This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Saturday brings eight games on the NBA schedule, seven of which will make up the main slate on Yahoo. Among the more exciting contests figures to be the Raptors taking on the Bucks and the Blazers hosting the Sixers. Let's dive into all of the matchups and discuss some of the better players to target for your lineup, as well as a few to avoid.
GUARDS
Bradley Beal, WAS vs. MIN ($41): Beal has certainly been busy out of the gate with a whopping 32.6 percent usage rate. Normally an efficient shooter, he hasn't exactly been great by shooting 39.1 percent from the field. Still, he's averaging 26.8 points to go along with 5.8 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.8 steals a night. The Timberwolves have played at the fifth-fastest pace in the league, so look for Beal to once again have plenty of opportunities to stuff the stat sheet.
Devonte' Graham, CHA as GS ($15): The Hornets had so many openings in their rotation this season that at least a player or two was going to come out of nowhere to be productive. Through five games, Graham has certainly been one of them. Although he's coming off the bench, that hasn't stopped him from averaging 16.4 points, three rebounds and 7.6 assists a night. With the Warriors allowing 126.4 points per game and currently decimated by injuries, Graham has a chance to provide significant value.
Guard to Avoid
Evan Fournier, ORL vs. DEN ($19): With the Magic thin at point guard last season, Fournier averaged a career-high 3.6 assists per night. While that did drop his scoring average to 15.1 points per game, he still was one of their better sources of offense. The problem is, he provides very little in the way of rebounds and defensive stats. As a result, he's scored 28.6 Yahoo points or fewer in four of their five games out of the gate. There just isn't enough upside here to warrant adding him to your entry when there are so many other viable options for this busy slate.
FORWARDS
Al Horford, PHI at POR ($25): The Sixers will be playing without Joel Embiid on Saturday as he serves his suspension for fighting with Karl-Anthony Towns. That should not only shift Horford over to center, but also expand his role within the offense. When Embiid sat out early this season against the Pistons, Horford scored 23 points to go along with nine rebounds, five assists and a steal. At this reasonable price, he's almost too good to pass up.
Eric Paschall, GS vs. CHA ($11): With all of the injuries on the Warriors, they are going to be searching to just field a competitive team on a nightly basis. Their latest issue is with Draymond Green, who is dealing with a finger injury. There's a chance he doesn't play when you combine that with the fact that the Warriors will be playing in the second leg of their back-to-back set. If he doesn't take the floor, Paschall could be in line for a ton of minutes. He's logged at least 30 minutes in a game two times so far, scoring 28.3 and 32.6 Yahoo points, respectively.
Forward to Avoid
Paul Millsap, DEN at ORL ($18): The Nuggets are one of the deepest teams in the league, so they don't need Millsap to shoulder a heavy load right now. He's played 25 minutes or fewer in three of their five games, scoring 19.4 Yahoo points or fewer in each of those contests. The Magic don't play at a fast pace and are only allowing an average of 99.6 points per game, so this doesn't set up well for Millsap to provide one of his finer performances.
CENTERS
Andre Drummond, DET vs. BKN ($48): Drummond is coming off of a dominating performance against the Bulls in which he had 25 points, 24 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks. The Pistons have relied heavily on him to be productive with Blake Griffin (hamstring) out, so don't expect that to change anytime soon. The Nets were one of the worst teams in the league at slowing down opposing centers last season and haven't been much better this year out of the gate, so don't be surprised if Drummond finishes with yet another monster of a double-double.
Aron Baynes, PHO at MEM ($14): The Suns added Baynes with the hopes that he could provide a veteran presence off the bench, but he's quickly been thrust into a starting role due to Deandre Ayton's suspension. He's scored at least 29.9 Yahoo points in three of four games since moving into the starting five and is coming off of a massive 58.1 Yahoo points against the Warriors on Wednesday. While that will obviously be difficult to duplicate, he still has an excellent chance to out produce his price point.
Center to Avoid
Marc Gasol, TOR at MIL ($18): Simply put, Gasol isn't playing enough right now to even be worth this reduced price tag. He's only averaging 24 minutes through the Raptors' first five games, which is one of the main reasons why he didn't top 23 Yahoo points in any of those contests. Baynes has a larger role with his team and is four dollars cheaper, so no need to overthink this one.
