This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Tuesday brings a fairly quiet night in the NBA with just seven games on the schedule. It might not be all that pretty of an evening, either, with bad teams like the Cavaliers, Bulls and Suns all in action. Let's try to add a little more excitement to the slate with a winning entry on Yahoo. Here are some players to target and avoid while creating your lineup.
GUARDS
D'Angelo Russell, BKN vs. CHI ($36): The Nets will be playing the second night of a back-to-back set after losing on the road to the Celtics on Monday. Russell only played 24 minutes in that contest, so he's fairly well rested heading into this matchup with the lowly Bulls. In his first two games against them this season, Russell averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and four assists. Don't expect them to be able to slow him down in this rematch.
Shabazz Napier, BKN vs. CHI ($12): With the Nets dealing with injuries to their frontcourt, Napier has become an important part of their rotation. He was stellar against the Celtics on Monday, scoring 31.9 Yahoo points across 26 minutes. That performance came on the heels of him scoring 24.4 Yahoo points against the Knicks on Friday. Considering how poorly the Bulls have played defensively, this is a great opportunity to deploy Napier at such a cheap price.
Guard to Avoid
Chris Paul, HOU vs. NO ($29): The Rockets received some much needed reinforcements Sunday when Paul played in his first game in over a month. He only logged 25 minutes, which was no surprise considering his injury history. There is a chance he could play up to 30 minutes Tuesday, but this game has the potential to be a blowout with all of the injuries that the Pelicans are dealing with, so don't expect the Rockets to push him to play a lot. Since he's not cheap, rolling with Paul in your entry is risky.
FORWARDS
Paul George, OKC at ORL ($49): If it wasn't for the insane run that James Harden is on, there would be a lot more talk about how well George is playing. He's averaging career-highs in points (27.1), rebounds (8.1), steals (2.3) and three-pointers (3.6) per game, which has helped him score at least 50.1 Yahoo points in six of his last seven games. Expect him to have one of the highest floors of any player in action Tuesday.
Marco Belinelli, SA vs. PHO ($11): The Spurs will once again be shorthanded Tuesday with DeMar DeRozan (knee) set to miss his third straight game. In fact, DeRozan has already missed three of their previous five games. Across those three games, Belinelli averaged 23.4 Yahoo points. He should receive more scoring opportunities in this matchup against the Suns, making him a great option to consider since the Suns allow the third-most points per game (115.5) in the league.
Forward to Avoid
Eric Gordon, HOU vs. NO ($19): With Paul back in the fold for the Rockets, Gordon is set to see a decline in scoring opportunities. That's a big hit dealt to his upside since he doesn't provide much value outside of the scoring column. After scoring 23 Yahoo points in Paul's return, it's hard to get excited about Gordon at this price.
CENTERS
Kenneth Faried, HOU vs. NO ($21): Faried has wasted no time making his mark with the Rockets, scoring at least 35.5 Yahoo points in three straight games. He has a double-double in both of their last two games and logged at least 36 minutes in both of those contests. Clint Capela (thumb) won't be back anytime soon, so Faried has a clear play to significant playing time moving forward. With how banged up the Pelicans are up front, this matchup is set up for Faried to be productive once again.
Richaun Holmes, PHO at SA ($13):Deandre Ayton (ankle) has missed the last five games for the Suns and is listed as doubtful for this game against the Spurs. Luckily, Holmes was able to make his return from a foot injury in their last game Sunday against the Lakers. He showed no signs of being limited, recording 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks across 27 minutes. Dragan Bender only played 13 minutes despite starting that game, so don't be surprised if Holmes receives a significant workload Tuesday.
Center to Avoid
Steven Adams, OKC at ORL ($24): Adams has continued his productive ways with at least 31.6 Yahoo points in eight of his last 10 games. However, he only topped 40 Yahoo points one time during that stretch. There are so many great cheaper options available Tuesday. Not only are Faried and Holmes set up favorably, but Jahlil Okafor ($19) and Ivica Zubac ($15) are also playing well. This just doesn't look to be one of the nights where it's worth paying this much to get Adams into your lineup.
