This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Sunday slates always tend to be lighter, and that's certainly the case here. We only have five games making up the main card, with others spread throughout the day. What's interesting about this is that we can see some lopsided matchups. That can cause chaos for DFS purposes, but it could also open up plenty of value. There's a lot to discuss, so let's go ahead and get into it!
Guards
Stephen Curry, GS at SAC ($49)
Curry played at an MVP level last season, and the superstar point guard looks the same this year averaging 33 points, 10 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals. That's no surprise when you see he's taking 23 shots a game while leading the club with a 36.3 percent usage rate. We're talking about the best shooter of all time putting up 23 shots a game. That alone makes Steph an easy choice, but we absolutely love the fact Sacramento ranked at the bottom in total defense last year.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI at OKC ($17)
The Ben Simmons predicament has been a nightmare scenario for the Sixers, but it's been beneficial to one player. That happens to be Maxey, who starts at point guard in his absence. The former Wildcat averages 29 Yahoo points across 35 minutes a night which is right on par with his 31-point average in a similar role last season. That's a spectacular total from a $17 player, with most in this salary range barely coming off the bench. We're certainly not concerned about him facing the Thunder as they've allowed 243 points across their first two outings.
Guard to Avoid
Kemba Walker, NYK vs. ORL ($25)
I loved Kemba in season-long fantasy drafts with how deep he was falling, but this might be something that takes some time. Julius Randle is essentially the de facto point guard on this team, and it's hurting Walker's value. He's only produced 40 combined fantasy points in the first two contests while attempting just eight shots in each. That's horrifying usage, and it's hard to understand why he's still at $25 with this recent trend. Facing Orlando isn't something we like either, with the Magic playing at one of the slowest paces in the NBA last season. Just wait for Kemba to start playing better or his salary drop before deploying him in DFS.
Forwards
Harrison Barnes, SAC vs. GS ($27)
The fantasy community has constantly disrespected Harry B, but I'm here to start the Barnes Boys Club! He's been one of the most consistent players in the NBA for nearly a decade now, but has been a freak to start this season dropping at least 47 Yahoo points in both games while collecting 61 points and 24 rebounds. That's a good indicator Barnes is trying to take over this offense, even playing some center in the most recent defeat. Golden State is not a problematic matchup with Harry scoring at least 33 Y! points in all three meetings last year.
Desmond Bane, MEM at LAL ($10)
Um, why is Bane sitting at the minimum on Yahoo? It feels like Yahoo does this at least once on every slate with this representing the best value on the board. Bane got a start in the opener for Dillon Brooks and tallied 32.1 Yahoo points across 30 minutes. That's the stud we saw throughout the preseason, and we love the way he can stuff the stat sheet at ease. It's all about the $10 tag, because that's downright silly.
Forward to Avoid
Darius Bazley, OKC vs. PHI ($20)
Bazley operated as a great double-double option last season, but this rotation is muddled with too many big men as he's battling with Josh Giddey, Isaiah Roby, Kenrich Williams, and Derrick Favors for rebounds and minutes and that makes it challenging to succeed. He's only played 24 minutes a night in their first two outings while shooting 29 percent from the field. That won't get it done from a $20 player, and it's genuinely worrying Bazley has to face a Top-5 Philly defense from last year.
Centers
Mitchell Robinson, NYK vs. ORL ($17)
Some high-end centers look intriguing, but it's hard to avoid Mitch-Rob at $17. What makes him an enticing option is that Nerlens Noel is out of the picture. That means Robinson should get all the minutes he can handle having already logged 31 minutes a night so far. He's been doing damage during that playing time averaging 28.4 Yahoo points. We believe those 31 minutes will be Robinson's floor here with Orlando sending out two centers in their starting lineup.
Steven Adams, MEM at LAL ($15)
It was unclear what Adams' role would look like at the beginning of the season, but it's clear he's back to the rebounding monster we saw in OKC. The Kiwi grabbed 14 boards in the opener while accumulating 31.3 Y! points across 32 minutes of action. Adams has typically been a fantasy-point-per-minute producer, and will continue to be one of the best bargains at $15 if he keeps playing 30-plus. We believe that will happen here, with LA dispatching numerous big men like Anthony Davis, DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard.
Center to Avoid
Andre Drummond, PHI at OKC ($20)
Drummond will be in this article when Joel Embiid is out, but will be in the fade section whenever the MVP candidate is healthy. The simple fact is, Drum doesn't play enough when Embiid is getting a full allotment of minutes. He hasn't even reached 20 minutes in either of the first two games, despite one of those being a massive blowout. We've said this before, but you should never pay for a player whose value is higher than his minute total. Not to mention, Drummond is questionable with an ankle sprain.
