Eight games are available for FanDuel players to pick from in "main" games Saturday, and the pickings are particularly slim at the power forward position. Three of the five highest-priced power forwards have been declared out for their respective games, and to take it even further seven of the top 11 are out. With that being the case FanDuel players are faced with a choice: commit to Draymond Green ($8,000) to lead the way at the position, or go with two low-priced options in hopes that those players produce more than their listed FanDuel salary would lead one to expect. When it comes to the latter possibility, players such as Memphis' JaMychal Green ($4,700), Charlotte's Frank Kaminsky ($4,300) and Atlanta's Mike Muscala ($3,900) will be available with all three in spots where the available personnel will impact their opportunities.
Green, who's started all season for David Fizdale, has played 32 minutes or more in three of the last five games with reserve Zach Randolph away from the team on bereavement leave. Green played 32 minutes or more just four times in Memphis' first 15 games. Kaminsky's moved into the starting lineup as a result of Marvin Williams' knee injury, and Muscala has an opportunity for more minutes with Paul Millsap sidelined with a hip injury. Will any of those three players pan out? That's tough to predict, but at the very least they'll have the opportunity to do so. But given the available options, there aren't many other places to turn.
Here are our FanDuel picks for Saturday's games, working within the rules of a nine-player roster and a salary cap of $60,000. (Getty)
PG: Rajon Rondo, Chicago
Opponent: at Dallas
Price: $5,900
Rondo's coming off of his first triple-double of the season, as he accounted for 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in Chicago's 111-105 win over Cleveland Friday night. The question is what he can do for an encore in the second game of a back-to-back against Dallas' Deron Williams. The Bulls have played three back-to-backs thus far, with Rondo tallying at least 31 FanDuel points in the second half of two of those. (Getty)
PG: Andrew Harrison, Memphis
Opponent: vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Price: $4,300
With starter Mike Conley (fractured vertebrae) sidelined, Harrison's been productive from a FanDuel standpoint in two starts. He's tallied 33.4 and 27.8 FanDuel points in the two games since Conley's injury, playing 35 minutes against the Raptors and 30 against the Magic. Clearly he's going to get good minutes, and with averages of 16 points and six assists in those two contests (and shooting 55 percent from the field) Harrison's been productive thus far. For the price tag, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add Harrison to your roster. (Getty)
SG: C.J. McCollum, Portland
Opponent: vs. Miami
Price: $7,500
McCollum's scored 19 points or more in each of Portland's last three games, rebounding from a two-game stretch in which he scored 16 and 13 points in contests against New York and Cleveland. While the questions persist with regards to how Evan Turner fits into the Portland rotation there are no such issues when it comes to McCollum, who combines with Damian Lillard to form one of the NBA's best guard tandems. Tonight's game is one where both guards can have good nights, even with the Heat ranked tenth in the NBA in defensive rating. (Getty)
SG: Klay Thompson
Opponent: vs. Phoenix
Price: $6,000
Thompson didn't shoot the ball well in Golden State's double overtime loss to Houston Thursday night, scoring 15 points on 4-for-20 shooting from the field. Phoenix enters today's game ranked 21st in the NBA in defensive rating, and personnel-wise their guards aren't the kind that can affect the line of vision for a shooter such as Thompson. Thompson's first two games against the Suns this season were during his early-season slump (24.2 and 28.9 FanDuel points); expect better from him Saturday night. (Getty)
SF: Kevin Durant, Golden State
Opponent: vs. Phoenix
Price: $10,500
While Durant did score 39 points in Thursday's loss to the Rockets, he did so on 12-for-28 shooting from the field overall and 3-for-11 from beyond the arc (he still scored 67.6 FanDuel points). Both percentages are below what he's produced on the season as a whole, as Durant's shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three. As noted in the prior slide tonight's opponent is ranked in the bottom third of the NBA in defensive rating, and in the two prior meetings this season Durant tallied 53.8 and 49.3 FanDuel points. (Getty)
PF: Draymond Green, Golden State
Opponent: vs. Phoenix
Price: $8,000
As noted in the first slide, given the number of power forwards that have been declared out for Saturday's games there aren't many consistent options to pick from. So go with Draymond Green here, as he's coming off of his best game of the season from a FanDuel standpoint (53.5 points). Green was good in both prior meetings with the Suns as well, accounting for 38.1 and 45.9 FanDuel points, so look for that trend to continue Saturday night in Oakland. (Getty)
PF: Mike Muscala, Atlanta
Opponent: at Toronto
Price: $3,900
While head coach Mike Budenholzer hasn't exactly settled on a replacement for Paul Millsap in the starting lineup, most recently going with Thabo Sefalosha, Muscala (8.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg) is going to get his opportunities with the all-star power forward (Millsap) out of the lineup. And given Toronto's size and activity in the front court, there's a good chance that the Bucknell product will see plenty of minutes Saturday night. Whether that results in added production remains to be seen, but given Muscala's cap number this isn't a significant gamble. (Getty)
C: Al Horford, Boston
Opponent: at Philadelphia
Price: $7,300
Under normal circumstances this would be a matchup between an established all-star in Horford and a young, emerging star in Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. But with this being a scheduled day of rest for Embiid (both Philadelphia and Boston played Friday night), Horford (15.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) will match up with a less defensively inclined big man in Jahlil Okafor. That being the case, Horford could very well reach (or exceed) the 55.1 FanDuel points he scored in Friday's win over Sacramento. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for December 3