This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We enter the first weekend of the NBA season with a nine-game slate Friday night. That leaves us with a lot of enticing options, as well as a few to avoid while crafting your Yahoo entry. Let's dive right in and try to start things off on a winning note.
GUARDS
Kyrie Irving, BKN vs. NY ($41): Talk about an impressive debut. Irving couldn't have played any better in his first game with the Nets, scoring 50 points to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists and seven three-pointers. Amazingly, he didn't have a single turnover. He's going to be a usage rate monster with Kevin Durant (Achilles) out for the season, so look for him to follow up his strong showing with another juicy stat line against the underwhelming Knicks.
Dwayne Bacon, CHA vs. MIN ($10): The Hornets shocked the Bulls on opening night, in large part because of their red-hot shooting from behind the arc. Bacon scored 22 points in the contest to go along with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two three-pointers. While that's a great line, the stat to be the most excited about is his 21 shot attempts. With this team desperately needing players to step up on offense, Bacon is a great option to take a chance on at the minimum price.
Guard to Avoid
Dennis Smith Jr., NY at BKN ($18): The Knicks were one of the most frustrating teams in the league last year with what seemed like their ever-changing rotations. Things are trending in that same direction this season, which isn't good news for Smith out of the gate. He came off the bench in their first game versus the Spurs and played only 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Elfrid Payton logged 26 minutes. There's just too much risk involved with Smith, especially since he doesn't come at much of a discount.
FORWARDS
Pascal Siakam, TOR at BOS ($37): With Kawhi Leonard gone, the Raptors need Siakam to take his game to another level if they are going to reach the playoffs again. He was up to the task in their opener against the Pelicans, scoring 34 points to go along with 18 rebounds and five assists. The Celtics are extremely thin up front after losing Al Horford to the Sixers and will also be without Enes Kanter (knee) for this contest. Look for Siakam to feast against the rest of their underwhelming options.
Rui Hachimura, WAS at OKC ($16): The Wizards' depth chart leaves a lot to be desired, which is part of the reason why the rookie Hachimura is a starter for them right out of the gate. He wasted no time making an impact in their first game, scoring 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds. He also attempted 15 shots in that contest and should continue to be one of their primary scorers. At this price, he could be well worth the risk in tournament play.
Forward to Avoid
Kyle Anderson, MEM vs. CHI ($18): The Grizzlies have decided to start both Dillon Brooks and Jae Crowder, relegating Anderson to a reserve role. He already isn't much of an offense threat, so the reduced playing time isn't going to help him any. He only played 21 minutes in their opener, finishing with four points and eight rebounds. Basically, there isn't much to see here.
CENTERS
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN at CHA ($48): It's not difficult to make a case for Towns to be on this list any given night. He's the driving force behind the Timberwolves' offense and scored 36 points in their first game against the Nets. He's much more than just a source for points though, adding 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in that contest. Now he gets to face the likes of Cody Zeller and Willy Hernangomez. Need I say more?
Wendell Carter Jr., CHI at MEM ($17): After averaging just 25 minutes a game during his rookie season, Carter is generally expected to at least push for 30 minutes a night this season. He logged 29 minutes in the Bulls' opener, scoring 12 points to go along with nine rebounds and one block. With his expanded role, there's no reason to think that he can't at least approach a double-double on a nightly basis.
Center to Avoid
DeAndre Jordan, BKN vs. NY ($16): From a fantasy perspective, the Nets don't have a ton of clarity at center. They have a promising young player in Jarrett Allen, but they brought in DeAndre Jordan as one of their veteran offseason acquisitions. Allen started in the opener and logged 36 minutes. Meanwhile, Jordan played just 17 minutes. With Carter only priced a dollar higher and in a much more stable role with his team, this is not the night to take a chance on Jordan.
