This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Saturday's seven-game NBA slate features a lot of high-quality basketball, with nine of the 14 teams in action currently holding playoff spots. While the Spurs-Rockets and Thunder-Warriors games figure to attract most of the night's fanfare, many of the top value plays hail from less exciting games. Regardless of their team's success, the players below are in line for strong individual performances.
GUARD
Ricky Rubio, Min at NO ($27) - New Orleans has been torched by point guards recently, giving up 34 points to Reggie Jackson and 44 to Russell Westbrook within four days of each other. Rubio is the top candidate for fantasy success Saturday, as he enters this dream matchup hot after averaging 36.6 fantasy points per game in his last three. Look for the unselfish Spaniard to continue dishing assists at a high rate as he directs Minnesota's talented young offense.
Jrue Holiday, NO vs. MIN ($33) - Despite foul trouble and poor shooting his last two games, Holiday still managed to outperform his price with 34.0 fantasy points per game. The point guard should soon return to the 45.4 fantasy point-per-game pace he put up in his previous five, which would make him an immense steal at his still-underpriced $33. Considering he scored 54.2 against the Timberwolves less than three weeks ago, Holiday's upside is too high to pass up.
Guard to Avoid:
James Harden, HOU vs. SA ($57) - Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gampelanned Harden perfectly in their last meeting, as San Antonio's defensive machine limited the shooting guard to 24.1 fantasy points Jan. 27. While he's likely to rebound at home a month later, it's going to be hard for Harden to live up to his lofty price considering the extent to which he was contained last time around.
Others to Avoid: Khris Middleton ($33), Devin Booker ($24), Mario Chalmers ($14), Patrick Beverley ($14)
FORWARD
Jabari Parker, MIL vs. DET ($20) - Parker has been asked to play a bigger role in Milwaukee's offense lately, and the 20-year-old forward has responded by averaging 34.9 fantasy points per game over his last five thanks to a robust 21.0 PPG. The second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft is finally starting to live up to his potential, and it's important to grab him now before everyone realizes his game is in the midst of taking a leap.
Tobias Harris, DET at MIL ($22) - Harris continues to score at will for the Pistons, averaging 18.3 ppg in four games since arriving from the Magic at the trade deadline. He shouldn't have trouble justifying his $22 price considering he nearly reaches it through scoring alone and is a proficient enough rebounder to contribute significantly in that category day in and day out. With a reeling Bucks defense on tap that just gave up 112 points Thursday to the Celtics, Harris should have no problem staying hot offensively.
Forward to Avoid:
Thaddeus Young, BKN at UTA ($30) - Young exploded for 51.1 points against the Suns on Thursday, but that high total was supported by an unsustainable seven steals. The power forward has been unremarkable lately save for that one luck-fueled performance, and it'd be silly to expect a repeat against one of the NBA's top young front courts. Don't let one breakout performance against an underachieving team in flux raise expectations for Young to an unrealistic level.
Others to Avoid: Trevor Ariza ($25), Ryan Anderson ($23), Marcus Morris ($21), Al-Farouq Aminu ($18)
CENTER
Mason Plumlee, POR at CHI ($17) - Plumlee has delivered for the Trail Blazers lately, averaging 26.3 fantasy points per game over his last four. The reasonably priced big man should be in for another productive outing against a Bulls frontcourt decimated by illness and injury, making him likely to outperform his price for a fifth consecutive game. As long as he stays out of trouble, Plumlee has a great chance of making owners happy once again.
Center to Avoid:
Zach Randolph, MEM at PHO ($30) - Randolph has gained center eligibility as he has been forced to man that spot for the Grizzlies following Marc Gasol's season-ending foot injury, but he's not any more appealing at his new position than he was as a power forward. The veteran has almost no vertical at this stage of his career, and basketball savvy alone isn't enough to live up to a $30 price consistently, as shown by Randolph's inability to top 35.0 points in all but three of his last 16 games.
Others to Avoid: Andre Drummond ($42), Brook Lopez ($37), Enes Kanter ($16)
