NBA Saturday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for December 14, 2024
Last updated: Dec 13, 2024, 11:57PM | Published: Dec 13, 2024, 7:57AMDraftstars Australia's NBA Saturday DFS contest kicks off at 11:10am AEDT on December 14, 2024, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for each player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and improve your season-long fantasy line-ups on December 14 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Saturday slate includes these match-ups:
- Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers
- Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards
- Chicago Bulls vs Charlotte Hornets
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies vs Brooklyn Nets
- Utah Jazz vs Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to deliver some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the best NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best choices on Saturday's slate.
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Nikola Jokić (DEN, C) | $26,780 | 68 | 2.5 |
Value | Jalen Smith (CHI, C/PF) | $7,690 | 36.2 | 4.7 |
Fade | Donovan Clingan (POR, C) | $11,290 | 19.3 | 1.7 |
Cheapie | Dean Wade (CLE, PF) | $7,480 | 23.2 | 3.1 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | James Harden (LAC) | $18,810 | 47.5 | 2.5 |
Value | Kevin Porter (LAC) | $9,200 | 27.2 | 3 |
Fade | Russell Westbrook (DEN) | $13,650 | 25.6 | 1.9 |
Cheapie | Lonzo Ball (CHI) | $7,050 | 19.4 | 2.7 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Devin Booker (PHX) | $16,610 | 50.6 | 3 |
Value | Kelly Oubre (PHI) | $10,670 | 33.2 | 3.1 |
Fade | Austin Reaves (LAL) | $12,140 | 24.5 | 2 |
Cheapie | Caris LeVert (CLE) | $9,540 | 28.7 | 3 |
SF (Small Forward)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Paul George (PHI) | $14,730 | 42.6 | 2.9 |
Value | Bradley Beal (PHX) | $12,850 | 40 | 3.1 |
Fade | Deni Avdija (POR) | $11,570 | 20.8 | 1.8 |
Cheapie | Harrison Barnes (SAS) | $8,750 | 25.5 | 2.9 |
PF (Power Forward)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Julius Randle (MIN) | $15,620 | 45.7 | 2.9 |
Value | Jalen Smith (CHI) | $7,690 | 36.2 | 4.7 |
Fade | Deni Avdija (POR) | $11,570 | 20.8 | 1.8 |
Cheapie | Dean Wade (CLE) | $7,480 | 23.2 | 3.1 |
C (Center)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Nikola Jokić (DEN) | $26,780 | 68 | 2.5 |
Value | Jalen Smith (CHI) | $7,690 | 36.2 | 4.7 |
Fade | Donovan Clingan (POR) | $11,290 | 19.3 | 1.7 |
Cheapie | Marvin Bagley (WAS) | $7,720 | 23.9 | 3.1 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NBA Saturday teams, consider starting with a value player like Jalen Smith. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Nikola Jokić is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Dean Wade.
On the other hand, according to our model, Donovan Clingan is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Saturday slate closes at 11:10am AEDT on Saturday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Saturday slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Saturday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
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