT
Made 3pt. shot = +0.5 PTs
Rebound = +1.25 PTs
Assist = +1.5 PTs
Steal = +2 PTs
Block = +2 PTs
Turnover = -0.5 PTs
Double-Double = +1.5PTs (MAX 1 PER PLAYER: Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals)
Triple-Double = +3PTs (MAX 1 PER PLAYER: Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals)

Now, for the top options and values at each position:

POINT GUARD

Stephen Curry ($10,900) – Even with the aforementioned blowout concerns, Curry has proven capable of hitting the 60-point plateau in three quarters of play, just like he did Friday night against the Suns. Saturday’s matchup with the Kings will be played at a scorching pace with two of the three fastest teams in the NBA facing off, and Rajon Rondo has almost no chance of even containing Curry. Another big night is likely in store.

Rajon Rondo ($9,300) – Rondo will likely be torched by Curry, but that doesn’t make him a bad DFS play unless DeMarcus Cousins returns for Saturday’s game. I’m banking on Cousins missing the game with this pick, which would give Rondo a usage bump and allow him to continue posting fat fantasy lines. If Cousins plays, though, I’d consider being off Rondo entirely, so make sure to watch the injury report.

Damian Lillard ($9,100) – Lillard vs. the Lakers: the mismatched rematch. Maybe I can’t write a Hollywood script but it doesn’t matter, because I already know how this movie ends. Lillard plastered Los Angeles for 30 points and 13 assists on Nov. 22, dropping 65 fantasy points in the process. It’d be a shock to see him post less than 50 fantasy points in this one.

Deron Williams ($5,800) – The top of the point guard position is juicy Saturday night, but Williams may represent the best dollar-for-dollar value on the board. He’s averaging over 35 fantasy points per game in his last five outings and gets the porous perimeter defense of the Nuggets on Saturday. I’m projecting around 40 fantasy points for Williams in this one.

Cheap risk option: Raul Neto ($3,000) – Trey Burke is banged up and may not play Saturday, which would leave the point guard position to Neto and Alec Burks. Burks may need to fill in for Rodney Hood, however, which would give Neto an unmatched opportunity to build off the first double-digit scoring games off his career, in which he tallied 26.25 DK points. He’s worth a cheap GPP flier on a tough night for value, but the top of the position is too strong to use him in cash games.

SHOOTING GUARD

Klay Thompson ($6,300) – There’s a small chance you’ll see a Warrior at every position on this list. The Kings defense is that bad, and three quarters against an awful defense could be better than four against an average one for a team with an implied total of 117. I don’t like Thompson as much as I like Curry or Draymond Green, but he’s a viable option at the always-shallow shooting guard position. He’s a virtual lock for 25 fantasy points with the upside for more if this game stays close.

Kobe Bryant ($6,100) – Bryant can’t shoot, but that doesn’t count against him in DFS. He’s topped 25 DK points in seven of his last eight games and he should get any shot he wants against C.J. McCollum, whose defense isn’t quite at the level his offense is at this point in his career. Whether those shots fall is anybody’s guess, but Kobe should get enough of them to have a solid floor.

Wesley Matthews ($4,200) – To be honest, Matthews is my favorite SG play of the night. Thompson and Bryant have their share of risk, and Matthews is quietly starting to regain confidence and consistency coming off his Achilles injury. He’s cleared 23 fantasy points in four of his past five games, with the one dud coming against the stingy Jazz defense. The Denver defense might actually be the complete opposite of Utah’s, which gives Matthews a better floor-to-dollar ratio than Klay or Kobe.

Cheap risk option: Marco Belinelli ($4,300) – If Kings-Warriors does turn into a laugher, Belinelli might get some extra run in garbage time. He’s been playing well and has a good shot at 25 fantasy points, which would be a really nice turnaround on his price for a seven-game slate. He’ll play a lot even the game stays close, too.

SMALL FORWARD

LeBron James ($9,600) – James hasn’t had a game below 40 fantasy points in any of his last 10 contests, as he’s playing with remarkable consistency of late. At full health against a Nets team that has no answer for him—sorry Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but players like James and Kevin Durant look at you as “fresh meat”—James should continue to feast two days after Thanksgiving. Expect around 50 DK points from LeBron in this one.

DeMarre Carroll ($5,700) – The Wizards have struggled early with their new high-paced style, and those struggles are especially apparent against opposing small forwards. Carroll is here to take advantage of the Wizards’ problems Saturday and should have no problem reaching 30 fantasy points against a team that allows 3.6 more fantasy points to SFs than any other squad.

Andre Iguodala ($5,200) – Harrison Barnes hurt his ankle Friday and barring a miraculous recovery to 100 percent in under 24 hours, the Warriors will likely play it safe and hold him out on a back-to-back. While Luke Walton may keep Iguodala in a sixth-man role to keep his rotations intact, Barnes’ absence most certainly means a few more minutes for Iguodala, whose fantasy-friendly game makes him a fun player to own in uptempo matchups like this one.

Cheap risk option: Jared Dudley ($3,000) – Nene’s injury opened up playing time for Dudley in Friday’s blowout loss in Boston, but the veteran small forward may have a legitimate chance to see 30 minutes of playing time once again, even in a close game. If he does, Dudley is a good bet for 20 fantasy points with the upside for more if his three-point shot is falling, and he’s well worth a GPP punt play. If he starts, he might even be worth cash-game consideration.

POWER FORWARD

Kevin Love ($8,300) – Love doesn’t have the easiest matchup against Thaddeus Young, who can guard the perimeter better than most NBA power forwards, but the Cavaliers’ No. 2 option should have no issue hitting the boards if he’s not finding space at the three-point line. Love has started his second year in Cleveland in much different fashion than Year 1 with Kyrie Irving out, and he’s a good option Saturday night.

Draymond Green ($7,400) – Price aside, I’d take Green over Love tonight even if their salaries matched. Green is actually my favorite play of all the Warriors, and the one I’ll likely have in more cash games. His well-rounded game can put up fantasy points in a hurry and power forward isn’t exactly brimming with great options, as Cousins and Anthony Davis could easily miss Saturday’s games. Green feels safer than Curry, and it could very well be the $3,500 price difference.

Luis Scola ($5,100) – Scola has scored 31 and 26.25 points in the two games since Jonas Valanciunas got hurt and has played 30.5 minutes per game. With his playing time on the rise, Scola is a good option even in an average matchup with the Wizards. This game should be somewhat high scoring, and he tends to pick up a few extra touches in the post with Valanciunas on the sidelines.

Cheap risk option: Darrell Arthur ($4,200) – At press time, we have no idea if Kenneth Faried and/or Joffrey Lauvergne will play Saturday. Both were reportedly close Friday but ended up sitting, and Arthur is only an option if he’s in the starting lineup, which makes Faried’s status more important for this pick. Arthur busted hard Friday, however, so tread lightly even if Faried sits again.

CENTER

Mason Plumlee ($6,000) – The center position actually has a few decent mid-range options tonight, but Plumlee is probably the best. The return of Meyers Leonard doesn’t scare me off Plumlee just yet, as Leonard may come off the bench and could always have his minutes limited. The Lakers’ interior defense is Pillsbury soft and a nice double-double should be the expectation here.

Zaza Pachulia ($5,600) – Pachulia has turned back the clock this season, and a matchup with Denver isn’t one to fast-forward time back to the present day. Before an epic dud Wednesday, Pachulia had scored at least 32 fantasy points in four straight games and any big man can be forgiven for struggling against the Spurs. Give Pachulia a pass, and expect him to get back to normal levels of production in a good matchup.

Roy Hibbert ($4,800) – On the other side of the Lakers-Blazers game, Roy Hibbert will enjoy a great matchup himself, as Plumlee is far from a lockdown defender in the post and Portland allows the fifth-most rebounds and sixth-most blocks to opposing centers. Hibbert is always a hard player to trust ,but he has at least 24.5 fantasy points in six of his past seven games. He’s a decent option if you want to save a few dollars from Plumlee or Pachulia.

Bismack Biyombo ($4,300) – If Biyombo had a top-notch matchup, he’d be arguably the top center play of the day, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t viable against Washington. Biyombo has 50 fantasy points in 64 minutes in his past two starts, and 25 fantasy points is a reasonable expectation for the big man as long as he stays out of foul trouble.

Cheap risk option: Festus Ezeli ($4,300) – Speaking of foul trouble, Andrew Bogut finds himself in it quite often. The Warriors may be able to get away with going small if Cousins doesn’t play, but Ezeli always has an outside shot at 25 fantasy points off the bench, even in limited minutes. As you can glean by my tone, the cheap centers are not particularly attractive tonight.

Cash Game Ranks

This isn’t necessarily an order of who will score the most DraftKings points. Rather, the rankings are aimed to find the best price, value and production combo to help you win cash games, also taking into account potential ownership levels for each player.

PG
1) Deron Williams
2) Rajon Rondo
3) Stephen Curry
4) Damian Lillard
5) Mo Williams
6) Ish Smith
7) Tony Parker
8) D’Angelo Russell

SG
1) Wesley Matthews
2) Klay Thompson
3) Kobe Bryant
4) J.R. Smith
5) DeMar DeRozan
6) Jordan Clarkson
7) Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
8) Danny Green

SF
1) DeMarre Carroll
2) Andre Iguodala
3) LeBron James
4) Al-Farouq Aminu
5) Joe Johnson

PF
1) Draymond Green
2) Luis Scola
3) Kevin Love
4) Derrick Favors
5) Ryan Anderson
6) Paul Millsap
7) Thaddeus Young

C
1) Mason Plumlee
2) Zaza Pachulia
3) Roy Hibbert
4) Bismack Biyombo
5) Marcin Gortat
6) Kosta Koufos
7) Nikola Jokic

As always, stay locked to Twitter and follow me @christripodi, where I’ll do my best to break down the implications of any late scratches or lineup changes before the first game tips at 7 p.m. EST. I’ll also update this article as news breaks throughout the day if at all possible, but I will usually update via Twitter first.

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