This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA starts off the week with 12 games on the schedule Tuesday. Some exciting matchups among them include the Heat hosting the Lakers and the Clippers taking on the Knicks. Let's highlight some players to consider on Yahoo, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Tyrese Maxey, PHI vs. WAS ($34): The Wizards are a team to attack in DFS. They have played at the fastest pace and they have the second-worst defensive rating in the league. Enter Maxey, who is averaging 26.2 points over 38 minutes per game. That has helped him average 44.5 Yahoo points per game this season.
Dyson Daniels, NO at DEN ($11): The Pelicans might be without CJ McCollum (chest) for a while. Jose Alvarado (ankle) is also sidelined, so Daniels should be forced into additional playing time. He has already scored at least 22.3 Yahoo points in each of his last three games, so he has the potential to provide value at near the minimum salary.
Guard to Avoid
James Harden, LAC at NY ($39): This will mark the first game that Harden is playing this season. Head coach Tyronn Lue said that Harden will likely have a minutes restriction, given that he was away from the 76ers before the trade ultimately went down. His salary doesn't come at a discount, so keep him out of your lineups.
FORWARDS
Kelly Oubre, PHI vs. WAS ($25): The 76ers trading away Harden and getting little back in return in terms of players provides a boost for Oubre. He is going to remain one of their top scoring options and continue to play heavy minutes. Don't expect him to provide much in the way of assists, but with his averages of 21.0 points and 2.6 three-pointers per game, he can exploit the Wizards' porous defense.
Dorian Finney-Smith, BKN vs. MIL ($12): The absences of Nic Claxton (ankle) and Cameron Johnson (calf) continue to provide added playing time for Finney-Smith. He has stepped up to average 16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.0 three-pointers over the last five games. During that span, he shot 55.6 percent from the field. While it will be difficult for him to maintain that level of efficiency throughout the season, he's well worth the risk at this salary when factoring in his current role.
Forward to Avoid
Andrew Wiggins, GS at DET ($19): Things aren't looking great for Wiggins right now. After he averaged 32 minutes per game last season, he hasn't played more than 28 minutes in a game this season. His usage rate is also a modest 21.2 percent. The result has been him scoring fewer than 20 Yahoo points in five of seven games.
CENTERS
Joel Embiid, PHI vs. WAS ($52): Talk about a mismatch. Daniel Gafford has been in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury and the Wizards have listed him as questionable for this matchup. Behind him on the depth chart is Mike Muscala, who is a nice bench player, but he can't even come close to hanging with Embiid. Embiid already has three games this season with at least 53.1 Yahoo points and has the potential to provide another monster stat line in this matchup.
Moritz Wagner, ORL vs. DAL ($10): Even with Wendell Carter (hand) out, Wagner did not start Saturday against the Lakers. That job went to Goga Bitadze, who came away with a double-double in 26 minutes. Wagner performed well, too, scoring 26.6 Yahoo points over 19 minutes off the bench. Both players will be important for the Magic with Carter expected to be out at least three weeks, so rolling with Wagner at the minimum salary is worth trying in tournament play.
Center to Avoid
Marvin Bagley, DET vs. GS ($18): Bagley recently started a game and logged 33 minutes when Jalen Duren was dealing with an injury. When Duren returned Thursday, Bagley played only 13 minutes. He also logged just 11 minutes versus the Suns on Sunday. With him averaging just 18 minutes per game for the season and Duren healthy again, there's not much upside to get excited about here.
