A seven-game slate on Saturday will kick off this weekend’s NBA action on DraftKings. Tip-offs will range between 7 and 10 p.m. ET. Succeeding in larger, classic contests can be tough, and we’ve identified a few players you should be wary of ahead of the games.
In NBA DFS, there will always be some flashy names that may tempt you to pay up — even in an unfavorable matchup. Name value sometimes comes with reliability, but the trick to cashing in on your NBA lineups is to maximize the boom while operating under the salary cap. Sometimes, this means fading the chalk plays and spending elsewhere.
Here, we’ll break down three top NBA DFS fades for the game slate on Saturday, March 13th.
The Milwaukee Bucks are on a mission. Milwaukee scored 123 points in a 33-point victory over the New York Knicks, who boast the NBA’s best scoring defense, in its first game back from the All-Star Break. Washington has the NBA’s second-worst scoring defense and the fourth-worst defensive rating. Russ has racked up double-doubles and triple-doubles all season, but drawing defense from Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton doesn’t bode well for him. The blowout potential of this game makes multiples players who are usually studs seem questionable.
LeVert is set to make his highly-anticipated debut for the Indiana Pacers against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, but he’s a player you probably want to stay away from. The 26-year-old hasn’t played since January because of a cancerous mass discovered on his kidney after the Nets traded him earlier this season, so there’s no telling whether he’s in basketball shape. LeVert is an impact player who can do it all, but the uncertainty around how much exposure he’ll get doesn’t make him worth paying for at this price. If he winds up getting a ton of minutes ad breaks the slate, you can blame me.
Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets ($7,000)
This deal seems like a bargain, considering the run MPJ has been on as of late. The fact that he’s slightly cheaper than LeVert is mind-blowing, but I’d advise against making the bait. He scored more than 20 points in a second straight game for the first time all year in his last game, but his opportunities were birthed by an abysmal 1-for-14 shooting night from Jamal Murray in his last outing. A bounce-back game from Murray and Mike Malone’s defensive preferences could limit MPJ’s upside.