Yahoo DFS Basketball: Wednesday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

For the second consecutive night, we have a Game 7 in the NBA playoffs. The Thunder and Rockets will be trying to advance to the next round while the Heat and Bucks will be playing Game 2 of their second-round matchup. Here are some players to target while building your Yahoo lineup, as well as a few to potentially avoid.

GUARDS

Jimmy Butler, MIA at MIL ($38): The man fondly known as "Jimmy Buckets" lived up to the nickname in Game 1. Not only was he 13-for-20 from the field, but he also hit 12 of 13 free-throw attempts on his way to a 40-point performance. He even chipped in four rebounds, two steals and a block in what was a huge win for the Heat. They are going to need him to continue to thrive if they are going to pull off the upset, so expect him to be plenty busy again in this contest.

Goran Dragic, MIA at MIL ($24): Moving Dragic into the starting five has proven to be a wise move for the Heat. He's scored at least 34.5 Yahoo points in four of five playoff games. His playing time has jumped from 28 minutes a night during the regular season to 34 minutes during the playoffs and he's averaging almost six more shot attempts a game than he did during the regular season. At this reasonable price, he's going to be difficult to pass up.

Guard to Avoid

Russell Westbrook, HOU vs. OKC ($39): Westbrook may be back from injury, but he's still not playing his normal allotment of minutes. He logged 24 minutes in Game 5 and followed that up by playing 27 minutes in Game 6. He's already indicated that he might be limited again in Game 7, so avoiding him at this lofty salary could be a wise decision.

FORWARDS

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. MIA ($56): It's hard to complain about Giannis' performance in Game 1 since he fell just an assist short of a triple-double, but he wasn't at the top of his game. He was only 4-for-12 from the charity stripe and he committed six turnovers. Still, the fact that one more assist would have given him a triple-double shows how high his floor is, even when he is having an off night.

Danilo Gallinari, OKC at HOU ($20): It's been an odd series for Gallinari. He came out of the gate firing, averaging 22 points on 13.7 shot attempts over the first three games. However, he followed that up with a total of 10 points on 15 shot attempts across the next two games. After getting back on track with 25 points on 17 shot attempts in Game 6, he could prove to be a significant bargain at this salary.

Forward to Avoid

Duncan Robinson, MIA at MIL ($13): This is not an ideal matchup for Robinson. He's heavily reliant on the scoring column to provide value and the Bucks had the best defensive rating in the league during the regular season. That contributed to him scoring only 9.7 Yahoo points in Game 1, so he's too risky despite his cheap salary.

CENTERS

Brook Lopez, MIL vs. MIA ($20): In order to pay up at guard and forward, rolling with a more budget-friendly center would be ideal. Enter Lopez, who scored 33.2 Yahoo points in Game 1. While his upside isn't off the charts, his ability to hit three-pointers and block shots has helped him score at least 27.9 Yahoo points in four of the last five games.

P.J. Tucker, HOU vs. OKC ($11): Tucker produced his best stat line of the series in Game 6, recording nine points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on his way to 32.2 Yahoo points. Scoring opportunities don't come to him often, but his high minutes floor makes him a fairly safe option given his salary. It might even make more sense to take a chance on him over Lopez given their significant difference in salary.

Center to Avoid

Steven Adams, OKC at HOU ($18): There's no question that Adams has been productive on the boards in this series with him hauling down at least 11 rebounds in all but one game. The problem is that he only scored six points in Game 6 and has scored in the single digits in three of the last five games. To make matters worse, he only has two steals and one block in the entire series. Add in his lack of assists and he's not very appealing.

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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