This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA won't be short on action Wednesday with 11 games on the schedule. There are a few highlight matchups, one of which features the Suns hosting the Celtics. The Warriors will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing home loss Monday to the Pacers when they go on the road to play the Jazz. The Wizards will again be in action, but they will have to take on the Bulls without Bradley Beal (hamstring). Let's dig into the options on Yahoo and highlight some players to target for your lineups, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Jordan Poole, GS at UTA ($21): The Warriors are going to be shorthanded for this game with Stephen Curry (ankle), Andrew Wiggins (groin) and Draymond Green (hip) all out. Poole should step into the starting five and handle the bulk of scoring responsibilities alongside Klay Thompson. Across six games as a starter, Poole has averaged 26.0 points, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals.
Jaylen Nowell, MIN vs. IND ($14): With Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) out, the Timberwolves need someone to help offset the loss of scoring that comes with him being sidelined. Kyle Anderson has been playing more, but he's not much of an offensive force. One player who has risen to the occasion offensively is Nowell, who has provided 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals over the last four games. The Timberwolves and Pacers are the top two teams in the league in pace of play, which makes Nowell even more appealing in DFS.
Guard to Avoid
Fred VanVleet, TOR vs. LAL ($30): VanVleet has never been an overly efficient shooter. For his career, he has only shot 40.1 percent from the field. This season has been even worse for VanVleet, who is connecting on just 35.7 percent of his attempts from the field. He has been awful of late, shooting 29.4 percent over his last eight games. Until he shows signs of turning things around, he is too risky at this salary.
FORWARDS
Jaylen Brown, BOS at PHO ($38): Brown has been the opposite of VanVleet, never shooting lower than 45.4 percent from the field during his career. This season, he is shooting a robust 50.4 percent. He has been a valuable contributor across the board, averaging 26.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He has among the highest floors of any forward on this slate.
AJ Griffin, ATL at NY ($12): The Hawks have been giving Griffin more playing time with John Collins (ankle) and De'Andre Hunter (hip) out. He has responded by scoring 36.1 and 26.8 Yahoo points, respectively, in the last two games. At near the minimum salary, he might be too good to pass up.
Forward to Avoid
Kawhi Leonard, LAC at ORL ($27): Leonard returned from an eight-game absence in a win over the Hornets on Monday. He hit some clutch shots down the stretch, logging a total of 28 minutes. However, he only scored 25.2 Yahoo points, and he hasn't scored more than 26.4 Yahoo points in any of the six games that he has appeared in this season. With his playing time likely to remain limited, it's difficult to justify rolling with him at this salary.
CENTERS
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS at CHI ($37): Porzingis has been rolling of late, scoring at least 51.3 Yahoo points in three of the last four games. He could see even more scoring opportunities going forward with Beal out again. The Bulls have allowed the second-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league, which works in Porzingis' favor since as a 35.6 percent shooter from behind the arc averaging 2.1 three-pointers per game.
Nicolas Claxton, BKN vs. CHA ($23): This is a favorable matchup for Claxton facing a Hornets team allowing the third-most rebounds per game in the league. The last time he played them, he scored 44.3 Yahoo points over just 25 minutes. Claxton has been playing well, in general, scoring at least 30.4 Yahoo points in six of his last seven games.
Center to Avoid
Marvin Bagley III, DET at NO ($19): Bagley has been starting for the Pistons, but he has logged 23 minutes or fewer in three of the last four games. That limited him to 20.4 Yahoo points or fewer in all three games. There is also the potential for him to get into foul trouble against the physical duo of Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him log limited minutes again.
