This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA All-Star break mercifully comes to an end Thursday. We have six games on the schedule and will have plenty of star power with the Bucks, Heat, Sixers and Rockets among the teams in action. Let's discuss some of the better players to target on Yahoo entry, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Jimmy Butler, MIA at ATL ($33): Given the Heat's struggles on the road, this game might actually be fairly close. That could mean plenty of playing time for Butler, which would be huge considering the Hawks have allowed the second-most points per game in the league. He scored at least 35 Yahoo points in each of the three previous meetings against them this season, twice topping 50 Yahoo points. Look for him to thrive this time around, as well.
Damion Lee, GS vs. HOU ($14): Playing time should no longer be an issue for Lee based on the moves that the Warriors made at the trade deadline. He's logged at least 30 minutes in both of their last two games, scoring at least 28.5 Yahoo points both times. This is a great matchup against a Rockets team that has played at the second-fastest pace in the league and deploys a lot of small lineups, which should leave Lee with an excellent opportunity to keep things rolling.
Guard to Avoid
Dillon Brooks, MEM at SAC ($16): Brooks can be hit or miss because of his reliance on the scoring column to provide value. He's been a bit quiet in that regards lately, which resulted in him scoring 18.3 Yahoo points or fewer in each of his last three games. Given both players at least have similar upside, it might be best to roll with Lee and save the extra two dollars as opposed to taking a chance on Brooks breaking out of his slump.
FORWARDS
Robert Covington, HOU at GS ($22): If the Rockets are going to make their new small-ball approach work, they are going to need Covington to play a key role. They have already leaned on him heavily since he joined the team, resulting in him logging at least 30 minutes in three of four contests. He scored at least 38.6 Yahoo points in two of those games and should continue to have a high floor when you factor in his ability to rack up defensive stats to go along with his points and rebounds.
Jae Crowder, MIA at ATL ($15): Crowder finally cooled off a bit, scoring just 22.1 Yahoo points against the Jazz last Wednesday. He did only play 25 minutes, which can likely be somewhat attributed to the lopsided score. The Jazz are also an excellent defensive team, although he did score 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field. With the Hawks allowing a ton of points and playing at the seventh-fastest pace in the league, there should be plenty of opportunities for Crowder to provide value in this matchup.
Forward to Avoid
Taurean Prince, BKN at PHI ($17): The Sixers have one of the toughest defenses in the league since they enter this contest with the fourth-best defensive rating. On top of that, they are a stellar 25-2 at home. With Prince already having scored 23.2 Yahoo points or fewer in five of his last six games, this is not an ideal situation for him to provide one of his better stat lines.
CENTERS
Bam Adebayo, MIA at ATL ($32): Adebayo has been about as good as it gets for the Heat, scoring at least 41.7 Yahoo points in six of the last seven games. His ability to contribute in so many areas makes him very appealing, especially when you also factor in his opponent Thursday. He scored 61.7 Yahoo points the last time he faced the Hawks and has not scored fewer than 38.7 Yahoo points in any of their previous three meetings this season.
Dewayne Dedmon, ATL vs. MIA ($14): The Hawks will continue to turn to Dedmon as their starting center with Clint Capela (heel) still on the mend. He's been productive for his new team so far, scoring at least 30.3 Yahoo points in all three games. That's even more impressive when you consider he only played 18 minutes in his last game against the Cavaliers because of foul trouble. If you want to fade Adebayo, Dedmon is a least worth considering in tournament play.
Center to Avoid
Brook Lopez, MIL at DET ($18): Lopez has been great lately by scoring at least 31 Yahoo points in five of his last six games. However, he logged at least 31 minutes in four of those contests. This game has blowout written all over it, so he could spend considerable time on the bench in the second half. With the potential for reduced minutes, the risk might not be worth the reward here.
