Yahoo DFS Basketball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

We have an earlier start time to Saturday's main slate on Yahoo, which tips off at 3:30 PM EST. There will be four games to choose from, including an exciting matchup between the Bucks and Mavericks. Here are some players to target for your entry, as well as a few to potentially avoid.

GUARDS

Donovan Mitchell, UTA at DEN ($29): Mitchell should be well rested after sitting out the first game of the Jazz's back-to-back set Friday. He is coming off of two good performances against the Lakers and Grizzlies, scoring 41 and 33.4 Yahoo points, respectively. The Jazz will need to rely on him for offense even more now that Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) is out, so expect Mitchell to once again have a high usage rate.

Tyler Herro, MIA vs. PHO ($13): Injuries are starting to pile up for the Heat. Jimmy Butler (foot) and Kendrick Nunn (personal) have already been ruled out and Goran Dragic (ankle) is listed as questionable. Herro logged 33 minutes with Butler and Dragic out Thursday, scoring 20 points on his way to 30.4 Yahoo points. Playing time shouldn't be hard for him to come by here, so he could provide excellent value against a Suns team that has played at the ninth-fastest pace in the league.

Guard to Avoid

Ricky Rubio, PHO at MIA ($28): Normally an assists machine, Rubio has only recorded eight dimes across his last two games. He also hasn't recorded a steal in any of his last three contests, which is odd given his average of 1.5 steals a game for the season. The Heat are one of the better defensive teams in the league, so the Suns could still have trouble scoring here despite Butler being out. Given that Rubio doesn't come at much of a discount, this might not be the night to take a chance on him busting out of his slump.

FORWARDS

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at DAL ($57): As long as Giannis plays, he's going to rack up stats. He was limited to 16 minutes against the Nets on Tuesday, but he bounced back to score 50.4 Yahoo points across 30 minutes versus the Heat on Thursday. There have been no indications that he could see a limited workload in this matchup, so expect him to once again have an extremely high floor.

Duncan Robinson, MIA vs. PHO ($14): Herro won't be the only player on the Heat who will need to step up his offensive production. Robinson had 21 points with the Heat shorthanded Thursday, but he did somewhat disappoint with only one rebound and one assist. With the Suns playing at such a fast pace and Robinson likely to see added shot attempts, his scoring upside along makes him someone to target.

Forward to Avoid

Dario Saric, PHO at MIA ($18): Saric's new role off the bench has left him to log 27 minutes or fewer in each of the last four games. He wasn't one of the focal points of the Suns' offense even when he was starting, so it's no surprise that he hasn't scored more than 26.7 Yahoo points in any of those four contests in his new role. At this price, the risk might not be worth the reward.

CENTERS

Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. PHO ($33): Adebayo had a night to forget against the Bucks, scoring six points to go along with five rebounds across 22 minutes. He was limited by foul trouble, but he did at least register six assists and a steal. His ability to contribute in so many different areas sets him up nicely to have a bounce-back performance against a Suns' team that is nowhere near the same type of defensive squad as the Bucks.

Kelly Olynyk, MIA vs. PHO ($17): Olynyk has seen his role with the Heat shrink this season, leaving him to average only 8.2 points and 19 minutes a night, However, he's been busy since they've returned to the bubble, averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 30 minutes per contest. With the Heat's limited depth chart, Olynyk is once again in line to see added time on the floor.

Center to Avoid

Rudy Gobert, UTA at DEN ($31): There is a lot to like about most of the top-tier center options for this slate. Gobert isn't a bad option, although his upside has been somewhat limited since he's scored 35.6 Yahoo points or fewer in three of the Jazz's four games in Orlando. However, given that the Heat will need to rely more on Adebayo and his ability to contribute in more areas than Gobert usually does, paying the extra two dollars to add him to your entry instead of Gobert could prove to be profitable.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NBA Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NBA fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, April 17
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, April 17
Free NBA Picks Today: Best Bets for Wednesday's Play-In Games
Free NBA Picks Today: Best Bets for Wednesday's Play-In Games
Yahoo DFS Basketball: Who to Play, Who to Avoid for Wednesday's Play-In Games
Yahoo DFS Basketball: Who to Play, Who to Avoid for Wednesday's Play-In Games
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, April 17
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, April 17
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Monday, April 16 - Play-In Tournament
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Monday, April 16 - Play-In Tournament
Free NBA Picks Today: Best Bets for Tuesday's Play-In Games
Free NBA Picks Today: Best Bets for Tuesday's Play-In Games