As you build your fantasy basketball lineups for tonight’s DraftKings contests, check out Zach Thompson’s top three NBA DFS stacks to target.
On Saturday, the NBA has seven games spread throughout the day, with four games on the main DFS fantasy basketball slate for DraftKings, which tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET. Taking a look at the opponents and potential opportunities, a few strong matchups stand out. These three key NBA DFS stacks make sense to build around as the core of your fantasy basketball roster for Saturday night.
Especially at this point in the season, it makes sense to start your planning by checking out the daily injury report. For Saturday’s main slate, the Cavaliers and Celtics are the only teams playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so be sure to monitor the updates for those teams specifically. Make sure to check back for updates to the injury report before the action tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
The NBA DFS main slate includes a variety of contests and pay-out structures on DraftKings, headlined by the NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st].
Miami Heat at Utah Jazz
The Jazz are a great matchup to stack against in almost any situation this season, and the Heat should be a great option for Saturday’s NBA DFS stacks as they roll into Salt Lake City. The Jazz have allowed the most points per game in the NBA this season, allowing 127.4 points per game. They also give up the most assists and the top field-goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot 49.4% from the field.
The Heat will also be at least a little banged up, which makes the players available even better stacking options. The team already ruled out Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware while Norman Powell ($7,100) and Davion Mitchell ($4,800) are each questionable. The vacated usage makes the remaining players even better options, who have the potential for even more work if Powell or Mitchell are out or limited.
Core Plays: The starting point for the Heat stacks on Saturday should be Bam Adebayo ($7,800), who will likely face the Jazz frontcourt without Jusuf Nurkic (doubtful). Bam has been smashing lately, with over 45 fantasy points in three of his last four games and an impressive 56 fantasy points on 32 points and 10 boards on Thursday against the Blazers. Andrew Wiggins ($6,200) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($5,900) will be in favorable spots to produce if they pick up more work with Powell out or limited, especially since the Jazz have allowed the most and second-most fantasy points per game in the NBA against the two forward spots this season.
Value Options: If Mitchell is out or limited, Dru Smith ($3,300) and Kasparas Jakucionis ($4,000) could help fill in at point guard. Pelle Larsson ($4,900) has been solid lately and is probable with a finger injury, but the best value play lately for Miami has been Simone Fontecchio ($3,800), who will be facing the team that he started his NBA career with in Utah. Fontecchio has scored at least 13 points and produced at least 24 fantasy points in each of his last four games, including 17 points and 29.5 fantasy points in his last game, which was on Thursday in Portland.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Lots of the attention on Saturday night will be on Luka Doncic ($11,800) back in Dallas to face his former team. While he is basically a stack all by himself, I actually like the other side of this matchup for a decent option in Saturday’s NBA DFS stacks. The Mavericks could be fired up to take on their former teammate, or, for some of them, the player they were traded for.
The Mavs won’t have Anthony Davis (finger), but Daniel Gafford ($4,900) is probable, giving them a fairly healthy rotation aside from Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II, who are out with long-term injuries.
The Mavs have actually won four straight, and they have scored at least 107 points in eight straight games.
Core Plays: Rookie Cooper Flagg ($7,900) is the leader of the offense and should look to step up. He has been volatile but is coming off a nice 21-point, 11-rebound game against the Warriors on Thursday. PJ Washington ($6,300) returned in that game and does not have an injury designation for Saturday.
Value Options: Max Christie ($5,300), who came to Dallas in the Luka trade, has been the other key contributor lately, averaging 36 fantasy points per game in his three games since returning from an illness. He has been working well in the backcourt with Brandon Williams ($4,600), who has put up over 25 fantasy points in four of his last five games and had a strong 19-point performance on Friday, earning 29.2 fantasy points. Gafford’s return crowds the frontcourt a little, but Caleb Martin ($3,800) and Dwight Powell ($4,100) can still be good bargain plays.
Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Magic are just getting back in the groove after their overseas trip, but they should be well-rested with only three games in the last two weeks. They lost their first game back stateside on Thursday, falling 124-97 to the Hornets. They’ll look to bounce back against the Cavs on Saturday, though, and the Cavs are on the road playing for the second night in a row, possibly setting Orlando up for a big game. The Cavs’ defense has been shaky lately, regardless of their rest, allowing the fifth-most points per game over their last 10 contests.
Orlando will remain without Franz Wagner (ankle) for this game, but it should get back Jalen Suggs ($6,900), who is probable after missing eight games with a knee injury. His return makes the backcourt a little unpredictable, but there are some strong options still in play for a stack.
Core Plays: The key piece of the Orlando stack is Paolo Banchero ($9,100), who has had a few quiet games lately but still has an incredibly high ceiling and a history of smashing the Cavs. Desmond Bane ($7,200) will also pick up more of the scoring in Wagner’s absence, and he has at least 34 fantasy points in three of his last five contests, with the ability to go off for even more if the game flow calls for him to step up more.
Value Options: Tristan da Silva ($4,200) has been starting in place of Wagner, but he hasn’t had much fantasy production lately. It was da Silva’s backup, Noah Penda ($4,000), who had 29 fantasy points on Thursday, and now has 19+ fantasy points in six of his last seven games. If you need a bargain forward, it’s a good night to hop on the Penda express! It’s also worth noting that while Franz Wagner is out, Mo Wagner ($3,600) is back getting minutes as a backup center, and he had 14 points in just 15 minutes on Thursday as well. You can use those cheaper plays to fill in an Orlando stack that starts with Bane and Banchero while avoiding any issues with Suggs’ return.