This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Saturday's main slate on Yahoo consists of only four games, but one of them should be a fun one with the Celtics taking on the Warriors. Injuries will also play a significant role with the Pacers and Sixers dealing with limited rosters. Let's examine some players to target and avoid as you work your way through the options.
GUARDS
Kyrie Irving, BOS vs. GS ($45): This game is about as big as it gets in the regular season. Irving did not play Wednesday against the Cavaliers due to an illness, but he's not going to miss this potential finals preview. His overall numbers this season are great and he's been even better at home with averages of 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists across 20 games there. His 29.4 percent usage rate should translate very well in this potentially high-scoring contest.
Tyreke Evans, IND at MEM ($10): It's worst case scenario for Victor Oladipo (knee), who is now out for the rest of the season. No one can replace him on the Pacers, but Evans should at least have a chance to see more playing time. He's already started to turn things around, scoring 21 Yahoo points in six of his last seven games. Even though this is a tough matchup against a good Grizzlies' defense, Evans might still be worth the risk in tournament play at the minimum price.
Guard to Avoid
Terry Rozier, BOS vs. GS ($21): Rozier steamrolled the Cavaliers in a spot start for Irving on Wednesday, scoring 45.6 Yahoo points across 30 minutes. He normally plays well when he starts, so the fact that he dismantled one of the worst teams in the league is not all that surprising. His price increased by eight dollars after that performance, making him too expensive since he'll be returning to the Celtics' second unit Saturday.
FORWARDS
John Collins, ATL at POR ($32): Collins provided glimpses of his upside last year during his rookie campaign despite only averaging 24 minutes a game. The Hawks have taken the training wheels off this season, allowing him to average 30 minutes per contest. He's made the most of the added playing time, averaging 19.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His lack of defensive stats is really his only weakness. It's a little surprising that he's only averaging 0.4 blocks per game since he averaged 1.1 per contest last year in fewer minutes. Regardless of his struggles in that area, he can still provide value at this reasonable pace.
Marcus Morris, BOS vs. GS ($18): Morris recently experienced a brief shooting slump, which limited him to eight points or fewer in four straight games. However, he's 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from the field across his last two games, which propelled him score 27.8 and 27.1 Yahoo points, respectively. His 21 percent usage rate is the fourth-highest mark on the Celtics, which makes him an intriguing option in this potential shootout.
Forward to Avoid
DeAndre' Bembry, ATL at POR ($19): The Hawks are starting to get healthy with Taurean Prince back in the fold and Kevin Huerter (neck) listed as probable for Saturday. Bembry could see a decrease in playing time, which is bad news considering he's already scored 23.4 Yahoo points or fewer in four of his last seven games. He doesn't come at much of a discount, so he might not be a risk worth taking.
CENTERS
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. PHI ($48): Jokic served his one game suspension Friday against the Suns, so at least he'll be fresh for the second leg of the Nuggets' back-to-back set. His ability to contribute in multiple areas has helped him score at least 42 Yahoo points in 12 of his last 13 games. He'll also get to avoid Joel Embiid (rest) in this contest, leaving him with the potential to feast against Mike Muscala, Amir Johnson and Jonah Bolden.
Mike Muscala, PHI at DEN ($10): With Embiid out, Muscala is a prime candidate for added playing time. Across 23 games in which he's logged at least 20 minutes, Muscala has provided respectable averages of 8.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest. Even though this is not a great matchup against Jokic, rolling with Muscala in tournament play isn't that crazy of an idea.
Center to Avoid
Al Horford, BOS vs. GS ($23): Horford missed Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers to rest, but he'll return for this contest. Unfortunately, he's been tough to count on lately with 26.8 Yahoo points or fewer in five of his last eight games. There are a lot of quality center options despite the limited amount of games on Saturday's slate, so Horford's volatility might make him someone to avoid.
