It's a busy day in the NBA on Saturday, and FanDuel is serving up a seven-game main slate. There are no shortage of moving parts personnel-wise as we have some big-name injuries and some recently traded players that could be making their debuts with their new squads.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, Feb. 7 at 12:00 p.m. EST:
Utah Jazz at Orlando Magic (-6.5) (O/U: 238.5)
Charlotte Hornets (-2) at Atlanta Hawks (O/U: 231.5)
Denver Nuggets (-5.5) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 232.5)
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (-2.5) (O/U: 222.5)
Philadelphia 76ers at Phoenix Suns (-1.5) (O/U: 223.5)
Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers (-8.5) (O/U: 234.5)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-12) at Sacramento Kings (O/U: 234.5)
We have a very encouraging betting landscape overall Saturday, as there is just one double-digit favorite in the Cavaliers and the remainder of the night has the potential to be extremely competitive. The fact five of the seven games also have totals north of 230 points adds to the appeal and affords us multiple spots to consider targeting for DFS purposes.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Luka Doncic, LAL (hamstring): OUT
With Luka sidelined, LeBron James and Austin Reaves should be in line for significant usage boosts, while Marcus Smart may draw a start at point guard.
Deni Avdija, POR (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Avdija can't suit up, Sidy Cissoko and Jerami Grant are likely to handle the majority of power forward minutes, while the rest of the starting five will see elevated usage.
Nikola Jokic, DEN (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Jokic can't suit up, Jamal Murray will be in line for even more usage than usual, while Jonas Valanciunas will likely draw a spot start at center.
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Embiid can't play through his questionable tag, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona will likely handle all the center minutes, while Tyrese Maxey and the rest of the first unit will see usage boosts.
James Harden, CLE (trade acquisition): QUESTIONABLE
If Harden is able to make his Cavaliers debut, Donovan Mitchell should see a reduction in ball-handling opportunities and overall usage.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Sabonis is sidelined, Maxime Raynaud will draw a spot start at center.
Devin Booker, PHO (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Booker can't play, Collin Gillespie will remain in the starting five.
Other notable injuries:
Josh Giddey, CHI (hamstring): OUT
Aaron Gordon, DEN (hamstring): OUT
Grayson Allen, PHO (knee): OUT
Franz Wagner, ORL (ankle): OUT
Evan Mobley, CLE (calf): OUT
Ty Jerome, MEM (calf): OUT
Coby White, CHA (calf): OUT
Santi Aldama, MEM (knee): OUT
Kristaps Porzingis, GSW (Achilles): OUT
Jonathan Kuminga, ATL (knee): OUT
Shaedon Sharpe, POR (calf): GTD
Jalen Green, PHO (hip/hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
Keyonte George, UTA (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Brandin Podziemski, GSW (illness): PROBABLE
Keyonte George, UTA (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Saturday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($12,200), Jalen Johnson ($11,500), Joel Embiid ($10,300), Tyrese Maxey ($10,200) and Donovan Mitchell ($10,100).
Jokic's status will need to be monitored, but if he's available, he'll look to exceed 60 FD points for the third time in five games while facing a vulnerable Bulls frontcourt.
Johnson has eclipsed 56 FD points in three straight games and may find himself in one of the best game environments of the night against the Hornets.
If Embiid can play through his knee injury, he'll look to record at least 59 FD points for the fourth time in the last five games.
Maxey's stock will rise if Embiid is sidelined, but he's an intriguing play regardless after scoring at least 52 FD points in three of his last five games.
Mitchell may operate with James Harden next to him in the backcourt for the first time, which could lead to at least a slight usage hit.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
James Harden, CLE ($9,400)
If Harden is announced as available for Saturday, he should have a solid roster rate due to the anticipation of his Cavaliers debut and the fact he already checks in averaging 44.7 FD points per game for the season.
Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,300)
Murray will be popular under any circumstance thanks to his upside, but even more so if Nikola Jokic is sidelined due to his ankle injury.
LeBron James, LAL ($8,700)
With Luka Doncic already ruled out, LeBron, who's averaging just under 41 FD points per game, should be very popular.
Austin Reaves, LAL ($8,400)
Reaves is another beneficiary of Luka's absence and just scored 40.2 FD points against the Sixers in his second game back from an extended absence due to a calf injury.
Keyonte George, UTA ($8,000)
Although Isaiah Collier has been excellent the last two games, George is likely to return to the starting five Saturday and carries excellent upside for his salary.
Key Values
Miles Bridges, CHA at ATL ($6,600)
Bridges' production does tend to have its occasional fluctuation, but the veteran forward is capable of capitalizing on favorable matchup such as Saturday's. Bridges comes in on a solid run of production as well, averaging 28.8 FD points over his last eight games while exceeding 30 FD points in half those contests. The Hawks have already facilitated a couple of Bridges' strong performances this season, conceding 38.5 and 28.6 FD points to him in the first two meetings. Atlanta remains highly targetable, having surrendered the fourth-most FD points to power forwards in the last 15 games (48.9) while also allowing an Eastern Conference-high 10.7 rebounds per contest to the position in that span.
GG Jackson, MEM at POR ($5,800)
Jackson has taken advantage of his first two games on the first unit since Jaren Jackson's trade, recording 31.4 and 26.6 FD points while shooting a blistering 62.5 percent overall and from three-point range. The versatile big man had already been trending in the right direction prior to that pair of contests, contributing 24.9 FD points in the previous six games with the help of 50.8 percent shooting. The aforementioned 26.6 tally came against these same Blazers on Friday, and Jackson is right back in play on the second leg of the back-to-back set in a role that should once again afford him close to, if not more, than 30 minutes.
Wendell Carter, ORL vs. UTA ($4,900)
Carter is enjoying another solid season down low for the Magic, and he'll find himself in one of the more favorable matchups for centers Saturday. The veteran has had a solid two-month run of production, delivering 28.1 FD points per contest in his last 25 games on the strength of 12.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists while draining 49.4 percent of his attempts from the floor. Carter has five tallies north of 36 FD points in that span, excellent upside for his salary. The opposing Jazz could facilitate one of his higher-percentile performances, considering Utah is allowing an NBA-high 61.4 FD points per game to centers in the last 15 games and play at an accelerated pace that could garner Carter a handful of extra possessions to work with.
ALSO CONSIDER: Marcus Smart, LAL vs. GSW ($4,000)
