This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The Celtics were able to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals with a win Friday, which gives us another two-day, two-game slate on Yahoo. Here are some players to consider while working your way through the options, as well as a few to potentially avoid.
GUARDS
Jamal Murray, DEN at LAL ($35): Outside of a quiet performance in Game 1, Murray has had an excellent series. He's scored at least 45.2 Yahoo points in each of the last three games and has not only been an excellent scorer, but he's been facilitating their offense in a big way with 20 assists across the last two games. Facing elimination, Murray should once again come with plenty of upside.
Goran Dragic, MIA vs. BOS ($23): Another game, another night with at least 20 points for Dragic. Actually, he's scored at least 22 points in four of the five games of this series. He's been excellent during the Heat's playoff run, overall, with averages of 21.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists. His salary has declined by a dollar since the last slate, which makes him an even more appealing option.
Guard to Avoid
Kemba Walker, BOS at MIA ($25): The Celtics pulled out a win in Game 5 despite a quiet performance from Walker. He was limited to 15 points on 11 shot attempts, which were both series-lows for him. With 29.9 Yahoo points or fewer in two of the last four games, it might be best to save a couple of dollars and roll with Dragic instead.
FORWARDS
Jayson Tatum, BOS at MIA ($43): Tatum came up big when the Celtics needed him the most, recording 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Game 5. That marked his third double-double of the series and the fourth time that he scored at least 50.8 Yahoo points. He's one of the safest options at any position given his high floor.
Jerami Grant, DEN at LAL ($14): After scoring 26 points in Game 3, it was pretty obvious that Grant was going to regress some in Game 4. Still, he performed well with 17 points, although he didn't chip in much else with just two rebounds and an assist. The good news is that he's played at least 34 minutes in three of four games against the Lakers and should once again spend a lot of time on the court in Game 5.
Forward to Avoid
Gordon Hayward, BOS at MIA ($26): After missing the start of the playoffs, Hayward has been able to log at least 30 minutes in all three games since he has returned from injury. The problem is that he didn't score more than 29 Yahoo points in any of those contests, including a quiet Game 5 in which he scored 17.6 Yahoo points. His salary has come down two dollars since the last slate, but it's still too high based on his production.
CENTERS
Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. BOS ($34): Adebayo had a quiet scoring night Friday, producing just 13 points. Still, he was able to score 38.6 Yahoo points thanks to his eight rebounds and eight assists. Expect him to rebound in the scoring column against a Celtics team that doesn't have the size to slow him down on a consistent basis.
Dwight Howard, LAL vs. DEN ($12): The Lakers made an adjustment for Game 4, moving Howard into the starting five. Not only did it pay off with a win, but Howard also put forth an excellent stat line with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a steal across 23 minutes. There's no reason to believe he won't start again, which makes him an intriguing budget-friendly option in tournament play.
Center to Avoid
Daniel Theis, BOS at MIA ($17): Theis had a monster performance in Game 5, scoring 15 points to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocks. He hadn't scored more than eight points in any of the four previous games of the series and it also marked the first time that he hit double-digits in the rebounding column. With the expectation that Adebayo plays better in this game, Theis has a chance to return to the muted levels of production that we saw from him in the first four games.
