This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA has had to compete with the NFL every Sunday for the last six months, but it's the NBA's time to shine. That leaves us with eight games, five of them kicking off the 6 p.m. ET slate. The recent injury reports have been lengthy, which will play a huge factor in this article. With that in mind, let's get started with one of the best players...
Guards
Luka Doncic, DAL vs. ATL ($54)
Luka is one of the NBA's top performers, and he's really hit his stride of late with at least 61 Yahoo points in seven of his last 10 games, averaging 30.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game in that stretch. It's easy to understand why, with Doncic posting a 38 percent usage rate with Kristaps Porzingis off the floor. Facing Atlanta is the cherry on top with the Hawks ranking 24th in points allowed and 27th in defensive efficiency.
Brandon Goodwin, CLE vs. IND ($14)
This is contingent on Darius Garland's status, but Goodwin represents one of the best plays on the board if DG remains out. BG has scored at least 24 fantasy points in all three games since Garland's injury while averaging 34 Yahoo points across 34 minutes a night over his two starts. Those are absurd averages from such an affordable player, and it's tough to fade a starting point guard looking at 30-35 minutes. Not to mention, Indiana ranks 26th in defensive efficiency ratings.
Guard to Avoid
Dennis Schroder, BOS at ORL ($10)
Schroder is always solid when he fills in, but he's not the same coming off the bench having produced 14 or fewer fantasy points in six of his last seven games while generating a 12-point average during that span. He's also losing touches to Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart, leaving him with crumbs in the minuscule 18 minutes he's logging. Facing Orlando is a fantastic matchup, but it really doesn't matter with a downward trend like this.
Forwards
Brandon Ingram, NOP at HOU ($35)
Playing against Houston is a cheat code. The Rockets rank first in pace and last in both points allowed and defensive efficiency. That makes them the most fantasy-friendly matchup and it always makes the opposition's best player an elite option. That happens to be Ingram who averages 43 Yahoo points across his last nine outings. He's also being asked to do more with Zion Williamson and Josh Hart out, which only adds to his value. We also don't mind Ingram tallied 40 points, five rebounds and four assists in his last meeting with Houston back in December.
Terry Taylor, IND at CLE ($18)
The big man rotation in Indiana has been dismantled by injuries. They're currently missing Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Goga Bitadze and Isaiah Jackson. That means we're down to the fifth-string center, but Taylor has been tremendous in this role. In fact, he's averaging 22.5 points, 15 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his two games as a starter. Getting 46 fantasy points from someone in this salary range is unheard of, and they're going to need him to play massive minutes to oppose the NBA's biggest frontcourt.
Forward to Avoid
Marcus Morris, LAC vs. MIL ($21)
Morris was already inconsistent, but it's going to be tough to trust him going forward with LA adding two more wings on Friday. Robert Covington and Norman Powell were those acquisitions, with both likely looking at 30-minute roles. That means fewer shots, minutes and opportunities for Morris, which is scary since he's posted 25 or fewer Yahoo points in seven of his last 10 games. Having to face a top-10 Milwaukee defense doesn't help either.
Centers
Christian Wood, HOU vs., NOP ($31)
New Orleans is quite the matchup themselves. The Pelicans rank 21st in defensive efficiency ratings while surrendering the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers. We love that for Houston's best player, with Wood averaging 40 fantasy points since being benched on Jan. 3. That's actually the exact total he dropped on New Orleans back in December, and he could be asked to do even more here with Kevin Porter dealing with an illness.
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP at HOU ($29)
We already mentioned how favorable of a matchup Houston is, but they're even worse against centers. Their inefficient offense and blistering pace are the reason why allowing the most fantasy points to opposing centers. That's concerning for them with JV's consistency scoring at least 28 Yahoo points in 41 of 46 games this season. That has led to his 38-point average for the year while dropping 41 fantasy points in his most recent meeting with the Rockets.
Center to Avoid
Clint Capela, ATL at DAL ($21)
Capela led the NBA in rebounding last season, but he's losing lots of playing time. Splitting minutes with Onyeka Okongwu has hurt his value, but all the small-ball in Atlanta has destroyed his role. That has led to Cap playing 26 or fewer minutes in 10 straight outings while averaging 25 fantasy points across 24 minutes a night during that span. That's a far cry from the workhorse we saw last season, and it looks like we could be in for more small-ball here with Dallas missing Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber.
