This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We have eight games on the schedule Friday, and the most interesting ones from a fantasy perspective are the Pacers at the 76ers and the Clippers at the Thunder. The 76ers are winless, but they are very fantasy friendly for themselves and their opponents. Meanwhile, the Clippers have been decimating teams, but the Thunder seem strong enough at home to give them a tough game. It's also worth keeping an eye on how the Celtics and Trail Blazers bounce back against beatable opponents at home after getting blasted in their last outings.
GUARDS
Chris Paul, LAC at OKC ($45): Paul has been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA, but you wouldn't know it because the Clippers keep blowing teams out so badly that he sits the fourth quarter. However, they should be challenged by Russell Westbrook and the Thunder on Friday which bodes well for Paul playing long enough to put up a big fantasy number.
Avery Bradley, BOS vs. NYK ($26): Bradley has taken the next step this year, and he's stepped up with all of the Celtics' injuries of late, averaging 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.0 treys and 1.2 combined steals/blocks per game over his last five appearances.
Guard to Avoid
Victor Oladipo, OKC vs. LAC ($30): Oladipo just hasn't produced enough consistently to warrant a $30 price. If you lined up all the guards in the game by price and looked at the averages around Oladipo, you'd see that he's a local minimum. All five of the players immediately more expensive and all five of the players immediately less expensive than Oladipo average more fantasy points per game, making him a poor value.
FORWARDS
Kevin Love, CLE at WAS ($33): Love is the opposite of Oladipo; if you lined up the forwards by price, Love is a local maximum with each of the four forwards more expensive and every forward less expensive averaging fewer fantasy points per game. Plus, he's coming off a 24-and012 game against a strong Hawks frontline and faces a much softer Wizards frontline Friday.
C.J. Miles, IND at Phi ($13): Miles is a professional scorer that runs on streaks. He's in the midst of a hot streak, averaging 18.0 points, 3.4 boards, 3.2 treys and 1.4 combined steals/blocks per game over his last five. On Friday, he faces a winless 76ers team that is very much worth targeting for fantasy points.
Forward to Avoid
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC at POR ($53): This game feels like it has blowout potential. The Trail Blazers just got crushed by the Clippers in their last game and will come in hungry and motivated, while the Kings will be on the second half of a back-to-back, on the road, and coming off a tough game against the Lakers that went down to the wire. Cousins is one of the most expensive players on the board and hasn't quite lived up to his full potential this season.
CENTERS
Andre Drummond, DET at SAS ($36): Drummond is too big and athletic for either Pau Gasol or LaMarcus Aldridge to keep him off the glass. He comes in playing very well, averaging 17.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 2.5 combined steals and blocks per game over his last three.
Joel Embiid, PHI vs. IND ($22): When Embiid plays, he puts up big numbers even in limited minutes. He sat on Wednesday, so he should be fresh to take on the Pacers. He's averaging 17.6 points, 6.8 boards and 2.6 blocks per game on the season despite playing fewer than 22 minutes per night.
Center to Avoid
Pau Gasol, SAS vs. DET ($27): Gasol continues to see his box score numbers depressed by his time in San Antonio. He's gone three straight games without playing even 22 minutes, with fewer than 13 in his last outing. He's just not worth his price.
