This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Wednesday's packed slate in the NBA consists of nine games. That leaves us with a lot of options to wade through on Yahoo, so let's try to narrow down the field by discussing a couple of players to consider at each position, as well as some that might be better off left out of your entry.
GUARDS
Bradley Beal, WAS vs. BKN ($47): The Wizards continue to lose games despite Beal playing out of his mind. He's scored at least 53 points in back-to-back games, drilling 13 three-pointers and making 27 free throws during that stretch. While another loss might be in the cards here, Beal once again has an extremely high floor based on his massive usage rate. The last time he faced the Nets, he finished with 60.2 Yahoo points.
Shake Milton, PHI at CLE ($10): The injury news on Ben Simmons (back) is not good. He won't even be re-evaluated for another two weeks, so the Sixers will have to patch things together at point guard until then. They did luckily add Alec Burks at the deadline, but Milton is also in line for an expanded role. This game has blowout potential, which could also mean more minutes for Milton. At the minimum price, he might be worth the risk, especially since the Cavaliers have the second-worst defensive rating in the league.
Guard to Avoid
Patrick Beverley, LAC at PHO ($17): After missing five games with a groin injury, Beverley made his return to action Monday against the Grizzlies. However, he only logged 19 minutes, leaving him with just 13.6 Yahoo points. The Clippers have plenty of depth to bring him back slowly and should win this game going away, so don't be surprised if Beverley is on a minutes limit for this contest, as well.
FORWARDS
Aaron Gordon, ORL at ATL ($28): Gordon is rolling heading into this matchup after scoring at least 41.9 Yahoo points in four straight games. One of them came against these same Hawks when he scored 43.8 Yahoo points. The Hawks are a terrible defensive team that has played at the seventh-fastest pace in the league, which should leave Gordon with plenty of opportunities to stuff the stat sheet.
Josh Jackson, MEM at HOU ($10): Injuries are starting to pile up for the Grizzlies, who will be without Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) and Brandon Clarke (quadriceps) for this game. Gorgui Dieng figures to assume an expanded role moving forward, but this is not a good matchup for him considering how small the Rockets play. This has the makings of a better spot for Jackson to thrive. He's already started to take advantage of added playing time, averaging 15 points, 4.3 rebounds and one block across the last three games.
Forward to Avoid
Josh Okogie, MIN at MIA ($15): It's been slow going for Okogie, who has scored 22 Yahoo points or fewer in five of his last six games. Even with Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) on the shelf, he's only attempted a total of 16 shots across the last three games. With his limited role within the offense, it's tough to envision him having a valuable performance against a good defensive team like the Heat.
CENTERS
Joel Embiid, PHI at CLE ($45): With Simmons out, the Sixers are going to need Embiid to step up his production. He did just that against the Hawks on Monday, finishing with 49 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block across 36 minutes. That was certainly a favorable matchup, but so is this one considering the Cavaliers have allowed the second-most Yahoo points per game to opposing centers. Add in his history of dominating Andre Drummond and the sky is the limit for Embiid here.
Jakob Poeltl, SA vs. DAL ($10): The Spurs are in a tough spot for this game with LaMarcus Aldridge (shoulder) out. He and DeMar DeRozan are the leaders of the team, so pulling off the win against the Mavericks will be no easy feat. A player who should see more playing time in place of Aldridge is Poeltl, who started both of the previous two games that Aldridge missed. One of those contests was a tough matchup against Rudy Gobert and the Jazz, but he produced a double-double in the other one against the Bulls. If you want to go the cheap route at center, Poeltl could be worth the risk in tournament play.
Center to Avoid
Andre Drummond, CLE vs. PHI ($37): The trade to the Cavaliers has really hurt Drummond. He's logged 29 minutes or fewer in all five games, including playing 25 minutes or fewer four times. Tristan Thompson doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon, so we could be looking at a somewhat limited role for Drummond for the rest of the season. Considering he'll also do a number on your budget, he's way too risky to add to your lineup.
