This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
While we have 11 games today, we have eight making up this night slate beginning at 8ET. That makes things a little easier on us, but there are some fascinating things to discuss. We actually have numerous teams playing the second half of a back-to-back set, and that should spice things up. There's also a ton of injuries to bank off of as well, so let's go ahead and get into it!
Guards
Luka Doncic, DAL vs. GS ($55)
Every other recommendation in this article is $20 or fewer, so we're going with a big dog here. What we love about Doncic is his floor, scoring at least 41 Yahoo points in all but two games this season. He's actually averaging 28 points, 9.4 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game since the calendar mercifully turned to 2021. What really makes him attractive here is the matchup, with Golden State ranked 23rd in total defense. More importantly, they play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA, opening up a ton more opportunities for Doncic. With so much value out there, squeeze in Doncic and go from there.
Hamidou Diallo, OKC vs. MIN ($18)
Let's kick off our value plays with Diallo. Oklahoma City may be without George Hill, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon and Al Horford here. That leaves Diallo as one of the only ball-handlers left, generating a 30 percent usage rate with those guys off the floor. He showed what he can do with that opportunity on Friday, collecting 16 points and a career-high 10 assists. He also played 37 minutes, and that's huge for a guy averaging about 1.2 Yahoo points per minute this season. Not to mention, Minnesota ranks 26th in defensive efficiency and eighth in pace, a perfect recipe for an athlete like this.
Guard to Avoid
Eric Gordon, HOU vs. SAN ($19)
Gordon has had some gems since the James Harden trade, but we haven't seen many games with John Wall and Victor Oladipo both playing. That's expected to be the case here, and that's dreadful news for Gordon. If you look at the last four fixtures both of those guys have played, Gordon has failed to score 30 Yahoo points in any of them while averaging just 21 fantasy points per game. It's clear that his usage and shot attempts drop drastically with those two in the lineup, and he's hard to trust at $19. That looks even worse when you consider that San Antonio surrenders the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing small forwards.
Forwards
Darius Bazley, OKC vs. MIN ($20)
We already know that the three guards in the Diallo write-up will be out, but it seems likely that Horford will sit here as well in the second half of a back-to-back set. That's fantastic news for Bazley, making him the primary rebounder and the focal point of the offense in the frontcourt. A guy like this gaining minutes, usage and shot attempts are huge because he usually provides value through sheer points and rebounds. He's been rolling recently, too, averaging 28 fantasy points per game across his last six outings. That makes it hard to believe he's just $20, and we haven't even discussed the spectacular matchup against the T'Wolves.
Juan Toscano-Anderson, GS at DAL ($12)
This price is criminal. Toscano-Anderson has developed into a huge part of this rotation and he's playing at a $25 level. What's really added to his value are all the frontcourt injuries, with James Wiseman, Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall all sidelined. In the first game without those three, JTA played 40 minutes and dropped 35 Yahoo points. While that might look flukey, he also had 26 fantasy points across 27 minutes of action in his previous game. That 35-point gem actually came against these Mavericks on Thursday, and they're easily one of the worst defenses in the NBA after allowing 147 points in that disaster of a game.
Forward to Avoid
Blake Griffin, DET at LAL ($18)
We probably wouldn't recommend Griffin here if he were a minimum priced player. We say that because there's nothing in his favor. Let's start by talking about the matchup, with the Lakers owning the NBA's best defense. That already makes things tough, but Griffin has been horrible recently. He's actually scored 18 or fewer fantasy points in four of his last five games, averaging just 14 Yahoo points per game over his last three fixtures. This is all scary, and we haven't even mentioned that this is the second half of a back-to-back set, likely limiting Griffin or benching him altogether.
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins, HOU vs. SAN ($16)
What's funny about this recommendation is that Cousins was in our center to avoid section last week. One injury has changed everything though, with Cousins expected to take over starting center duties in the absence of Christian Wood. He was astounding in that role two weeks ago, averaging 43.3 Yahoo points per game in his four starts this year. That's vintage Cousins, and it's really no surprise when you see that he's averaging 1.3 Yahoo points per minute this season. The increase in minutes and usage is a godsend for a per-minute beast like this, particularly for a $16 player.
Jakob Poeltl, SAN at HOU ($16)
Players gaining value because of injury is a huge theme in this article, and that's certainly the case for Poeltl. LaMarcus Aldridge is the one missing for San Antonio, forcing Poeltl into the starting center job. He actually averaged just shy of 30 fantasy points per game in that role last season and dropped 44 Yahoo points in a spot start on Wednesday. The increase in minutes played is really all we can ask for with a player like this, and we love the playing time boost against a Houston team that plays at the fourth-fastest pace in the NBA. Not to mention, Poeltl had his best game of the season last year against Houston, dropping 42 Yahoo points across 41 minutes of action.
Center to Avoid
Chris Boucher, TOR at ATL ($19)
Boucher has been in this section a lot recently from all of us here at Rotowire, and it's easy to see why. He's actually failed to crack 28 Yahoo points in eight-straight games, scoring 20 or fewer fantasy points in six of those. That has led to an 18-point average in that span, playing just 19.6 minutes a night. That's obviously a nightmare despite the talent, and we can't trust him until that playing time creeps back up to where we saw earlier in the season.
