This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We got off to a great start this season with players like Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes and Jalen Duren in yesterday's article. Coby White was the only major disappointment, but that's going to happen when you recommend cheap players. And that's what makes this time of the year great because many players are significantly undervalued. It takes time for the DFS sites to adjust to these new-look rotations, and we found some gems today. With that in mind, let's get started with a repeat from Saturday...
Guards
Tyrese Maxey, PHI vs. POR ($29)
We had Maxey in this section at the same salary yesterday, so we have to go back to him after another gem. He's taking over with James Harden sidelined having scored 54 Yahoo points in each of the first two games. Maxey's stat lines were eerily similar in both, and it's clear he's going to go off as long as Harden remains out. It guarantees Tyrese 35 minutes, 20 shots and a 30 percent usage rate, which means he needs to get above $30. Facing the Trail Blazers is terrific as they ranked 28th in defensive efficiency last season.
Malcolm Brogdon, POR at PHI ($12)
It was shocking to see Brogdon barely cracking the minimum on Yahoo. He's arguably one of the best players on this weak Portland roster, and we have to assume he'll be asked to do more with Anfernee Simons (thumb) unavailable. He's managed 26 and 29 Y! points in the first outings, and lines like that will be common while Simons is out. And all you need is 20 for Brogdon to be a good value at $12, but that looks like his floor especially since he produced at least 27 from three of his four matchups against Philly last year.
Guard to Avoid
Malik Monk, SAC vs. LAL ($19)
Monk is one of the NBA's streakiest players, but we don't want to trust him during one of his slumps as he's shooting 38 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range through the opening week while averaging 22 Yahoo points. The biggest detriment to his value is his role with only 20 minutes a night. It's never a good thing when your salary matches your court time because it's nearly impossible to provide value with so little action. Monk was terrible against the Lakers last season with 11 or fewer fantasy points in all three meetings.
Forwards
Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. SAS ($41)
Injuries have overshadowed how special Kawhi can be at times because he's one of the best players when healthy. That's the case during the opening week as he dropped 48 Yahoo points across 37 minutes in his most recent outing. When Leonard gets 35-40 minutes, he needs to be closer to $50. His biggest asset here is the matchup with San Antonio, who ranked last in nearly every defensive metric last season. That's on full display by the fact Kawhi has registered at least 44 Y! points in each of their last eight matchups the last three years.
Keegan Murray, SAC vs. LAL ($15)
It's hard to understand why Yahoo is keeping Murray at $15. He struggled at times in his rookie season, though a late-season surge has carried over as he averaged nearly 30 Y! points the final month and has posted 29 and 34 through the first two games. That alone is outstanding from a $15 player, especially since Murray played 40 minutes in his most recent appearance. The matchup with the Lakers is the icing on the cake as they allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing PFs last season.
Forward to Avoid
Andrew Wiggins, GSW at HOU ($24)
It was unclear who would be hurt the most by the Chris Paul addition, but early results say it's Wiggins. The athletic forward doesn't know what to do in this offense right now with only 20 Yahoo points per game. What's really scary is that Wiggins has failed to crack 27 minutes in both while losing playing time to Jonathan Kuminga. That's not a good sign here as Draymond Green is also expected to make his debut Sunday. People might pivot to Wig in this fantastic matchup, but we'd look elsewhere with so many cooks in the Golden State kitchen.
Center
Alperen Sengun, HOU vs. GSW ($29)
Joel Embiid looks like the obvious option at center, but Sengun is the best per-dollar play at the position. The Turkish big man offers a Nikola Jokic-type game averaging 44 Yahoo points through the opening week. We saw flashes of that last season, but we're really encouraged Sengun logged 41 minutes last time out. That sort of role makes him $10 too low on Yahoo because he's no longer being pulled off the floor for his lackluster defense. Facing the Warriors is wonderful as they surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.
Center to Avoid
Brook Lopez, MIL vs. ATL ($23)
Bro-Lo enjoyed a bounce-back season, but things could be tough for him this year. The addition of Damian Lillard is what really scares us because there's only so much to go around with Dame and Giannis Antetokounmpo doing so much. That left Lopez with nothing to do in the opener and he only produced 13 Yahoo points across 29 minutes. It's one thing to have Lillard swallow up so many shots, but Giannis stealing all the boards leaves Lopez with very little from a fantasy perspective. He struggled against ATL last year with 18 or fewer fantasy points from two of their last three matchups.
