This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Sunday brings eight games in the NBA, six of which will make up the main evening slate in DFS. There will be a lot of bad defensive teams in action, which could lead to some high-scoring contests. Let's dive into the matchups and highlight some of the better players to consider, as well as a few to avoid.
GUARDS
Bradley Beal, WAS at ATL ($40): Scoring shouldn't be hard to come by here, with the Wizards and Hawks allowing the most and third-most points per game in the league. A brief quiet stretch has helped to reduce Beal's price significantly, making him a potential bargain. He still possesses an incredibly high upside and may have righted the ship since scoring at least 47.4 Yahoo points in back-to-back contests.
T.J. McConnell, IND at POR ($13): The Pacers will once again be without their starting point guard with Malcolm Brogdon (concussion) ruled out. McConnell started in his place against the Warriors on Friday, scoring 30.2 Yahoo points across 30 minutes. He's counted at least that many Yahoo points in three straight, making him one of the more appealing cheap options at any position for this slate.
Guard to Avoid
Jeff Teague, ATL vs. WAS ($16): Although points might not be hard to come by in this game, that doesn't mean Teague is someone to target. He's not playing much since being acquired from the Timberwolves, logging 25 minutes or fewer in all four contests. He's also scored 17.6 Yahoo points or fewer in three straight and should continue to see limited playing time as long as Trae Young is healthy.
FORWARDS
Domantas Sabonis, IND at POR ($38): Outside of Hassan Whiteside, the Blazers don't have much size up front. As a result, they've allowed the most rebounds per game in the league. Enter Sabonis, who is averaging 12.8 rebounds per game and has scored at least 43 Yahoo points in four of his last six outings. While he won't come cheap, he also boasts an incredibly high floor based on this matchup.
Trevor Ariza, POR vs. IND ($12): The Blazers wasted no time putting Ariza into a prominent role, starting him against the Mavericks in his first game with the team. He ended up logging 36 minutes and scoring 37.4 Yahoo points. Portland's overall depth leaves a lot to be desired, so expect Ariza to log a heavy workload moving forward.
Forward to Avoid
Zion Williamson, NO vs. BOS ($27): Make no mistake about it, Williamson has looked electric during his first two games. The problem is the Pelicans are obviously being cautious with him in his return from injury, leaving him to play 18 and 21 minutes, respectively. Zion might be in line for a slight increase in minutes here, but he still won't be anywhere near 30 minutes. Since he's not cheap, staying away from him until he's seeing more playing time might be wise.
CENTERS
Deandre Ayton, PHO at MEM ($35): Ayton has produced a couple of quiet games lately, scoring 28.7 Yahoo points or fewer in back-to-back contests. However, don't be overly concerned. He had scored at least 47.4 Yahoo points in each of his previous three games before that stretch and he's still logging a ton of minutes. This represents a great matchup for Ayton to get back on track considering the Grizzlies have allowed the fifth-most Yahoo points per game to opposing centers.
Daniel Theis, BOS at NO ($13): The Celtics will be thin at center with Enes Kanter (hip) already ruled out. He also sat out Friday against the Magic, which resulted in Theis scoring 30.2 Yahoo points across 32 minutes. With the Pelicans playing at the sixth-fastest pace in the league, the added playing time for Theis has the ability to leave him with a significant increase in value.
Center to Avoid
Thomas Bryant, WAS at ATL ($15): The Wizards sure are easing Bryant back from injury slowly. He hasn't logged more than 22 minutes in any of the six games since returning, playing fewer than 20 minutes five times. With Theis locked into more playing time and priced two dollars cheaper, he might be a better option than Bryant if you're looking to save money at center.
