This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The Christmas Day slate was fantastic. It felt like there were a handful of players on every team with way too cheap salaries, and that's going to continue with COVID protocols dropping every day. The DFS sites can't keep their valuation in line with the ever-changing rotations, which means it's a great time to play. There's a lot to discuss with today's card, so let's go ahead and get into it.
Guards
Tyrese Haliburton, SAC vs. MEM ($30)
Haliburton got off to a slow start this season, but he's rolling right now. It's the COVID breakout in Sacramento that's opened things up for him, with the Kings missing De'Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley and Terence Davis. Since all of them went down, Tyrese is averaging 20.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 2.2 steals over the last five games. That equates to a 40-point floor and 46-point average, some of the best numbers you'll see from a player in this salary range. The matchup isn't shabby with Haliburton having produced 21 points, six rebounds and 10 assists in this same matchup last week.
Spencer Dinwiddie, WAS vs. PHI ($22)
Dinwiddie has really struggled over the last month, but he's an entirely different player with Bradley Beal out of the lineup. With BB off the floor, Dinwiddie is posting a 26 percent usage rate while averaging 1.1 Y! points per contest. The raw numbers are even better scoring at least 46 Yahoo points in the four Beal has missed en route to a ridiculous 52-point average. We don't expect Dinwiddie to do that, but all you need is 30 Y! to reach value.
Guard to Avoid
Tyus Jones, MEM at SAC ($15)
Tyus was great filling in for Ja Morant, but he should resume his bench role with the star point guard back in the lineup. In the first outing with both available, TJ dropped 6.7 Y! points across 16 minutes. We don't expect him to be that poor, but it's concerning he only logged 15 minutes a night before Morant got injured. That means this salary needs to drop more because there are players below him who will see substantially more court time.
Forwards
Josh Hart, NOP at OKC ($23)
Hart has to be one of the most underrated fantasy assets. What makes him so good is his ability to stuff the stat sheet, as seen in his 13.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.0 steals over the last eight games. More importantly, Hart's playing 37 minutes during that span and should continue to see a monster workload for a shorthanded team. Facing the Thunder only adds to his intrigue, with OKC surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing SFs.
Saddiq Bey, DET at SAS ($20)
Detroit is one of those clubs amid a COVID breakout missing Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, and Isaiah Stewart. And that isn't the only thing hurting this roster considering Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk are also sidelined. That's completely left this roster in shambles, forcing Bey into a playmaking role. He's been doing just that recently with at least 29 Yahoo points in four straight fixtures en route to a 38-point average. You can't ask for any more from such an affordable player, and he should continue to lead this team in shots and minutes. Not to mention, San Antonio ranks seventh in pace and 24th in points allowed.
Forward to Avoid
Aaron Gordon, DEN at LAC ($20)
It just doesn't feel like AG will be a fantasy beast in Denver. The former Wildcat has scored 25 or fewer fantasy points in seven of his last nine contests and has become third-fiddle to Nikola Jokic and Will Barton. Gordon's role is even more concerning having only attempted 10 shots over that stretch while providing a usage rate below 20 percent. That means he needs to produce an outlier effort to reach value, especially since LA ranks sixth in total defense. Not to mention, Gordon missed the most recent outing due to a hamstring issue and could be limited here.
Centers
Nikola Jokic, DEN at LAC ($55)
There's currently so much uncertainty in DFS. That makes Jokic one of my favorite plays on every slate because he's one of the most reliable fantasy players. The big man has dropped at least 41 Yahoo points in all but one game this season while averaging nearly 60 Y!. That's easily the best total in the NBA, and it makes Jokic a great pairing with all the cheap players available. It's not like the Clippers boast a scary frontcourt to stop The Joker as he tallied 30 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in their most recent meeting. Just take the guaranteed 50-60 fantasy points and build from there.
Chris Boucher, TOR at CLE ($16)
Nick Nurse has been holding Boucher back for most of his career, and it's driving DFS managers crazy. He simply can't do that here with Toronto missing Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr, and Scottie Barnes. Those represent the team's top-5 leading scorers and that should leave Boucher with a start and 30-35 minutes of play. That's big news for CB, who's averaging 1.2 Y! points per minute since the beginning of last season. And even if he receives 30 minutes, that translates to 36 fantasy points.
Center to Avoid
Montrezl Harrell, WAS vs. PHI ($18)
It's strange that Harrell always plays well but never gets the minutes he needs to be a successful fantasy player. He received the playing time through the first month, but has only cracked 24 minutes in four of his last 15 appearances. That's a terrifying total, and it's no surprise since he's had to battle Daniel Gafford for center minutes. That's led to him posting 25 or fewer Yahoo points in all but two contests with a 22-point average. That's even more worrisome with Philly ranked ninth in total defense while playing at the league's second-slowest pace.
