This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA has three games on tap Friday night as the playoffs continue. There is enough variation with three games for there to be opportunity to create a bit of separation from opposing squads.
GUARD
Kyrie Irving, CLE at DET ($31) - Irving has been the most consistent and the most explosive fantasy producing point guard of those available Friday night. His lowest scoring effort in the playoffs, 34.2 fantasy points, is the best "worst game" among his point guard peers, and his 53.5 fantasy points explosion in Game 1 is the best game.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET vs CLE ($21) - Caldwell-Pope has been the most consistently productive of the shooting guards on the board, scoring 29.9 and then 29.6 fantasy points in the first two playoff games. KCP will be playing in front of a home crowd, which could also benefit the young wing.
Guards to Avoid:
Isaiah Thomas, BOS vs ATL ($40) - Thomas is by far the most expensive point guard, $9 higher than Kyrie Irvings and $12 higher than either Reggie Jackson or Jeff Teague. Meanwhile, Irving and Teague have outproduced Thomas in the playoffs while Jackson is only a notch behind.
Evan Turner, BOS vs ATL ($23) - There are no obvious "avoid" shooting guards, and Turner actually could be in for a relatively good game if the rumors that he might replace Jared Sullinger in the starting lineup prove true. However, much like Thomas, Turner is also the most expensive shooting guard on the board without having any clear indication that he should outscore the other top-5 options.
FORWARD
LeBron James, CLE at DET ($51) - James is the most expensive player Friday, but he's worth it. He has reached his fantasy average of 45.6 fantasy points over the first two playoff games, and now he's in the midst of a public spat with rookie Stanley Johnson in which the youngster has called out King James and claims to be in his head. James should be motivated to produce, and the games in this series have been competitive enough for him to get his normal minutes, while the other elite small forward on the board, Kawhi Leonard, has played only 27 minutes per game due to the blowout nature of the series.
Marcus Morris, DET vs CLE ($21) - While Morris is the fifth-cheapest power forward, barely half the price of Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge, he is actually second in fantasy scoring among power forwards in the playoffs, ahead of both Millsap and Aldridge. Morris is returning home Friday and looks to be another low-priced source of quality production.
Forwards to Aovid:
Kawhi Leonard, SA at MEM ($38) - Leonard is an outstanding player and has the ability to torch the Grizzlies. However, in the first two games of the series the Spurs have obliterated the Grizzlies by an average of 29 points per game. Thus, Leonard has played only 27 or 28 minutes per game. Even though Game 3 is in Memphis, the Grizzlies just don't have the talent to challenge the Spurs with all of their injuries.
LaMarcus Aldridge, SA at MEM ($36) - Aldridge, like Leonard, is a victim of the Spurs being so much better than the Grizzlies that he hasn't had to go all out. Aldridge has yet to score more than 25.6 fantasy points in the playoffs, but he also has yet to play even 27 minutes in a game as his team tends to crush the less-talented opponent.
CENTER
Al Horford, ATL at BOS ($29) - Horford is one of the best values on the board, based on previous production and matchup. The Celtics have trouble with opposing bigs, which has allowed Horford to average more than 40 fantasy points through his first two games. Meanwhile, his price is still low enough to make him an affordable option.
Center to Avoid
Jared Sullinger, BOS vs ATL ($18) - Sullinger has had a terrible playoffs. He has struggled in the first two games against Al Horford and the Hawks, and has not joined the starting lineup in the second half in either game. It's rumored the could slide out of the starting lineup completely, which wouldn't be surprising at all after his 8.3 fantasy points clunker in Game 2.
