NBA Yahoo DFS Advice: Who To Play, Avoid For Wednesday, March 8

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Published on March 8, 2023

We have a seven-game slate on tap Wednesday night, one that features Kevin Durant's Suns home debut and several other intriguing matchups that include Kawhi Leonard tangling with his old Raptors squad.

As customary, we'll highlight multiple advantageous positional matchups to exploit at each position for your Yahoo Fantasy lineups, as well as a good trio of candidates that may be best to steer clear of due to a combination of circumstances/salary.

Guards

Trae Young, ATL at WAS ($38): Young was under 40 Yahoo points in the last two games while in a matchup against the Heat that's given him trouble before. However, the star point guard had posted 42.6 to 59.4 Yahoo points in the previous 10 games, including 42.9 against this same Wizards team on Feb. 28. Washington remains short-handed in the backcourt due to the absence of Monte Morris (back) as well, furthering Young's case.

Fred VanVleet, TOR at LAC ($34): VanVleet has scored 59.8 and 44.2 Yahoo points in his last two games, offering a glimpse of the upside he offers at his reasonable salary. The talented point guard has been at his most productive on the road as well, putting up 20.0 points, 7.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest across 27 games. The Clippers have also been vulnerable to point guards all season, allowing the fifth-most Yahoo points per game to the position (50.4), including an NBA-high 61.7 in the last seven contests.

ALSO CONSIDER: Damian Lillard, POR at BOS ($50)

Guard to Avoid

Tyler Herro, MIA vs. CLE ($26): There's no questioning Herro's upside, but he does come with a bit of risk Wednesday. The talented two-guard faces a Cavs team that's allowed the lowest offensive efficiency rating (19.7) on the season and the fewest Yahoo points (35.7) to the position in the last 30 games. Herro is also scuffling of late, scoring 20.3 Yahoo points or less in three of the last five contests while shooting a paltry 38.3 percent in that span.

Forwards

Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. TOR ($41): Leonard makes for a viable play on the other side of the Raptors-Clippers clash. He comes into the interconference battle fresh off having produced 52 Yahoo points on the strength of a 34-point, 10-rebound double-double against the Grizzlies on Sunday. Leonard now takes aim at one of his old squads and looks to capitalize on a Raptors team he put up 38.9 Yahoo points against in 35 minutes back on Dec. 27. Leonard has truly rounded back into All-Star form after that point, averaging 27.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals across the next 25 games while shooting 52.6 percent, including 47.7 percent from distance.

Luguentz Dort, OKC at PHO ($18): Dort takes the floor Wednesday without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (injury management) and Jalen Williams (wrist), a scenario in which he boasts a 26.7 percent usage rate and averages 33.6 Yahoo points per 36 minutes. Dort already scored 31.1 Yahoo points against the Warriors on Tuesday without Williams on the floor, and he produced three other tallies of more than 30 Yahoo points in the previous seven games alone. The Suns have been tough against small forwards all season, but that was primarily due to the departed Mikal Bridges' defense, and Dort already put up 35.5 Yahoo points against Phoenix on Feb. 24 following the trade of Bridges.

ALSO CONSIDER: Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. POR ($47)

Forward to Avoid

Michael Porter, DEN vs. CHI ($21): Porter is probable with an illness for Wednesday's game, but he'll draw a tough positional matchup against a Bulls team that's allowed the third-lowest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (20.9) and just 43.6 percent shooting to the position.

Centers

Deandre Ayton, PHO vs. OKC ($32): Ayton has flashed the upside of a much higher-salaried player on numerous occasions this season, most recently exceeding 40 Yahoo points on five occasions in the last 11 games, a stretch that includes three tallies over 50. The big man scored 34.2 Yahoo points in 31 minutes during his one prior encounter with OKC this season. The Thunder allows the 11th-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (32.4), along with 55 Yahoo points per game to the position in the last 15 games.

Jaylin Williams, OKC at PHO ($10): Williams could prove to be one of the better fantasy-point-per-dollar values of the night, given his salary and expected expanded role. The rookie big will be in a similar position to Dort to benefit from the absences of SGA and Jalen Williams, and Jaylin already proved capable of capitalizing on playing without the latter by recording 27.7 Yahoo points against the Warriors on Tuesday. Williams is averaging 39 Yahoo points per 36 minutes without both players on the floor this season, cementing his case.

ALSO CONSIDER: Daniel Gafford, WAS vs. ATL ($16)

Center to Avoid

Jarrett Allen, CLE at MIA ($25): Allen wouldn't be the only talented big man to underproduce against Bam Adebayo's formidable presence down low this season, and he checks in having scored just 15.7 Yahoo points against the Celtics on Monday night. The Heat has allowed the lowest offensive efficiency rating to centers (27.0) and fewest Yahoo points per game on the season to the position while also tying for the third-fewest rebounds allowed per home game.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.