This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Get ready for a wild Saturday in the NBA playoffs. The evening will start off with a great matchup in the Eastern Conference with the Sixers and Raptors playing Game 1 of their series. It will them be concluded by a pressure-filled Game 7 between the Spurs and Nuggets. These two contests provide us with another opportunity to play Yahoo DFS, so here are some players to target and avoid for your entry.
GUARDS
Ben Simmons, PHI at TOR ($43): Simmons didn't have the best of series against the Nets, scoring 35.6 Yahoo points or fewer in three of the five games. However, he showed his tremendous upside by scoring 51 and 61.3 Yahoo points, respectively, in the other two games. He has by far the highest floor of any of the guards in action based on his ability to contribute in multiple areas.
J.J. Redick, PHI at TOR ($16): Redick really had a bad series against the Nets, scoring 17 Yahoo points or fewer in four of the five games. He only shot 41.8 percent from the field, and although he averaged 13.6 points per game, he only contributed 0.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists a night. With all of that being said, he was excellent against the Raptors during the regular season with averages of 20 points, 2.3 rebounds and four assists a night. At this reduced price, he's someone to consider in tournament play.
Guard to Avoid
Kyle Lowry, TOR vs. PHI ($29): With Kawhi Leonard the unquestioned offensive leader for the Raptors, Lowry only averaged 11.4 points a game in the first round. He did somewhat make up for his lack of scoring in other areas by averaging 4.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and two steals. The Sixers allowed the fourth-fewest Yahoo points per game (39.3) to opposing point guards during the regular season, so this could be a rough series for Lowry.
FORWARDS
DeMar DeRozan, SA at DEN ($34): With their backs up against the wall, DeRozan helped lead the Spurs to a win Thursday to force a Game 7. There were a lot of lopsided series in the first round, so it's refreshing to see one go the distance. DeRozan has scored at least 40.4 Yahoo points in four of the six games and should continue to have a high floor Saturday as the Spurs look to him and LaMarcus Aldridge to lead them to an upset win.
Torrey Craig, DEN vs. SA ($13): Down 2-1, the Nuggets decided to shake up their starting five in Game 4 by benching Will Barton in favor of Craig. The move has not only stuck, but Craig has averaged 33 minutes across the last three games. He's not always going to be that involved offensively, but after scoring at least 23.7 Yahoo points in three of the last four games, he makes a ton of sense at this cheap price.
Forward to Avoid
Paul Millsap, DEN vs. SA ($18): The Spurs have shut down Millsap on the boards in this series, limiting him to 4.3 rebounds a game after he averaged 7.2 a night during the regular season. That's huge considering he doesn't receive a ton of scoring opportunities and provides very little in the way of assists and defensive stats. He's scored 21.7 Yahoo points or fewer in five of these six games, so buyer beware.
CENTERS
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. SA ($44): While the team fell short in Game 6, it certainly wasn't Jokic's fault. He couldn't have played much better, scoring 43 points to go along with 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and a block. With his ability to threaten for a triple-double on a nightly basis, he's scored at least 41.4 Yahoo points in each game of this series. While pricey, he's one of the safest options on the board.
Jakob Poeltl, SA at DEN ($10): Buying out Pau Gasol and giving more playing time to Poeltl turned out to be a wise move for the Spurs. They need his size up front to try and slow down Jokic, so he's been able to average 26 minutes a game in this series. That's helped him score at least 21.1 Yahoo points in each of the last five games. At the minimum price, he's hard to pass up.
Center to Avoid
Marc Gasol, TOR vs. PHI ($20): This series against Joel Embiid and the Sixers is likely the reason why the Raptors acquired Gasol at the trade deadline. His defense is going to be key. Not only will he be tasked with slowing down Embiid, but he'll also need to find a way to stay out of foul trouble. However, his usage rate dropped from 22.3 percent with the Grizzlies to 16.3 percent with the Raptors, so it's hard to get excited about the prospects of him producing a valuable stat line.
