This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
While it's not the busiest of slates, we have seven games to choose from Monday on Yahoo. Let's dive into the matchups and discuss some players to consider for your entry, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Trae Young, ATL vs. MEM ($48): This has the makings of a high scoring game since the Hawks and the Grizzlies are both ranked inside the top-seven in the league in pace of play. Young has already been playing extremely well, scoring at least 42.2 Yahoo points in seven straight games. He even surpassed 50 Yahoo points four times during that stretch. While pricey, his floor is as high as anyone's on this slate.
Seth Curry, DAL at CHI ($17): The move into the starting five has helped Curry so far. Across six games in that role, he's scored at least 36.2 Yahoo points three times, including in both of the last two games. He's been deadly from behind the arc and will continue to be relied upon heavily with Jalen Brunson (shoulder) out. The Bulls are still missing their best perimeter defender in Kris Dunn (knee), leaving Curry with significant upside at this price.
Guard to Avoid
Tomas Satoransky, CHI vs. DAL ($18): Satoransky has been one of the few players on the Bulls who has been able to stay healthy. With that being said, he's anything but a consistent source of production. In fact, he's scored 23.3 Yahoo points or fewer in three of the last four games. If you're looking for a guard in this price range, rolling with Curry might be the better route to take.
FORWARDS
Aaron Gordon, ORL vs. POR ($35): Gordon finally had a poor outing, scoring just 23.3 Yahoo points against the Spurs on Saturday. Before that, he had averaged 21.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, seven assists and 1.7 blocks across his previous six contests -- easily his best stretch of the season. This is a great spot for him to get back to his productive ways considering the Blazers have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league.
Trey Lyles, SA vs. IND ($14): The Spurs are running out of healthy bodies up front. Jakob Poeltl (knee) is out for at least the next two weeks and LaMarcus Aldridge (shoulder) is listed as doubtful after missing both of the last two games. Lyles scored a whopping 47.8 Yahoo points against the Magic on Saturday, but the key stat for that game was that he logged 40 minutes. With him likely to receive all of the playing time that he can handle against the Pacers, he makes for an excellent cost-effective option to target.
Forward to Avoid
Carmelo Anthony, POR at ORL ($21): Anthony has gone into a bit of a slump, scoring 25.9 Yahoo points or fewer in three straight games. Two of those contests came against good defensive teams in the Pacers and Celtics, which is noteworthy since Anthony provides the majority of his contributions in the scoring column. Facing a Magic team that has allowed the fewest points per game in the league is not an ideal matchup for him to get back on track.
CENTERS
Nikola Vucevic, ORL vs. POR ($38): With the Blazers playing so poorly on the defensive end, Gordon isn't the only player on the Magic to consider. Vucevic has been one of the anchors of their offense, so he immediately jumps up to the top-tier of center options. Like Gordon, Vucevic also had a poor showing against the Spurs, but he had scored at least 38.5 Yahoo points in each of his previous eight games before that off night.
Gorgui Dieng, MEM at ATL ($15): The really cheap center options leave a lot to be desired for this slate. One who at least could see added playing time is Dieng, who is one of the few big men left standing for the Grizzlies with Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) and Brandon Clarke (quadriceps) out. Add his potential for adding playing time to the Hawks' porous defense and Dieng should at least be on your radar in tournament play.
Center to Avoid
Mitchell Robinson, NY vs. HOU ($21): Given that the Knicks have been terrible, the fact that they haven't given Robinson more playing time has been mind boggling. The good news is that he's finally seeing more action, logging at least 26 minutes in four straight games. He's made a case to stick in an expanded role by averaging 12.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 3.3 blocks during that stretch. As encouraging as that is, facing the Rockets' small-ball lineup might not leave Robinson with a lot of minutes in this contest.
