This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We have a small slate for a Wednesday with only six games on tap, but there are plenty of elevated totals and elite players taking the floor. As such, we still have a very desirable player pool to work with on what should be a fun night of lineup construction.
As customary, we'll highlight multiple advantageous positional matchups to exploit at each position for your Yahoo Fantasy lineups, as well as a good trio of candidates that may be best to steer clear of due to a combination of circumstances/salary.
Guards
Luka Doncic, DAL at TOR ($60): There may not be a salary high enough to take Doncic out of consideration on any given night, and especially in a scenario as favorable as Wednesday's. The Mavs-Raptors tilt has the highest projected total of the night as of midday Wednesday, and Doncic is coming off having tallied a jaw-dropping 84.8 Yahoo points against the Cavaliers on Tuesday. The fact he's on the back end of a back-to-back set isn't ideal, but his upside and the fact Toronto ranks in the bottom 10 of the league over the last 15 games against point guards with over 51 Yahoo points per game surrendered to the position makes it impossible not to consider him despite the heavy investment required.
James Harden, LAC vs. LAL ($37): Harden certainly makes for an enticing option himself, considering Paul George will sit out again with his knee issue Wednesday. The Beard has been trending a bit downward of late with scores of 27.2 to 35 Yahoo points in his last three games, but the upside is naturally very much there and he checks in with a 24.9% usage rate without George on the floor. The Lakers also rank in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to point guards (29.0) and are allowing just over 51 Yahoo points per game to ones in the last seven games, furthering Harden's case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Immanuel Quickley, TOR vs. DAL ($27)
Guard to Avoid
Donovan Mitchell, CLE at CHI ($46): There's certainly plenty of risk in assigning Mitchell an Avoid designation, but I'm still in favor of it considering a couple of factors. One is his very elevated salary, which he's fallen short of while posting 28.3 and 44.4 Yahoo points in his last two games. The latter total in particular is still naturally a very solid one, but on a night where the likes of Doncic and Tyrese Haliburton are also at the top end of the guard pool, you're arguably looking for more than a Yahoo point per minute if you're going to invest heavily at the position. What's more, Mitchell will be playing his third game in four nights Wednesday, never an ideal scenario.
Forwards
Scottie Barnes, TOR vs. DAL ($43): Barnes is coming off a stellar triple-double effort against the Pacers, one that netted 65.4 Yahoo points. The do-it-all star had eclipsed 40 Yahoo points twice and 50 on another two occasions within the last six games as well, giving him quite the head of steam coming into Wednesday's showdown. The Mavs are allowing 49.8% shooting to power forwards and have surrendered 50.9 Yahoo points per contest to the position in the last 15 games as well, making the rostering of Barnes an excellent investment when also factoring in the expected game environment.
Bennedict Mathurin, IND vs. NOP ($18): Speaking of recent gaudy Yahoo-point totals, Mathurin has blown away his current salary by providing 30.7 to 59.3 Yahoo points in his last three games. The second-year pro has eclipsed 30 Yahoo points on 14 occasions overall this season, flashing the upside of a much higher-salaried player. Mathurin could have the benefit of facing what could be an injury-hampered Pelicans squad as well, and his salary is so reasonable that there is very little risk he will fail to deliver at least a solid return on investment.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. LAL ($43)
Forward to Avoid
Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM at MIN ($38): Like Mitchell, Jackson is another player that normally wouldn't merit this designation but has a couple of warning signs saddling him Wednesday. One is the fact the Grizzlies are a double-digit underdog on the road, which could lead to abbreviated minutes for the big man if matters get out of hand. Another is the fact his salary is a bit on the high side for a player that's scored 32.7 Yahoo points or fewer in three of his last four games and is facing an unenviable matchup down low against Rudy Gobert and company.
Centers
Domantas Sabonis, SAC at DEN ($48): Sabonis' seemingly non-stop barrage of double-doubles and triple-doubles speaks for itself, and he's essentially made 50 Yahoo points his floor for the majority of February. The highly versatile big man has touched up the Nuggets for 52.4 and 50.1 Yahoo points the last two times he's faced them as well, and Denver has been especially vulnerable to centers of late while yielding 63.4 Yahoo points per contest to the position in the last seven games.
Naz Reid, MIN vs. MEM ($12): Reid could turn out to be one of the most rewarding sub-$15 plays of the slate Wednesday for a few reasons. To begin with, Karl-Anthony Towns could conceivably miss a second straight game for personal reasons. Additionally, the T-Wolves are favored by up to 12 points as of midday, which portends a night of some extra run for Minnesota's second unit. Additionally, Reid's salary is so low, it would be difficult for a player with as secure a role as his and a proven ceiling north of 30 Yahoo points not to deliver a strong return. The Grizzlies have also allowed the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.0) and rank No. 19 in that category against bench players as well, making Reid an even better value play.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. SAC ($59)
Center to Avoid
Daniel Gafford, DAL at TOR ($21): Gafford has been serviceable since arriving in Dallas and posted a whopping 58.4 Yahoo points against his old Wizards squad on Feb. 12, but that's quickly fading in the rearview mirror. Gafford has been back on the second unit the last few games with Dereck Lively returning from injury, and he's scored 6.4 to 17 Yahoo points in his last three games while playing under 20 minutes in each. Despite the expected favorable game environment, Gafford's salary isn't warranted based on recent body of work, and others such as Reid can offer similar upside at a nice savings.
