This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Monday brings a nine-game slate in the NBA that should be filled with players being rested and others who are dealing with injuries. Let's try to make sense of it all and highlight some players to consider for your entries, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Russell Westbrook, WAS vs. OKC ($55): Westbrook is on fire right now, recording a triple-double in 11 of his last 13 games. During that stretch, he's averaged 23.2 points, 14.2 rebounds, 12.4 assists and 1.2 steals. The Wizards could blow out the tanking Thunder, but look for Westbrook to stay in the game long enough to at least challenge for another triple-double.
Killian Hayes, DET vs. CLE ($12): Speaking of tanking teams, the Pistons are not hiding their intentions. They have already ruled out Jerami Grant (quadriceps), Mason Plumlee (rest), Wayne Ellington (rest), Cory Joseph (illness) and Dennis Smith Jr. (knee). That should leave plenty of minutes available for Hayes, who scored 40.3 Yahoo points the last time both Joseph and Smith sat out.
Guard to Avoid
Ja Morant, MEM at DEN ($28): Morant has been quiet lately, scoring 27.9 Yahoo points or fewer in three of the last four games. He's seen a decrease in his scoring numbers recently, averaging 15.5 points and 12.5 shot attempts over his last 10 games. This game has blowout potential with Jonas Valanciunas (concussion) out, so any potential decline in minutes could be troublesome for Morant.
FORWARDS
Domantas Sabonis, IND vs. SA ($42): Sabonis has been about as consistent as it gets, scoring at least 40.5 Yahoo points in seven of his last 10 games. He's a rebounding machine, averaging 11.6 boards to go along with his average of 19.9 points per game. His rebounding prowess is a matchup nightmare for the Spurs, who have allowed the sixth-most rebounds per game in the league.
Saddiq Bey, DET vs. CLE ($18): With all of the players on the Pistons who have been ruled out for this game, the team is going to need to get scoring from somewhere. Enter Bey, who is already averaging 16.4 points on 12.9 shot attempts across the last seven games. Also working in his favor is that the Cavaliers rank inside the bottom-half of the league in defensive rating.
Forward to Avoid
Talen Horton-Tucker, LAL vs. UTA ($15): Horton-Tucker has the ability to go off in the scoring column on any given night. However, he's only shooting 44.1 percent from the field for the season, and he's been even worse lately, shooting 42.3 percent across his last 10 games. He's also mostly reliant on his ability to score in order to provide value given that he's only averaged 3.2 rebounds over the aforementioned 10-game stretch. That could be troublesome for a matchup against a Jazz team that has the fourth-best defensive rating.
CENTERS
Joel Embiid, PHI vs. GS ($49): The Warriors have very little size up front and have been further depleted by the injury to James Wiseman (knee). As a result, they've allowed the ninth-most Yahoo points per game to opposing centers. Draymond Green is a good defender, but he's giving up a ton of size to Embiid in this matchup. The only other option that the Warriors have to defend Embiid is Kevon Looney, so don't be surprised if Embiid walks away with a monster stat line here.
Isaiah Stewart, DET vs. CLE ($18): Stewart is expected to receive another start with Plumlee out. He's thrived when given added playing time previously, scoring at least 33.2 Yahoo points in each of the last three games that Plumlee has missed. If you want to fade Embiid and his expensive salary, Stewart is an excellent option that also allows you to allocate more of your budget elsewhere.
Center to Avoid
Montrezl Harrell, LAL vs. UTA ($18): Harrell has been quiet, scoring 25.3 Yahoo points or fewer in four of his last six games. While the Lakers were initially leaning on him heavily to help offset the loss of Anthony Davis (calf), the addition of Andre Drummond has pushed Harrell into a smaller role. During the previously mentioned six-game stretch, he only averaged 21 minutes a game. With Stewart likely locked into more playing time, taking a chance on Harrell, when the two players have the same salary, seems unnecessary.
