This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
With the NBA getting ready to take the day off Thursday, we are presented with a packed 13-game slate Wednesday. The Suns will try to extend their 13-game winning streak on the road against the Cavaliers, who are still missing standout rookie Evan Mobley (elbow).
The Celtics, who recently welcomed Jaylen Brown back from injury, will host the Nets in a battle between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Of note, Brown (injury management) is listed as questionable.
There are plenty of potential blowouts on the schedule, as well, including when the Jazz take on the Thunder and the Bulls face off against the Rockets. Let's try to narrow down the bevy of options on Yahoo by highlighting some players to consider for your lineups, as well as a few to potentially avoid.
GUARDS
Dejounte Murray, SA vs. ATL ($40): Murray has been excellent this season and has really stepped up his game of late, scoring at least 57.5 Yahoo points in three of his last four games. He had two triple-doubles during that stretch and missed a third by just one assist. The stars could be aligning for another big stat line from him given that the Hawks have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league.
R.J. Hampton, ORL vs. CHA ($14): Markelle Fultz (knee) hasn't played in a game yet this season, so when Cole Anthony went down with an ankle injury, the Magic became thin at guard. Enter Hampton, who has logged at least 28 minutes in both games that Anthony was sidelined. He took advantage of his added minutes, scoring 39.5 and 36.1 Yahoo points, respectively. Anthony has already been ruled out for this matchup, leaving Hampton with the potential to provide value.
Guard to Avoid
T.J. McConnell, IND vs. LAL ($18): With so many teams in action, there are a lot of players with cheap salaries who are appealing. That means it might be best to avoid McConnell. While he's shown flashes of excellence this season, he's largely been underwhelming, averaging 23.7 Yahoo points per game.
FORWARDS
Josh Giddey, OKC vs. UTA ($26): Giddey is a versatile player, which makes him very appealing in DFS. He's started out his rookie season by averaging 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) out Monday, Giddey recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and a steal across 31 minutes. Despite this tough matchup, Giddey could thrive with Gilgeous-Alexander out again.
Devin Vassell, SA vs. ATL ($11): Vassell has caught fire from the field, shooting 52.3 percent across his last 10 games. That enabled him to average 14.5 points and 2.2 three-pointers during that stretch. While his underwhelming contributions in other areas can cap his upside, he's worth considering at near the minimum salary considering the Hawks' defensive deficiencies.
Forward to Avoid
Saddiq Bey, DET at MIL ($22): The good news for Bey is that he's logged at least 33 minutes in four straight games. Unfortunately for the Pistons, he only shot 35.1 percent from the field during that stretch, which limited him to an average of 12.8 points per game. He's only shooting 37.0 percent from the field for the season, overall, which makes him tough to roll with at this salary given his generally underwhelming contributions in terms of assists and defensive stats, as well.
CENTERS
Pascal Siakam, TOR at MEM ($34): After being eased back into action from his injury, Siakam has logged at least 30 minutes in each of his last five games. While he did have one dud against the Jazz during that stretch, he scored at least 36.2 Yahoo points in each of the other four games. The Grizzlies have the worst defensive rating in the league, so with Siakam playing his normal allotment of minutes again, he could take advantage of this matchup.
Mo Bamba, ORL vs. CHA ($24): The Hornets don't have much size outside of Mason Plumlee, which has contributed to them allowing the second-most rebounds per game in the league. Bamba exploited that weakness when these two teams met earlier in the season, recording 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block across 32 minutes. There is some blowout risk here, but Bamba's mid-tier salary still makes him a viable target.
Center to Avoid
Steven Adams, MEM vs. TOR ($18): Adam's productions has been all over the place lately. Across his last seven games, he's scored at least 33.1 Yahoo points two times. However, he scored 20.5 Yahoo points or fewer four times during that stretch. There's no shortage of viable centers for this slate, so taking a chance that Adams has one of his better performances here might not be necessary.
