This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
After a wild Wednesday made up of 10 games, the NBA takes a bit of a breather with only three games Thursday. The evening won't be short on elite talent, though, with the Lakers, Warriors and Raptors among the teams in action. Let's examine some players across the price scale to target and avoid for your Yahoo entry.
GUARDS
De'Aaron Fox, SAC vs. LAC ($29): Fox only scored 28.9 Yahoo points in his last game Sunday against the Jazz, but that's actually not that bad considering he played just 26 minutes in the blowout loss. Fox has cooled off a bit after his hot start, but he's still averaging 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists across his last five games. Both the Kings and the Clippers are in the top-eight in the league in pace of play, potentially setting up Fox with added opportunities to stuff the stat sheet.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SAC vs. LAC ($13): The Kings took a cautious approach bringing Bogdanovic back from a knee injury, but he made his first start of the season and logged 34 minutes against the Jazz. He took full advantage of his playing time, scoring 20 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists and one steal. His usage rate is up to 22.6 percent, making him an intriguing option in what could be a high-scoring contest.
Guard to Avoid
Tyreke Evans, IND at LAL ($19): The Pacers will once again be without Victor Oladipo (knee), marking the sixth straight game that he will have missed. Across the first five games, Evans has scored 25.1 Yahoo points or fewer in each contest. The Pacers still have a lot of depth with Cory Joseph and Aaron Holiday, so Evans hasn't been required to log significantly more minutes even with Oladipo unavailable. Don't expect that to change Thursday.
FORWARDS
Kawhi Leonard, TOR vs. GS ($41): Leonard is rolling right now with at least 44.5 Yahoo points in five of his last six games. Although he still isn't playing in both games of back-to-back sets, that's of no concern for this contest since the Raptors haven't played since Tuesday and won't play again until Saturday. His 29.4 percent usage rate ranks inside the top-20 in the league, leaving him with a tremendously high floor considering he is also averaging 8.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals. The Lakers play at the fifth-fastest pace (103.9 possessions per game), which could afford Leonard even more chances to thrive.
Bojan Bogdanovic, IND at LAL ($18): Bogdanovic has been one of the main beneficiaries of Oladipo's absence, scoring at least 27.2 Yahoo points in four of the five games that Oladipo has missed. He's averaging almost two more shot attempts per game during that stretch, which is significant considering he is shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 53.5 percent from behind the arc. Don't expect much from him in terms of rebounds or assists, but he could still score enough to provide value at this price.
Forward to Avoid
LeBron James, LAL vs. IND ($54): The top three options for the evening are all forward in James, Leonard and Kevin Durant ($53). Leonard is significantly cheaper than both James and Durant, which could be crucial for shaping the rest of your lineup. The Warriors will still be without Stephen Curry (groin) and Draymond Green (toe), which has helped Durant score at least 51.3 Yahoo points in five straight games. James could still have a nice night, but going with Durant or Leonard might be better choices based on Durant's upside and Leonard's price.
CENTERS
Domantas Sabonis, IND at LAL ($26): Sabonis is only averaging 25 minutes a game, but he has a 22.8 percent usage rate and is shooting a stellar 66.7 percent from the field, helping him average a career-high 14.7 points. He's also been dominant on the glass with 10 boards per contest, helping him score at least 36 Yahoo points in five of his last six games. His price is climbing, but it's still reasonable enough to make him a great option for this limited slate.
Boban Marjanovic, LAC at SAC ($10): The key here is the status of Marcin Gortat (back). He was forced to sit out Wednesday against the Suns, leaving Marjanovic to jump into the starting five. Marjanovic only played 19 minutes, but he still had a double-double on his way to 25.9 Yahoo points. If Gortat is out again Thursday, this is a prime opportunity to deploy Marjanovic at the minimum price.
Center to Avoid
Jonas Valanciunas, TOR vs. GS ($17): This doesn't shape up to be a good matchup for Valanciunas. The Warriors don't have much size up front, so it wouldn't be all that surprising if he spends a significant amount of time in this game sitting on the bench. He's already played 21 minutes or fewer in five of his last seven games, scoring 19.5 Yahoo points or fewer in all five of those contests.
