This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
After a fairly quiet Tuesday, the NBA is set for a busy night Wednesday with 11 games on the schedule. While there are certainly a lot of high-priced players that could have big performances, there are also plenty of more affordable options who could provide excellent value. Let's discuss some of the better players to target, as well as a few to avoid, on Yahoo.
GUARDS
Ricky Rubio, PHO at GS ($23): The Suns adding Rubio may quietly go down as one of the best moves of the past offseason. They had a glaring hole at point guard and not only filled it, but did so with one of the better passers in the league. He's been stellar across their first three games, averaging 10 points, eight rebounds, 9.3 assists and two steals. With the Warriors allowing a whopping 128 points per game, this is a great spot to deploy Rubio at such a reasonable price.
Devonte' Graham, CHA at SAC ($13): While he's not starting, there has been no shortage of playing time for Graham, who has logged at least 27 minutes in all four of the Hornets' games. He's made the most of his opportunity, scoring at least 29.4 Yahoo points three times. Since he doesn't cost much more than the minimum, he's worth a look in tournament play.
Guard to Avoid
D.J. Augustin, ORL vs. NY ($16): Augustin was serviceable as the Magic's starting point guard last season, averaging 11.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. The key was that he averaged 28 minutes a night due to their lack of talent behind him. However, with Markelle Fultz now in the fold, Augustin has only averaged 25 minutes through their first three games, scoring 21.4 Yahoo points or fewer in each contest. With the likelihood that Fultz continues to take some of his playing time, Augustin's lack of upside makes him someone to shy away from for this loaded slate.
FORWARDS
Draymond Green, GS vs. PHO ($33): The Warriors finally showed some signs of life in their last game against the Pelicans, earning their first win of the season. Green couldn't have played much better, scoring 16 points to go along with 17 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. With the lack of depth on their roster, the Warriors are going to need Green, Stephen Curry and D'Angelo Russell to carry the team. The Suns are really thin up front with Deandre Ayton suspended, leaving Green with an excellent chance to provide another juicy all-around stat line.
OG Anunoby, TOR vs. DET ($16): Playing time wasn't easy to come by for Anunoby during his first couple of seasons in the league, but all that has changed now that Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are no longer on the Raptors. He has averaged 34 minutes across their first four games, which has helped him score at least 41.2 Yahoo points in back-to-back contests. He's been a force on the defensive end, averaging 1.5 steals and 2.3 blocks per contest. Even though his offensive contributions will likely be limited, he's priced low enough to still be a great option.
Forward to Avoid
Thaddeus Young, CHI at CLE ($17): Few teams are off to as disappointing of a start as the Bulls. They entered the season with the expectation to compete for a playoff spot, in large part because of some key additions that they made to improve their depth. Young was one of those additions, moving to a bench role after starting for the Pacers the last three seasons. His playing time has plummeted to 21 minutes a night and likely won't increase anytime soon with Otto Porter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen in the fold. The Cavaliers are not a tough matchup, but Young's lack of time on the floor makes him an unappealing choice.
CENTERS
Joel Embiid, PHI vs. MIN ($46): As far as individual matchups go, watching Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns face off in this contest should awesome. They are two of the most talented offensive big men in the league, putting up gaudy stat lines on a nightly basis. While both are great options in DFS, Embiid might be the better choice simply because he's seven dollars cheaper than Towns. He showed no ill effects from a recent ankle injury in his return against the Hawks on Monday, scoring 64.1 Yahoo points across 33 minutes.
Richaun Holmes, SAC vs. CHA ($13): At 0-4, the Kings are right up there with the Bulls for the most disappointing start. They have been bitten by the injury bug, though, with Marvin Bagley out for at least four weeks. Add in Harry Giles (knee) missing time and they are a little thin up front. With Dewayne Dedmon struggling, the Kings turned to Holmes to play 30 minutes in their last game against the Nuggets. He didn't let them down, scoring 24 points to go along with 13 rebounds and two blocks. They need to try anything at this point to finally get into the win column, so expect Holmes to once again have an expanded role in this matchup.
Center to Avoid
Mitchell Robinson, NY at ORL ($25): One of the more hyped players for season-long leagues during draft season, Robinson enters this contest averaging only 18 minutes across the Knicks' first three games. While some of that is due to their depth up front, a lot of it is because Robinson has been plagued by foul trouble. Having to face Nikola Vucevic might not help him much in that regard. With so many other great options at the position, this might not be the night to take a chance on Robinson breaking out of his funk.
