NBA $10,000+ Saturday Line-Up

There are nine games on the card for our DraftStars NBA $10k Saturday contest, but with a couple of lesser names pulling some big scores out of the bag, we’re looking for similar output from the likes of Kemba Walker, while backing in a few bargain buys.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NBA $10k+ Saturday competition

Point Guard

Kemba Walker ($14,900)

The point guard class is stacked for Saturday’s matchup, which makes this is a tough decision. Kemba Walker could be a unique option to outscore the bigger names, playing a Toronto Raptors team that he scored a season-high 69.25 fantasy points (40 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 7 made threes) against in their last matchup.

T.J. McConnell ($6,450)

The Sixers are playing well and surprisingly, so is their starting point guard T.J. McConnell. In his last eight games, McConnell has dipped below 23 fantasy points just once en route to an average of 27.8 in that time. Coming up against Portland – one of the worst defences in the league – McConnell is a steal at $6,450.

Shooting Guard

Brandon Ingram ($6,850)

With Luol Deng out with a wrist injury, Brandon Ingram took over the starting role against the Nuggets and came up with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 33 fantasy points. Deng is highly likely to miss Saturday’s game against Indiana, which means that Ingram will once again see the lion’s share of the minutes. Expect another score that pushes the 30 mark.

Terrence Ross ($5,850)

Ross presents great value here because of the injuries to DeMarre Carroll and Patrick Patterson, which will open up plenty of playing time. The former dunk contest champion has the ability to heat up and will be given every opportunity to do so for a Raptors team that has lost three of their last four games.

Small Forward

Matt Barnes ($7,500)

Once again injury is creating opportunity for our fantasy teams, with Rudy Gay tearing his left Achilles which should end his season. With Omri Casspi already out, the Kings are bereft of talent on the wing, which leaves a huge hole for Barnes to fill. When given the opportunity, Barnes has shown the potential to score over 30 points, which would be an excellent return at this price point.

Joe Ingles ($5,200)

To add to the three bargain wings that we’ve already selected, Aussie Joe Ingles rounds out the value options. Similarly to the others, injury has allowed more minutes and thus more points for Ingles, with Rodney Hood out for at least two weeks. This will see Ingles take the starting role – a position in which he has thrived so far this year. In his four starts, he’s averaged 13 points, 4.3 assists, 4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 3 three pointers made, resulting in nearly 29 fantasy points per game

Power Forward

Anthony Davis ($20,400)

There are plenty of premium options available for Saturday’s contest, but Anthony Davis presents as the best option, coming up against a Brooklyn team that allows a league-worst 115 points per game. Whilst Davis hasn’t yet played the Nets, so far this season when he’s versed bottom five teams in points allowed, he’s averaged 61.14 fantasy points, including some whopping scores of 90.25 (vs Denver) and 76.25 (vs LA Lakers). Considering Brooklyn allow nearly four more points per game than both of those teams, Davis could be in for a huge night.

Kevin Durant ($17,850)

As one of the best players in the league, picking Durant almost speaks for itself, but KD is even better when he verses his former OKC teammates. Against Oklahoma City, he has posted fantasy scores of 72 and 54.75 this season, whilst against Houston (former teammate James Harden’s team), he scored 71.50. Clearly Durant feels he has something to prove when he comes up against these teams and luckily for us, he will verse Houston on Saturday, which makes him an excellent option for our teams.

Centre

Joel Embiid ($14,600)

No one expected Embiid to be this good. The Rookie of the Year favourite is not only one of the most entertaining players and personalities in the league, but he’s also seriously productive. Embiid is in contention to become just the second rookie to be an All-Star in the last decade (behind Blake Griffin in 2011) due to his impact on a Philly team that is and was awful without him. The self-labelled ‘Process’ is averaging nearly 20 points and 8 rebounds whilst putting up 2.4 blocks and 2 assists. Embiid has been pushing his All-Star candidacy recently by averaging 45.1 fantasy points in his last four games, a trend that should continue against a terrible Portland defence.

The Line Up

PG: Kemba Walker ($14,900)

PG: T.J. McConnell ($6,450)

SG: Brandon Ingram ($6,850)

SG: Terrence Ross ($5,850)

SF: Matt Barnes ($7,500)

SF: Joe Ingles ($5,200)

PF: Anthony Davis ($20,400)

PF: Kevin Durant ($17,850)

C: Joel Embiid ($14,600)

Salary Remaining: $400