This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Yahoo's featured slate on Saturday excludes the early Magic-76ers game, so we'll instead look at the remaining seven games on tap later in the day.
Teams on the end of back-to-backs: Memphis, Miami, Boston, Minnesota, Portland, Phoenix, Dallas, Utah, LA Lakers.
More than half of the teams playing Saturday are in the same dilemma, but some teams (like the Jazz, for example) could use a couple games in a row to get their system back on track after the break. Utah looked especially awful Friday, and the Heat likely will show some fatigue after an overtime loss to the Pelicans.
The Warriors-Thunder matchup is the game everyone will be watching, and there's little doubt players will have high ownership due to the fast pace and the sky-high over/under (234.5). We might see some fireworks in the Blazers-Suns game as well, and even the Lakers-Kings matchup in Sacramento has a few great options. The Grizzlies-Heat game, though, likely will be pitifully slow, which is particularly unkind to fantasy owners (O/U:185).
As far as high-salary players, there's a $12 gap between Russell Westbrook ($60) and the field. Is he worth that price? Considering the depth at point guard, the answer is a qualified maybe. You certainly don't want to punt this position, and with four other point guards who can offer comparable floors there's little need to, but rostering Westbrook puts a stranglehold on your options at other positions. If you play multiple tournament lineups I would focus one around Westbrook and fill around him, but I don't think it's the most viable route for a cash game.
Kevin Durant ($49) headlines the options at forward, and considering the huge gap between Durant and Paul George ($44) and the field, this may be the position you spend up on. Karl-Anthony Towns ($43) also has a huge gap between him and the remaining centers, and the matchup is extremely favorable for him. There are a few pivots for Towns, but he's extremely hard to fade.
With those picks in mind, I'll now highlight two players from the rest of the field at each position, and one will always include a value player with a lower salary. Each spot will also have a small list of other players who hold equal weight in my predictions. We'll also be selecting one player to fade at each position.
GUARD
Devin Booker, PHO vs. POR ($35): It was extremely hard to pick just one player in this price range, but I kept coming back to Booker, even though the arrival of Elfrid Payton caps his output to some degree. My additional list will endorse those other close calls, but when you consider how Booker torched the Blazers for 67 YFP in their last meeting, he emerges as a potential star on this slate.
Buddy Hield, SAC vs LAL ($14): I heavily endorse this basement pick if De'Aaron Fox is scratched, but at this price, Hield offers value regardless. He's been an efficient point guard and a surprisingly effective rebounder, and should have no problem hitting a good number if he plays at least 25 minutes.
Other guards to consider: C.J. McCollum, POR at PHO ($29), Zach LaVine, CHI at MIN ($28), Jeff Teague, MIN vs. CHI ($24), Emmanuel Mudiay, NY vs. BOS ($11).
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Guard to Avoid:
Dennis Smith Jr., DAL at URA ($27): He hasn't had the output to warrant this price for a few weeks now, and he'll face an angry Utah team at home aiming to get back to its winning ways, and fast. While it will be an interesting battle of the rookies between he and Donovan Mitchell, avoid Smith.
FORWARD
Julius Randle, LAL at SAC ($30): Randle is emerging as increasingly reliable with each game now that he's a mainstay in the starting five. Without Larry Nance to spell him, he's put up great stat lines, the best of which was his triple-double Friday. He has an excellent history against the Kings and should build on that resume Saturday.
David Nwaba, CHI at MIN ($11): Nwaba will once again start for Justin Holiday and after Nwaba's 21-point performance Thursday, it appears he will start as the Bulls look to the future. Get him while he's cheap.
Other forwards to consider: Brandon Ingram, LAL at SAC ($29), Michael Beasley, NY vs. BOS ($28), Tim Hardaway Jr., NY vs. BOS ($23).
Forward to Avoid:
Jayson Tatum, BOS at NY ($20): Tatum appears to have hit the rookie wall and as a result he's seen a significant drop in minutes relative to his early season usage. He is talented, but he isn't fitting into Boston's scheme at the moment. Until you see a marked improvement, it's better to stay away.
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CENTER
Rudy Gobert, UTA at DAL ($30): While I think Towns is almost a lock at this spot, Gobert has a good matchup and excellent history against the Mavericks, and he was one Utah player who didn't have a huge performance dip in Friday's awful game. A double-double should be in Gobert's future in this matchup.
Alex Len, PHO vs. POR ($14): Len took a LONG time to get going Friday and looked like a total bust until he came along later in the game. He scares me a bit, but he's a perfect candidate for one of those Westbrook-centered lineups and the best cheap option at this spot.
Other centers to consider: Enes Kanter, NY vs. BOS ($31), Jusuf Nurkic, POR at PHO ($23).
Center to Avoid:
Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. MEM ($15): With Hassan Whiteside back playing at a high level, Bam just isn't playing the minutes he used to, but even if he was, the pace of this game is simply terrible. He could wake up with some garbage minutes if the Heat get way ahead, but that isn't worth risking.
