This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Tuesday brings an eight-game slate in the NBA that includes a few teams that have been riddled by injuries. As far as the players who are still set to take the floor go, here are some to target for your Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to potentially avoid.
GUARDS
Trae Young, ATL vs. NO ($37): Young provided a muted stat line against the Warriors on Sunday, finishing with 13 points and three assists across 28 minutes. Prior to that, he had scored at least 35.1 Yahoo points in nine straight contests, so don't read too much into one bad performance. Look for him to bounce back in a big way against a Pelicans team that has the third-worst defensive rating in the league.
Malachi Flynn, TOR vs. LAL ($11): The Raptors are one of the teams that has been hit hard by injuries. Already playing without Kyle Lowry (foot), Fred VanVleet (hip) was forced to sit out Monday against the Wizards. That's resulted in Flynn scoring 33.5 and 47.2 Yahoo points, respectively, the last two games. Even if VanVleet returns for this game, the absence of Lowry should still leave enough playing time for Flynn to make him an intriguing option.
Guard to Avoid
Ja Morant, MEM at MIA ($30): Morant has been underwhelming lately, scoring 30 Yahoo points or fewer in four of his last five games. He had some tough matchups during that stretch, including two games against the Jazz and one against the Sixers, both of which rank inside the top-three in the league in defensive rating. With the Heat ranking sixth in that category, Morant could be in for another long night.
FORWARDS
Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. POR ($43): Not much of a case needs to be made for deploying Leonard in DFS on any given night. He's been as steady as it gets, scoring at least 41.5 Yahoo points in nine of his last 10 games. This is a great opportunity for him to keep things rolling against the Blazers, who have the second-worst defensive rating.
Danilo Gallinari, ATL vs. NO ($15): After averaging 30 minutes per game last season with the Thunder, Gallinari has taken on a smaller role with the Hawks, averaging just 24 minutes per game. However, an injury to John Collins (ankle) has thrust him into a more prominent role. Gallinari has now played at least 29 minutes in back -to-back games, scoring 33.9 and 36 Yahoo points, respectively. At such a cheap salary, he could provide significant value.
Forward to Avoid
Dillon Brooks, MEM at MIA ($18): As is the case with Morant, Brooks has been quiet of late, scoring 28.8 Yahoo points or fewer in six straight games. Unlike Morant, most of Brooks' contributions are limited to the scoring column considering he's only averaging 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. That could be a recipe for disaster against the defensive-minded Heat.
CENTERS
Joel Embiid, PHI at BOS ($50): Embiid only played in one game after returning from his knee injury before sitting out Sunday against the Grizzlies. With that being said, it was the second game of a back-to-back set, so the Sixers were likely just being cautious with their star. Look for him to be back on the floor against the Celtics, who he has scored at least 53.7 Yahoo points against in two previous meetings.
Enes Kanter, POR at LAC ($19): Kanter stepped up in a big way when Jusuf Nurkic went down with a wrist injury, leaving him with averages of 12.0 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. However, he moved back to the second unit when Nurkic recently made his return. Unfortunately for the Blazers, they have already had to rule out Nurkic for Tuesday, this time because of knee inflammation. That should mean Kanter stepping back into the starting center role.
Center to Avoid
Dwight Howard, PHI at BOS ($19): Much like Kanter, Howard has done an excellent job filling in for his team's injured starting center, although Howard has done so off the bench. Across the 10-game stretch that Embiid was sidelined, he averaged 9.1 points. 10.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. However, when Embiid returned Saturday, Howard had only seven points and six rebounds over 19 minutes. With the expectation that Embiid takes the floor against the Celtics, Howard should fill a limited.
