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Saturday's NBA schedule is a busy one, with nine games being available to FanDuel participants in "main" leagues. Among the games on the slate is Philadelphia visiting Atlanta. It's the second game of a back-to-back for the 76ers, which means a night of rest for starting center Joel Embiid. Embiid, who's averaging 35.1 FanDuel points per game this season, left Friday's game against Portland with a left knee contusion after landing awkwardly following a dunk in the third quarter. Embiid returned to the floor in the fourth, but after a "minor tweak" he was sidelined for the remainder of the game.
The question regarding Philadelphia from a fantasy standpoint is who will absorb the opportunities that would normally go to Embiid. Jahlil Okafor (20.0 FanDuel points per game) and Nerlens Noel (15.8 ppg) are two players who will see an increase in minutes, but the best bet for production is Ersan Ilyasova. The forward, who Philly acquired via trade from Oklahoma City earlier this season, is averaging 24.8 FanDuel points per game and has a salary value of $5,800. In Friday's victory over the Blazers Ilyasova tallied 35 FanDuel points, and he's had 27 or more in three of the last four games. Obviously Ilyasova and Embiid don't share the same position, and their roles are different, but he's been a more reliable front court supplementary option than any other player at Brett Brown's disposal. That makes him worth considering for a roster spot if looking to save some cap room for other positions.
Here are our FanDuel picks for Saturday's games, with a salary cap of $60,000 for the nine-player roster. The Portland vs. Boston and Washington vs. Detroit games aren't eligible due to their start times, which means no Damian Lillard (Portland), Isaiah Thomas (Boston) or John Wall (Washington). (Getty)
