This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Those Friday and Saturday slates were insane. You need to be a diehard DFSer to enjoy cards like those because I've never seen so many big-name players ruled out over a two-day span. That's where the NBA is trending, and we must adapt to this new environment. The positive is we shouldn't have too many of those issues on Sunday with no team on a back-to-back. With that said, we do have a short slate with only three games making up the main card. That will leave us with a thin player pool, but there's still plenty to discuss.
Guards
Ja Morant, MEM vs. WAS ($42)
On such a short slate, getting the can't-miss studs into your lineup is imperative. Ja is definitely one of those players having averaged nearly 50 fantasy points per game. He recorded a dud on Friday, but it's not his fault Memphis mauled Charlotte and limited him to a season-low in minutes. We anticipate Morant getting closer to his usual 35-40 minutes here, and it's clear he wants to carry the load in the absence of Jaren Jackson Jr behind his 30 percent usage rate. Washington isn't a difficult matchup for him as they've given up the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing PGs this year.
Paul George, LAC vs. UTA ($39)
We're going to pay up for Morant and PG13, and then figure things out from there. The two All-Stars are doing everything for their offenses, with George gobbling up a 35 percent usage rate in the absence of Kawhi Leonard. That led to one of the best weeks of his career with 54 Yahoo points per game across his last three. A superstar taking 21 shots while logging 38 minutes is tough to avoid, especially since George dropped 56 Y! points in his most recent matchup with Utah.
Guard to Avoid
Mike Conley, UTA at LAC ($20)
The Jazz boast some serious depth. This was expected to be one of the worst teams, but Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk have all been solid. The emergence of Clarkson and Sexton is what's really concerning for Conley, with the veteran ceding minutes and touches. That has led to him producing 36 or fewer fantasy points in all nine games while failing to crack 30 in seven of those. That's a concerning ceiling for an aging player, especially since he faces a Top-5 Clippers defense from last season.
Forwards
Jarred Vanderbilt, MIN at LAC ($17)
We spent plenty of salary on the guards, so let's find some value at the forward spots. Vanderbilt is one of the best per-dollar plays on the board with at least 24 fantasy points in all but one game this season. That's a fantastic floor from a $17 player, and it looks even better behind his 28-point average. Vanderbilt has been doing that damage with only 6.6 shots and 25 minutes a night, so it's scary to think what he could do with a heavier workload. He's undoubtedly earned that role, and we're not worried about him going up against a weak Clippers frontcourt without Kawhi.
Marcus Morris, LAC vs. UTA ($17)
We just talked about how the Clips are hurt up front, but Morris has been doing his best to fill the void Kawhi left behind. He averaged nearly 30 Y! points per game when Leonard was out last season and enters this matchup with a 31-point average across his last five. There's a lot of usage on the table with Kawhi out, which has led to Morris averaging 13 shots and 33 minutes during that stretch. As long as that role continues, Morris should never be below $20.
Forward to Avoid
Dillon Brooks, MEM vs. WAS ($18)
Brooks isn't the greatest decision maker and is too volatile from a DFS perspective. In six games this season, he's scored 16 or fewer Yahoo points in half of those. A performance like that would obliterate your lineup, but it's easy to understand why when you see Brooks' 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals and zero blocks averages. That equates to just 7.7 Y! points per game, which means you need a terrible shooter to have a good shooting night just to provide value. Washington is not an easy matchup as they're ranked 11th in defensive efficiency ratings.
Center
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS at MEM ($33)
It's hard to understand why Dallas dealt Porzingis. He's on one of the best stretches of his career with at least 52 Yahoo points in two of his last three outings. That's an absurd ceiling from a sub-$40 player, and it's clear Washington wants to run most of their offense through the versatile big man. A matchup with the Grizzlies is great as they sit eighth in pace and 26th in points allowed. In their most recent matchup, Porzingis provided 41 Y! points despite taking only 11 shots.
Center to Avoid
Andre Drummond, CHI at TOR ($19)
It's hard to understand why Yahoo keeps Drum so expensive. The only explanation is they want to keep him inflated in case he starts, but he's stuck behind Nikola Vucevic in this rotation. That's held Drummond to 17 minutes a night off the bench, and that's not enough playing time to provide value at this salary. He's also dealing with a shoulder issue, and things won't get any easier against a Top-10 Toronto defense.
