This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We're set for a smaller slate than usual for a Wednesday, as there are only seven games on tap. That creates an interesting dynamic with respect to the lineup-building process, as we naturally are working with a more compact player pool and there are also some big-name injuries at play. Additionally, there are a trio of games with projected totals north of 240, which tee up some very intriguing DFS environments.
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
Trae Young, ATL at BOS ($46): Young will naturally play a key role in a game that should ultimately finish with the highest total of the night. The dynamic point guard is having one of his most prolific seasons and checks into Wednesday having averaged 47.7 Yahoo points per game thus far. Young has particularly been on a tear of late, putting up between 44 and 60.7 Yahoo points in six straight games while shooting 51.8%, including 53.1% from 3-point range. The Celtics already conceded a tally of 44.5 Yahoo points to Young this season, and they check in allowing over 53 Yahoo points per contest to PGs in the last seven games. Young also sports a team-high 33.3% usage rate with Clint Capela (adductor) off the floor, furthering his case.
Darius Garland, CLE at
We're set for a smaller slate than usual for a Wednesday, as there are only seven games on tap. That creates an interesting dynamic with respect to the lineup-building process, as we naturally are working with a more compact player pool and there are also some big-name injuries at play. Additionally, there are a trio of games with projected totals north of 240, which tee up some very intriguing DFS environments.
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
Trae Young, ATL at BOS ($46): Young will naturally play a key role in a game that should ultimately finish with the highest total of the night. The dynamic point guard is having one of his most prolific seasons and checks into Wednesday having averaged 47.7 Yahoo points per game thus far. Young has particularly been on a tear of late, putting up between 44 and 60.7 Yahoo points in six straight games while shooting 51.8%, including 53.1% from 3-point range. The Celtics already conceded a tally of 44.5 Yahoo points to Young this season, and they check in allowing over 53 Yahoo points per contest to PGs in the last seven games. Young also sports a team-high 33.3% usage rate with Clint Capela (adductor) off the floor, furthering his case.
Darius Garland, CLE at WAS ($28): Garland is admittedly a bit of a tough sell on the surface thanks to the combination of his salary and modest production since returning from an extended absence due to a jaw fracture. However, the talented guard makes for a very intriguing tournament play in particular, given what's likely to be a low roster rate and a matchup against an ultra-fast-paced Wizards team allowing the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (29.4). Washington is also surrendering 51 Yahoo points per contest to PGs in the last 30 games, and Garland should be back up to playing at least 30 minutes Wednesday after building up to 28 his last time out.
ALSO CONSIDER: Donovan Mitchell, CLE at WAS ($46)
Guard to Avoid
Stephen Curry, GSW at PHI ($39): Curry seems like a counterintuitive Avoid option after some of his recent performances, but there could well be value to investing his hefty salary elsewhere throughout your lineup Wednesday. To begin with, fatigue could certainly be a factor with Golden State playing its fourth road game in six nights, with all of those coming at least two hours out of their time zone. Then, Curry has played at least 34 minutes in five of his last six games, and the 76ers have surrendered the fifth-lowest offensive efficiency rating to PGs (25.1), along with stingy 43.2% shooting to the position.
Forwards
Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. ATL ($47): Much like Young on the other side of the matchup, Tatum figures to be the linchpin for the favored Celtics in Wednesday's Atlanta-Boston clash. The perennial All-Star's credentials as a Start suggestion are evident, and he checks into Wednesday with two full days of rest – particularly valuable this time of season – and three tallies of over 55 Yahoo points in the last four games. Tatum rung up 50.8 Yahoo points over 38 minutes against the Hawks in the first meeting as well, and Atlanta is dealing with a short-handed frontcourt while already surrendering an Eastern Conference-high 32.0 offensive efficiency rating to power forwards, as well as co-NBA-high 42.9% 3-point shooting to the position.
Keegan Murray, SAC vs. DET ($23): Much like with Garland at guard, we're betting on talent and upside here a bit with Murray, whose recent production has led to a nice salary reduction and a likely lower-than-deserved roster rate Wednesday. The talented forward has been in a brief funk that's led to totals of 16 Yahoo points or fewer in three of his last five games, but he also has tallies of 29.2, 31.7, 31.8, 32.3, 45.8 and 51 over his last 10 contests overall. In other words, Murray is still more likely than not to outpace his current salary, and the chances are even higher against a Pistons squad that's surrendering 50.5% shooting, including 42.4% from behind the arc, to power forwards, along with 53.3 Yahoo points per contest to the position in the last seven games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Brandon Miller, CHA vs. TOR ($28)
Forward to Avoid
Kyle Kuzma, WAS vs. CLE ($33): Kuzma is certainly capable of justifying his salary, but he could well have a tough time doing so Wednesday against a Cavaliers team that's had his number two previous times this season. The big man has scored just 24.9 and 10.4 Yahoo points in two meetings against Cleveland, and he also checks into this contest having recently dealt with a shoulder injury that cost him Sunday's game against the Suns. While he'll be on an extensive amount of rest, Kuzma could have trouble fully justifying his salary versus a Cavs team that also happens to allow the fifth-lowest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (24.9) and has Evan Mobley back in the frontcourt.
Centers
Domantas Sabonis, SAC vs. DET ($48): There's undeniably the potential for the Kings to build a big enough lead in this game to where Sabonis' minutes are somewhat curtailed, but given how flawless the versatile big man's floor has been, he's worth taking that chance. Sabonis is now at 32 straight games with at least a double-double, a stretch that began way back on Dec. 2 and has seen him eclipse 49 Yahoo points on 16 occasions. That sample includes a jaw-dropping 72.5 Yahoo-point tally versus Detroit on Jan. 9, and the Pistons come into Wednesday having yielded the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (35.7), along with 59.7 Yahoo points to the position in the last 30 games.
Jarrett Allen, CLE at WAS ($31): Allen is a highly enticing play at his salary, both due to his talent and the impeccable matchup. The Wizards have been a team to target with centers in DFS all season, allowing an NBA-high 39.6 offensive efficiency rating to the position, as well as 63.1 Yahoo points per contest. As if that wasn't enough, consider Washington is also allowing the most rebounds per game (57.4) and the most points in the paint per home game (58.8). Both figures are especially relevant when considering Allen, who's averaging 10.6 boards per contest – including 12.9 in his last 15 games – and is recording 78.3% of his points in the painted area.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kristaps Porzingis, BOS vs. ATL ($31)
Center to Avoid
Zach Collins, SAN at MIA ($20): Collins' production has been uneven of late, and he's also stuck in a poor matchup for centers Wednesday. The veteran big man has scored under 20 Yahoo points in four of the last six contests, and no more than 23.6 in either of the other two games in that span. The Heat have been typically stingy against centers with Bam Adebayo healthy down low, allowing the third-lowest offensive efficiency rating (29.5) and second-fewest Yahoo points per game to the position (49.5) on the season. Miami is also conceding the sixth-fewest rebounds per home game (49.4), and Collins hasn't played more than 20 minutes since Jan. 19, dampening his prospects further despite a very affordable salary.
