This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We have a full 11-game slate on tap Wednesday night in the Association, and several intriguing matchups should be highly competitive and feature some very fruitful performances from a DFS perspective. As customary, we'll dive into a pair of candidates to consider deploying in your Yahoo lineups, along with one player at each position that may be worth steering clear of.
Guards
Josh Giddey, OKC at MEM ($29): Giddey has delivered nicely on his salaries of late, scoring 34 to 53.9 Yahoo points in his last three games and eclipsing the 30-mark on six occasions overall in his last nine contests. The beginning of that strong stretch came against this same Grizzlies squad, which he lit up for 43.7 Yahoo points on the strength of a 20-point, 11-assist double-double back on Nov. 18. Memphis checks in allowing the ninth-highest offensive efficiency rating (23.5) to two-guards as well, and Giddey is highly capable of checking off virtually every box on the stat sheet any time he takes the floor.
CJ McCollum, NOP vs. DET ($26): McCollum makes for an intriguing play for tournaments at his salary, as we know the impressive ceiling he offers, yet he's underperformed significantly of late and should therefore have much lower rostering rates than usual. The veteran has scored just 14.8 and 18.6 Yahoo points in his first two games back from COVID-19 protocols, shooting just 5-for-22 in that pair of contests. However, McCollum has been through countless similar brief slumps and snapped back impressively. A matchup against a Pistons team allowing an Eastern Conference-high 31.3 offensive efficiency rating to point guards and 51.2 Yahoo points per game to the position could be the cure for what ails him.
Guard to Avoid
De'Aaron Fox, SAC at MIL ($36): Fox undeniably carries plenty of upside, but he's been in a bit of a funk recently while shooting only 39.5 percent, including 30.0 percent from distance, over his last six games. The six-year veteran's averages of 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists during that span are solid but certainly not irreplaceable, and his matchup against Jrue Holiday and a Bucks squad that is giving up under 40 Yahoo points per game to point guards in the last 15 games is good reason to avoid him at his salary.
Forwards
Kyle Kuzma, WAS at CHI ($31): The Bulls have been one of the easiest teams in the league to rack up three-point production against, allowing Eastern Conference-high 38.7 percent shooting from behind the arc at home. Kuzma is averaging an impressive 35.2 Yahoo points per game and is coming off 43.4 against his old Lakers squad on Sunday. He's eclipsed the 40-fantasy-point threshold in four of his last six games alone, and he also sports a 30.3 percent usage rate while putting up 38.3 Yahoo points per 36 minutes without Bradley Beal (hamstring) on the floor, furthering his case.
AJ Griffin, ATL at NYK ($12): Griffin represents a highly appealing way to save salary and still capture plenty of upside Wednesday, as the talented rookie should be back on the starting five in place of De'Andre Hunter (hip). Griffin has scored 36.1 and 26.8 Yahoo points in his last two games while running with the first unit, and he's already impressively demonstrated his ability to carry over his shooting prowess from Duke to the pros despite being just 19 years old. Griffin is also facing a favorable positional matchup, as the Knicks are allowing the 11th-highest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (23.5) while allowing 37.2 percent shooting from three-point range and 44.3 Yahoo points per game to the position.
Forward to Avoid
Kawhi Leonard, LAC at ORL ($27): Leonard is another talented player that could have trouble justifying his salary Wednesday. Considering his injury history, the veteran wing will likely continue to be handled with caution. Although he just hit the game-winning shot in his return against the Hornets on Monday, he's still shooting just 42.9 percent in the last four games he's played, including an abysmal 8.9 percent from three-point range. Kawhi isn't likely to even hit 30 minutes either, which could lead to another solid but unremarkable performance.
Centers
Pascal Siakam, TOR vs. LAL ($42): Siakam comes at a $12 discount over the big man he'll frequently find himself up against, Anthony Davis, yet is averaging a prolific 47.8 Yahoo points per game and has eclipsed the 40-mark in four straight. Siakam has taken his play up another level this season with new career high in points (24.5), rebounds (8.9) and assists (7.1), and the Lakers are checking into Wednesday's game tied for the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating allowed to centers (34.1), along with 57.5 Yahoo points per game surrendered to the position.
Mitchell Robinson, NYK vs. ATL ($18): Robinson is another viable player from the Knicks-Hawks game that could offer you significant savings and therefore allow you to stock up elsewhere. The big man can sometimes confound with a clunker, but he's been mostly steady of late, scoring 26.6 to 43.5 Yahoo points in five of his first six games back from an extended absence due to a knee injury. Robinson even has a 20-rebound effort in that sample, and he notably tallied 36.4 Yahoo points in just 18 minutes during his one prior meeting with the Hawks, which are allowing 53.4 Yahoo points per game to centers.
Center to Avoid
Myles Turner, IND at MIN ($30): Turner is coming into Wednesday sporting a questionable tag due to a hamstring injury that already cost him Monday night's win over the Warriors. The veteran big man has been very productive when on the floor this season, but the combination of the soft-tissue injury, his relatively elevated salary and a mostly undesirable matchup against Rudy Gobert down low if he does play makes him a good candidate to steer clear of Wednesday.
