This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Yahoo has become one of my favorite sites to play on. The salary format is different than its counterparts and they tend to leave players' salaries steady for quite some time. That leaves the door open to plenty of value, and that's definitely the case on this slate. While we have seven games in total, only four make up the nightcap. There's a lot to discuss with those games, so let's get into it!
Guards
Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL vs. GS ($22)
If you can explain this $22 tag by Yahoo, I'd love to know what they're thinking. Bogdanovic has been playing at a $40 level all week, posting some of the best numbers of his career. In fact, he's scored at least 47 Yahoo points in three straight, posting a 49-point average during that span. What's really added to his value is that De'Andre Hunter, John Collins, and Trae Young are all nicked up while Kevin Huerter has become ineffective. All of that doesn't even consider this fantastic matchup, with the Warriors ranked fourth in pace and 23rd in points allowed.
Dwayne Bacon, ORL at DEN ($13)
To say Orlando is playing shorthanded would be a drastic understatement. They traded away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, and Al-Farouq Aminu at the deadline and are dealing with injures to Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Khem Birch, and Michael Carter-Williams. That's left this dismantled roster extremely thin and forced Bacon into some serious cooking. In this expanded role, he's averaging 15 shots in 32 minutes a night. That's all you can ask for from such a reasonable player, especially when you see his 24-point average over that stretch.
Guard to Avoid
Jordan Poole, GS at ATL ($14)
Poole has the sort of name that would fit him in perfectly with the Splash Brothers, but he's playing more like a lost relative. Despite going off this time last week, he's scored 14 or fewer Yahoo points in three straight coming into this matchup. What's really concerning is Poole shooting 28 percent from the field in that span and only four rebounds and six assists combined over his last four appearances. That shows just how little he does outside of shooting, and we obviously have to fade Poole since his shots aren't going down. Not to mention, Stephen Curry will likely be back and he will take even more shots and usage away.
Forwards
Tobias Harris, PHI vs. MEM ($35)
We anticipate Joel Embiid sitting in the second half of a back-to-back, with Harris being one of the best plays on the board if the big man rests. With Embiid off the floor this year, Harris is posting a 28 percent usage rate while averaging 1.2 Y! Points per minute. That's really evident in his most recent stretch scoring at least 29 Yahoo points in 13 of his last 14 while providing 41 fantasy points per game over that period. Memphis is not necessarily a scary matchup either ranked 15th in total defense.
James Johnson, NO at HOU ($13)
Hands up if you knew James Johnson played for the Pelicans before the weekend. I actually just realized it earlier in the week, and it's really no surprise when you see he wasn't even part of the rotation until Thursday. That's certainly not the case now with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Josh Hart, and Steven Adams all nicked up. All those injures have forced JJ into the starting five, generating at least 28 Yahoo points in his first two contests in New Orleans. That's a great total from a $13 player and he's proven to be a fantasy asset when given the opportunity. A matchup with Houston could continue that recent surge with the Rockets ranked 22nd in total defense.
Forward to Avoid
Aaron Gordon, DEN vs. ORL ($20)
Gordon showed some flashes in the Nuggets' most recent outing, but his role isn't the same with the new club. He actually has a 16 percent usage rate in his first three games with Denver, ceding touches to Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. That's a lot of touches to compete with and it held Gordon to 19 or fewer fantasy points in two of those first three. Facing his former team might make some people think this is a "revenge game", but it's possible none of the Nuggets' starters will step on the court in the fourth quarter of this likely blowout.
Centers
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. ORL ($55)
We've offered up a lot of cheap options, so let's pair them up with the best player on the board. That happens to be Jokic, with the big man leading the NBA with 56 fantasy points per game. That looks great, but it looks even more awesome when you see he's reached at least 32 fantasy points in every contest this season. That fantastic average and invisible floor make him hard to fade in such a spectacular matchup, with The Joker collecting 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists the last time these teams met two weeks ago. The blowout concern is worrisome, but Jokic can honestly record a triple-double in only three quarters.
James Wiseman, GS at ATL ($10)
Out of all the egregious valuations on this slate, this one might be the most bizarre. Golden State has handed Wiseman the starting center job in Golden State, allowing him to play 27 minutes a night over his last seven outings. That's all you can ask for from such a talented player, with Wiseman averaging 22 Yahoo points per game in 22 minutes a night for the season. That's a fantasy-point-per-minute average, and Wiseman should be north of $20 if he keeps doing that in 25-30 minutes. The matchup isn't too shabby either, with the Hawks ranked 24th in defensive efficiency.
Center to Avoid
Joel Embiid, PHI vs. MEM ($52)
Embiid was actually our center to fade on Saturday, and we're pretty satisfied with the results. We talked about how his court time would be limited, which was certainly the case with his 28-minute workload. That's not enough for someone this expensive, and it seems unlikely he'll surpass that in the second half of a back-to-back or even suit up at all. That makes Embiid impossible to trust on this slate at such a big tag and it makes him the easiest fade on the board.
