This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
That Friday card was one of the craziest slates I've ever seen. The player pool was full of injuries, and tracking who was taking the floor for each team wasn't easy. This is simply a new era of the NBA, and no team wants to overwork their players. That's particularly concerning here because we have eight teams playing the second half of a back-to-back set. Those teams include Brooklyn, Boston, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New York, Portland and San Antonio. We'll surely get more chaos from those teams, and it'll be imperative to keep an eye on the injury report closer to 7ET!
Guards
Jamal Murray, DEN vs. SAS ($20)
Returning from ACL surgery is one of the most tedious rehabilitations out there, but Murray is slowly getting back into the groove. After a slow start, Jamal has 34 Yahoo points in back-to-back games. He also surpassed 30 minutes in both of those and combined for 40 shots, making him way too cheap at $20. Murray was a $35 player before the injury, and we have to believe he'll get closer to that total the deeper we get into the season. Facing San Antonio should keep the ticker pointing up, with the Spurs surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing PGs.
Cam Thomas, BKN at CHA ($10)
This play is risky, but someone needs to play minutes in Brooklyn. Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving were swallowing up all the point guard minutes, but neither of those guys will play here. That led to Thomas totaling 31 minutes off the bench on Friday, tallying 16 points, four rebounds and six assists. A game like that is absurd from a minimum-priced player, and the Nets need him out there to take on some of the scoring and playmaking load. If you look at the 16 games Cam played at least 26 minutes last year, he averaged 29 Y! points per game. The matchup with Charlotte is also superb; we'll dive into that later!
Guard to Avoid
Josh Giddey, OKC at MIL ($27)
Giddey is an impressive sophomore, but it isn't easy to produce when a guy like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing everything. The massive role from SGA has led to less ball-handling for JG, scoring 25 or fewer fantasy points in each of his last three outings. That's a nightmarish total from a $27 player, and it's clear there's not enough to go around with Gilgeous-Alexander swallowing up so much usage. A matchup with Milwaukee is horrifying, too, with the Bucks owning the best defensive rating in the NBA. They also enter this matchup as a double-digit favorite, and Giddey may not even play in the fourth quarter in what's expected to be a lopsided game.
Forwards
Kevin Durant, BKN at CHA ($49)
With Kyrie and Simmons out for Brooklyn, this is KD's show. The former MVP was already one of the most consistent players before those absences, scoring at least 43 Y! points in every game this year. That floor is paired with a pristine 52-point average, with KD collecting 28 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists on Friday. He's doing everything for this offense with those All-Stars out, and it should continue against a 24th-ranked Charlotte defense.
Jalen McDaniels, CHA vs. BKN ($13)
McDaniels had a dud along with the rest of the Hornets on Friday, but we're willing to overlook that blowout. All of the starters were rested in the second half of that lopsided loss against Memphis, but Jalen was balling out before that. He scored at least 24 Yahoo points in four of his previous five games, posting a 29-point average across 28 minutes a night in that span. It's no surprise since Charlotte was missing LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, but his minutes are expected to rise even more with Gordon Hayward getting injured on Wednesday. Brooklyn is also a beautiful matchup, ranked 25th in points allowed and 26th in defensive efficiency.
Forward to Avoid
Julius Randle, NYK vs. BOS ($29)
Randle was the man in NY after his signing, but with the emergence of RJ Barrett and the signing of Jalen Brunson, this is no longer his show. That has plummeted his usage and shot attempts, taking 13 or fewer shots in each of the last four games. He's also failed to crack 36 Yahoo points in his previous six games, and it would be hard to imagine him reaching that against the top-ranked defense from last season. You need at least 36 fantasy points from a $29 player to provide value and that looks like a tough bet here.
Centers
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. SAS ($55)
The Joker has been the most reliable fantasy player for three years. He's scored at least 32 Yahoo points in all but two games since the 2020 season. That's 154 games of consistency, with Jokic averaging nearly 60 fantasy points per game in that span. A floor paired with an average like that makes Jokic the best play on every slate, and getting to face San Antonio is sensational. The Spurs sit 28th in defensive efficiency while playing at the fastest pace in the NBA. That's scary since Joker averaged 32.5 points, 15.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in their four meetings last season.
Alperen Sengun, HOU at MIN ($22)
It's hard to understand this pricing with Sengun. This Turkish center has a Jokic-type game, averaging 34.4 Y! points per game, despite playing just 27 minutes a night this season. That playing time has been creeping up the more Houston realizes he's one of their best players, and we genuinely believe he will be a $30 player sooner rather than later. They need him to play monster minutes to oppose bigs like Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, with Alp accruing 14 points, 15 rebounds and four assists across 33 minutes in their most recent meeting.
Center to Avoid
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP at ATL ($28)
We love Valanciunas' game, but this role isn't pleasant with a healthy roster. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are swallowing up all of the usage in New Orleans, leaving JV with crumbs. In fact, the big man has 26 or fewer Yahoo points in five of his last six games. His role has plummeted with the resurgence of Larry Nance Jr, too, playing 24 or fewer minutes in all of those. That's terrifying from a player flirting with $30, and it makes JV an easy fade.
