Yahoo DFS Basketball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

After a busy Wednesday in the NBA, things quiet down a bit Thursday with only six games on the schedule. We have a few back-to-back situations among the teams in action, so we'll need to monitor for players potentially being ruled out for rest. As things currently stand, here are some players to consider for your lineups, as well as a few to potentially avoid.

GUARDS

Terry Rozier, CHA at CHI ($36): Reinforcements may be on the horizon for the Hornets with reports that LaMelo Ball (wrist) is nearing a return. He will still be out Thursday, though, which leaves a heavy scoring burden on the shoulders of Rozier. He's been excellent while filling an expanded role, scoring at least 40.4 Yahoo points in four straight games. Look for him to keep things rolling against a Bulls team that ranks inside the bottom-10 in the league in defensive rating.

Coby White, CHI vs. CHA ($17): The Bulls suffered yet another embarrassing loss Wednesday, this time falling by 16 points to the Cavaliers. They have really missed Zach LaVine (COVID-19), but their lackluster defense hasn't done them any favors, either. On the bright side, White has been productive in LaVine's absence, scoring at least 30.4 Yahoo points in three of the last four games.

Guard to Avoid

Donte DiVincenzo, MIL vs. PHI ($19): After missing two games with a toe injury, DiVincenzo returned to action and played 31 minutes against the Suns on Tuesday. He only produced nine points and seven rebounds and has now scored 27.5 Yahoo points or fewer in four of his last five games. This isn't a great matchup for him to break out of his slump considering the Sixers have the second-best defensive rating.

FORWARDS

Miles Bridges, CHA at CHI ($22): With all of the injuries on the Hornets, Bridges has been forced to average 36 minutes across the last 10 games. He's been stellar with his adding playing time, averaging 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists during that stretch. With all of the playing time that he can handle likely coming his way against the Bulls, he could provide value at his reasonable salary.

Cameron Johnson, PHO at BOS ($10): Jae Crowder suffered an ankle sprain against the Sixers on Wednesday, leaving after just 13 minutes played. With the quick turnaround, it seems unlikely that he will take the floor for this matchup. That could mean more playing time is coming for Johnson, who stepped in to play 30 minutes after Crowder went down, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Forward to Avoid

Anthony Davis, LAL at DAL ($24): After more than two months on the sidelines, Davis (calf) is expected to make his return for this contest against the Mavericks. With LeBron James (ankle) still out, he will certainly be a welcomed addition. However, make no mistake about it, the Lakers don't care about their playoff seeding. They just want to be healthy for the playoffs. With that in mind, expect Davis to play very limited minutes in his first game back.

CENTERS

Nikola Vucevic, CHI vs. CHA ($41): Vucevic couldn't get anything going Wednesday, scoring only nine points on 12 shot attempts. He logged just 25 minutes in the blowout loss and ended his streak of 106 straight games with double-digit points. Expect him to bounce back in a big way, especially since the Hornets have started to play small more, giving P.J. Washington significant run at center.

P.J. Washington, CHA at CHI ($21): Speaking of Washington, he's come off the bench in back-to-back games since returning from injury. However, that's been just a formality since he played at least 34 minutes in both contests. The role may actually suit him given that he scored 46.6 and 30.6 Yahoo points, respectively. The Bulls have allowed the second-most Yahoo points per game to opposing centers, making Washington an intriguing option.

Center to Avoid

Montrezl Harrell, LAL at DAL ($16): Harrell's playing time has fallen off the map lately. He's only averaged 20 minutes over the last seven games, which included him playing just 13 minutes against the Jazz on Tuesday. With Davis set to come back, it would seem likely that Harrell could continue his new limited role.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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