Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards has been one of the top NBA DFS picks this season, but a hip injury has caused him to miss three of the team's last six games. While he logged a full workload on Thursday, he finished with just nine points on 3 of 19 shooting in 35 minutes. If he is limited or sidelined on Saturday night, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Troy Brown Jr. would be candidates for increased roles against the Pacers. Should you consider either of them when you set your NBA DFS lineups on Saturday?
Indiana has allowed an average of 138.5 points in back-to-back losses to Milwaukee and Washington, and the Pacers are wrapping up a five-game road trip. Should you create any NBA DFS stacks with some of Minnesota's top players on Saturday? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He's also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Friday, McClure highlighted Spurs shooting guard Devin Vassell as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Vassell had 36 points, six rebounds and three assists, returning 54 points on DraftKings and 52.7 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Saturday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Saturday, December 16
For Saturday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who is listed at $5,800 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Kuminga is Golden State's third-leading scorer, despite coming off the bench in all but two games this season. He has scored in double figures in four straight games, posting a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds against Oklahoma City last week.
Kuminga followed it up with 16 points and six rebounds against Phoenix before notching 15 points and five rebounds against the Clippers on Thursday. He made his second start of the season against the Clippers after averaging 15.2 points over his previous five outings. Kuminga is facing a Brooklyn defense that is No. 18 in the NBA, allowing 114.3 points per game.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton ($6,600 on DraftKings and $7,400 on FanDuel). The 25-year-old returned from a three-game absence (knee) on Thursday, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds in just 21 minutes. He logged at least 30 minutes in his four previous appearances, and he should return to a normal usage rate on Saturday.
Ayton posted double-doubles in three of those games, including a 22-point, 13-rebound against the Pacers at the end of November. Ayton is averaging a double-double this season with 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in his fifth NBA season. He has a favorable matchup against Dallas, which ranks in the bottom third of the league in points allowed per game (117.0). See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Saturday, December 16
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Saturday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Saturday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
