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Jim McCormick
ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night’s games. Here you’ll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.
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Top streamers | Best bets | Odds & Injury report
What you need to know for Saturday’s games
Just a few days into the season, we’re already witnessing video-game numbers around the league. We’ll likely see more special performances amid Saturday’s star-laden slate.
Although today’s five-game schedule is lighter than some of the massive slates from this opening week, it’s a uniquely fantasy-friendly set of matchups. Each of the five games features a total north of 230 points, indicating that offense should be in strong supply for those seeking streaming options or prop plays to identify.
The marquee matchup is found in Georgia, where the Atlanta Hawks host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that sports the highest total of the night. We won’t see Jalen Williams debut just yet, and Chet Holmgren is questionable with back soreness. The Hawks, even on the second leg of a back-to-back, remain a fun opponent, given the team sits fourth in pace thus far.
The ideal fantasy climate might be in Tennessee tonight, as the Memphis Grizzlies and their porous defense face the up-tempo Indiana Pacers. Backcourts and power forwards are feasting so far against the Grizzlies — a trend reflected in the selections below.
The rest of the slate is rife with intrigue, from how VJ Edgecombe follows his historic debut to whether Joel Embiid will dominate a smaller Charlotte Hornets roster. Will the Phoenix Suns and Mark Williams do anything to slow down Nikola Jokic? Tonight’s games could prove telling.
With an eye on extracting value from today’s five games, let’s take a look at some specific players and betting angles to consider.
Saturday’s fantasy stream team
Obi Toppin, PF, Indiana Pacers (rostered in 41.9% of ESPN leagues): You’ll notice a good bit of concentration on this Pacers rotation throughout my endorsements today. The Grizzlies are one of the weakest rebounding and rim protection groups in the league, which isn’t shocking given their depleted frontcourt. Toppin should be busy in the wake of Myles Turner’s move to the Bucks, as Toppin’s big workload Thursday indicates. Until the Grizzlies get some size, they might be a great target for opposing frontcourt options.
Ben Sheppard, SG, Pacers (12.6% rostered): This race for possessions in Memphis could lead to production all over the rotation for both rosters. We can identify Sheppard as a potentially valuable option from Indiana, given the coaching staff’s trust in him to handle big minutes and a meaningful scoring and spacing role while Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) is out.
Tre Jones, PG, Chicago Bulls (12.2%): The Orlando Magic will be without Jalen Suggs tonight, which leads to real interest in Jones. Suggs is among the league’s top point-of-attack defenders, so his absence is key in trusting that Jones can post strong pure point guard production. If you need dimes tonight, Jones is your guy.
Ajay Mitchell, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder (19.1%): For a franchise rich with budding talent, it’s amazing that new names such as Mitchell continue to surface. With the team empowering this combo guard due to injuries to Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams, Mitchell is in a positive spot for playing time against the Hawks.
Wendell Carter Jr., Magic (9.7%): Can you still call it a revenge game, like, four years later? Drafted by the Bulls and since a productive rotation big for the Magic, “WCJ” is poised to produce on the glass and in the paint against a Bulls team that utterly lacks interior defense.
McCormick’s bets for Saturday
Pascal Siakam to go OVER 34.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115)
The Grizzlies are a target for positive production until proven otherwise. Siakam paced Indiana in potential rebounds with a robust 22 in the opener, which signals his new role as the key glass-cleaner now that the team no longer has an anchor at center. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a great defender but is also now tasked with playing up to center, and he struggles with foul issues. Signs point to a big Siakam line. You can fold in Bennedict Mathurin as a bully in the lane as well, for those seeking a single-game parlay.
Tyrese Maxey to go OVER 2.5 rebounds (-160)
This isn’t a traditional angle to take given the cost of the bet, but the 76ers’ lack of rebounding prowess in the frontcourt is so profound that Maxey is poised to leap over this number. Considering Maxey’s heavy workload on both sides of the floor for Philly, this pricey prop looks favorable and inviting for those seeking to build out parlays.
Phoenix Suns-Denver Nuggets total points UNDER 233.5 (-110)
Can the Suns defend? No, really, I’m asking. Phoenix will have major issues with this new-look Denver offense that claims more spacing and shooting than ever at the wing and backcourt spots. This all sounds like an over angle, but the Denver offense is also entirely methodical and again sits near the bottom of the league in pace. The small sample size doesn’t matter to me here, as Denver has played slow in regards to pace for years. There are both blowout and pace indicators here that suggest this game could be lower scoring that the rest of the slate.
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET
Chicago Bulls at Orlando Magic
7 p.m. ET
Line: Bulls +6.5 (-115) | Magic -6.5 (-105)
Money line: Bulls +200 | Magic -240
Total: 233.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
Injury Report:
Bulls: Coby White, (OUT – Calf); Zach Collins, (OUT – Wrist)
Magic: Moritz Wagner, (GTD – Knee)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Atlanta Hawks
7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Line: Thunder -6.5 (-105) | Hawks +6.5 (-115)
Money line: Thunder -270 | Hawks +220
Total: 239.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
Injury Report:
Thunder: Cason Wallace, (GTD – Knee); Chet Holmgren, (GTD – Back); Isaiah Joe, (OUT – Knee); Jalen Williams, (OUT – Wrist); Alex Caruso, (OUT – Concussion); Kenrich Williams, (OUT – Knee); Nikola Topic, (OUT – Groin)
Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher, (GTD – Ankle); Caris LeVert, (GTD – Hamstring); Georges Niang, (OUT – Foot)
Charlotte Hornets at Philadelphia 76ers
7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Hornets +4.5 (-105) | 76ers -4.5 (-115)
Money line: Hornets +160 | 76ers -190
Total: 237.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
Injury Report:
Hornets: Grant Williams, (OUT – Knee); Josh Green, (OUT – Shoulder)
76ers: Justin Edwards, (GTD – Ribs); Paul George, (OUT – Knee); Jared McCain, (OUT – Thumb)
Indiana Pacers at Memphis Grizzlies
8 p.m. ET
Line: Pacers +1.5 (-120) | Grizzlies -1.5 (EVEN)
Money line: Pacers -105 | Grizzlies -115
Total: 237.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
Injury Report:
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, (OFS – Achilles); Johnny Furphy, (GTD – Foot); Andrew Nembhard, (OUT – Shoulder); Quenton Jackson, (OUT – Hamstring); T.J. McConnell, (OUT – Hamstring)
Grizzlies: Scotty Pippen Jr., (OUT – Toe); Vince Williams Jr., (OUT – Heel); Zach Edey, (OUT – Ankle); Brandon Clarke, (OUT – Knee)
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets
9 p.m. ET
Line: Suns +12.5 (EVEN) | Nuggets -12.5 (-120)
Money line: Suns +500 | Nuggets -800
Total: 234.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
Injury Report:
Suns: None reported
Nuggets: None reported