This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The final month of the NBA season is not for the faint of heart. In fact, you need to be zoned in on everything at this point because wacky things are happening every night. The rotations and injury reports have been bonkers, and that's going to lead to most of the value on this slate. There's a lot to discuss, so let's break it down!
Guards
Malcolm Brogdon, IND at MEM ($23)
Brogdon has dealt with an injury over the last two games and it's lowered his value too much. Before those two duds, he posted at least 33 Yahoo points in eight of his previous 10 games while averaging 35 fantasy points over that span. You might think that's flukey, but it's actually below Brogdon's brilliant 37-point average for the season. How often do you see someone averaging 37 fantasy points per game sitting at $23? Never, and that's clear when you see the other four players between $22-23 all averaging fewer than 30 Y! points per contest. The matchup isn't too shabby either, with MB dropping 37 fantasy points against the Grizzlies a month ago.
Eric Bledsoe, NO at CLE ($19)
Injuries have hurt this Pelicans' backcourt with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, and Lonzo Ball all missing time. That's earned Bledsoe a monster role by averaging over 34 minutes a night across his last nine outings. That's led to a 27-point average in that stretch, which is all you can ask from a sub-$20 player. All of those absences mean Bledsoe has to play big minutes and we love that with Cleveland ranked 20th in defensive efficiency.
Guard to Avoid
Caris LeVert, IND at MEM ($34)
LeVert has enjoyed some monster games, but many of those have come with the Pacers playing shorthanded. That shouldn't be the case here, with Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis returning Friday. That's really concerning with Caris scoring 31 or fewer fantasy points in 11 of his 15 games with the Pacers. You'd need at least 40 Y! points from such a overvalued player and he's only reached that total twice since arriving. Memphis also boasts a solid defense ranked seventh in defensive efficiency this season.
Forwards
Jimmy Butler, MIA at POR ($42)
Many superstars are posting some crazy numbers, and it's really thrown Jimmy Buckets to the backburner. He's produced a heck of a run since returning from injury on Jan. 30 averaging 22.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Amazingly, Butler has scored at least 36 fantasy points in 22 of those 23 games, which is an absurd floor from a $42 player. The icing on the cake here is the matchup with Portland ranked 29th in defensive efficiency and 27th in points allowed.
Marcus Morris Sr, LAC vs. DET ($10)
With Kawhi Leonard sitting, Morris is one of the best minimum-salaried plays on the board. We actually liked him even if Kawhi suited up having taken over starting PF duties in LA. Over his last 12 games, Morris is averaging 23 Yahoo points in 29 minutes. A lot of that came with Kawhi in the lineup, and we love that Morris has posted at least 38 fantasy points in two of the last four The Claw has missed. A revenge game against a disastrous Detroit team only adds to Morris' intrigue.
Forward to Avoid
Tim Hardaway Jr, DAL vs. SA ($18)
There are too many mouths to feed in Dallas for THJ to have the role he needs to be a solid fantasy producer. It would be one thing if it were just Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis producing, but Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Josh Richardson have also recently stepped up their games. That's left Hardaway with scraps in a bench role, failing to reach 30 Y! points in each of his last seven games. He's averaging just 22 fantasy points during that span and we expect that poor form to continue against a top-10 Spurs' defense.
Centers
Chris Boucher, TOR at NYK ($22)
Boucher is the one carryover from Saturday's article, and we can't fade him at this salary. We say that because he's earned himself a starting job in Toronto and played much better with Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Norman Powell all out of the lineup. That's allowed him to start in five straight games while averaging 39 Y! points across 28 minutes. That's really no surprise when you see Boucher's season average of 30 fantasy points despite playing fewer than 24 minutes a night. New York looks like a tough matchup on the surface, but they send out one of the biggest rotations in the NBA and that should force Boucher into even more minutes.
Isaiah Hartenstein, CLE vs. NO ($14)
This is a risky play, but there's a lot in Hartenstein's favor here. The most important factors are the absences, with Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance both out while JaVale McGee is now in Denver. That means Kevin Love is the only one stealing minutes, and we think he could be rested in the second half of a back-to-back set. That could lead to a Hartenstein start and he could play 30-plus minutes. He's notched at least 26 fantasy points in five of his last six while generating a 33-point average. Hartenstein has done that damage despite never playing more than 27 minutes in any of those contests, and we truly believe he'll surpass that total here if Love is out. Not to mention, New Orleans ranks 28th in defensive efficiency and 26th in points allowed.
Center to Avoid
Enes Kanter, POR vs. MIA ($21)
Collecting 24 points and 30 rebounds on Saturday is ridiculous, but we don't think Kanter will do even half of that tonight. We say that because Jusuf Nurkic is returning after a rest night on Friday and should force Kanter back into his reserve role. That crazy game is overshadowing the fact he managed 20 or fewer Yahoo points in four of his previous five games as a bench player. That's really scary and we certainly don't expect that to get much better against a top-5 Miami defense.
