This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
DFS has always been a chaotic endeavor for many fantasy players, and it's absolutely crazy right now. We're down to the final week of the NBA season, and it's only going to get more wild from here on out. There's a handful of teams resting players regularly and way too many teams tanking. We certainly have a few of those here, but it's also opened up a ton of value across the board. One of those guys will be in our guard section, so let's go ahead and get into it!
Guards
Russell Westbrook, WAS at IND ($58)
When there's this much uncertainty and so much value, it's best to go with the best play on the board. That happens to be Russ, with the former MVP posting some of the most ridiculous numbers we've ever seen. Amazingly, Westbrook has at least 41 Yahoo points in 25 straight games, averaging 21.8 points, 14.1 rebounds, 13 assists and 1.4 steals per game in that span. While that might look like an error, I assure you it's not! Those outstanding numbers make him impossible to fade no matter the price, especially with Russ scoring at least 71 Y! points in three of his last four games. One of those came against this Indiana team, and it's really no surprise when you see that they're top-10 in pace and bottom-10 in total defense over the last three weeks.
Malachi Flynn, TOR vs. MEM ($10)
It looks like Toronto will be sitting Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby here. That means Flynn should start and play 35-40 minutes, making him the best minimum-priced play on the board. Those three guys actually sat for the first two weeks of April, and that was ironically Flynn's best stretch of his career. In fact, Malachi averaged 33.2 Yahoo points per game in the first 10 games of April, playing nearly 35 minutes a night. The simple fact is, he's the primary ball-handler when all of these guys are out, and there's a ton of usage for him to make up.
Guard to Avoid
Luguentz Dort, OKC at GS ($18)
Oklahoma City is tanking like a submarine, and it's really killed Dort's value. He's been in and out of the lineup so much that he's not even sure when he's going to play. That already makes him a risky pick with this being the first half of a back-to-back set for the Thunder, but it's not like he's been playing well anyway. Dort has failed to crack 21 fantasy points in each of his last four fixtures, providing an 18-point average in that span. That's even more worrisome here, with Golden State ranked fifth in defensive efficiency.
Forwards
Pascal Siakam, TOR vs. MEM ($38)
We already mentioned all of the guys out in Toronto, but we haven't heard anything about Siakam sitting. That's honestly somewhat surprising, but if he's the lone starter left, Siakam should be in for a crazy workload. With those three guys off the floor and Chris Boucher sidelined as well, Siakam is leading the team with a 33.2 percent usage rate while averaging 1.4 Y! points per minute. Those are truly absurd rates, and it looks even tastier when you see that Siakam has at least 66 fantasy points in two of his last three games. He went nuts the first time he faced the Grizzlies, too, collecting 32 points, five rebounds and six assists despite most of those guys suiting up.
Kenyon Martin Jr, HOU at UTA ($17)
This sounds strange to say, but KJ is the man running things in Houston right now. They're already missing John Wall, Eric Gordon, Christian Wood and Kevin Porter, which is even scarier when you see that Kelly Olynyk and Jae'Sean Tate are nicked up as well. That leaves Martin as one of the only guys left, forcing him into a grueling role. In the last two games without those guys, Mini Martin has 91 combined Yahoo points in 83 minutes of play. That's a good week for most players, and it makes it hard to believe he's only $17. Facing Utah is worrisome, but it really doesn't matter because Martin is a guarantee for 35-40 minutes.
Forward to Avoid
Oshae Brissett, IND vs. WAS ($20)
Brissett was in the value section as early as last week, but that's a good indicator of how quickly things can change. Domantas Sabonis and Goga Bitadze were both injured when we recommended him, but now that both of those guys are back, Brissett is hard to trust at this price. He's actually seen his minutes drop in each of his last three games, averaging just 18 Yahoo points per game in that span. That's a terrible total from a $20 player, and his role is only going to decrease as more guys get healthy.
Centers
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. BKN ($53)
There's actually so much value out there that you might be able to squeeze in Westbrook and Jokic. That would be the optimal strategy because you've guaranteed yourself 100-120 fantasy points with those two in your lineup. The reliability factor from Jokic is what makes him so intriguing, scoring at least 32 Y! points in every game this season, en route to a league-leading 55.3 fantasy points per game. He's actually scored at least 52 Y! points in each of his last four fixtures coming into this matchup, doing much more with Will Barton, Jamal Murray and Monte Morris all sidelined. The matchup with Brooklyn is the icing on the cake, though, with the Nets ranked 25th in defensive efficiency while surrendering the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing centers. In their one meeting earlier this year, Jokic dropped a 65-spot on this dreadful defense.
Moses Brown, OKC at GS ($15)
This is a risky play with the volatility of this Thunder rotation, but Brown has been way too good to be just $15. The big man has been the regular starting center since Al Horford's benching, averaging 26 Yahoo points per game across his last 31 outings. That's really all you can ask for from such a cheap player, and the rebounds could be plentiful against a Warriors team that ranks second in pace. Brown will only gain more value if some of these OKC players get ruled out before opening tip, which is another strong possibility.
Center to Avoid
Enes Kanter, POR vs. SAN ($18)
Kanter was spectacular when he filled in for Jusuf Nurkic earlier this season, but now that Nurk is fully healthy, Kanter is back to a reserve role. That has led to Kanter playing just 16 minutes a night over his last eight outings, scoring 22 or fewer fantasy points in six of those. That's the minimum you'd need from an $18 player, and it would be hard to imagine him reaching that total against a top-10 Spurs defense.
