This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Tuesday's modest five-game slate doesn't offer much to pay up for, but there is plenty of value in the mid-range and lower pricing tiers. Let's take a look at which stars may be worthy of investment, as well as who some of the best values are to mix in.
GUARDS
DeMar DeRozan, TOR at CLE ($43): DeRozan scored 44.4 fantasy points against the Cavs in the second game of the season, and he has failed to reach 40 fantasy points once in the first nine games. The Cavs have generally been tough on shooting guards but DeRozan's whopping 24.2 shot attempts per game and 38.3 percent usage rate make him well worth the investment.
Kyrie Irving, CLE vs. TOR ($35): Irving put together a 26-point, six-rebound, six-assist performance against the Raptors on Oct. 28 that netted 37.7 fantasy points, and the Raptors have given up the seventh-most fantasy points (46.62) and fourth-most points (26.22) per game to the position, making Irving, who's scored between 31.1 and 43.4 fantasy points in eight of nine games, an appealing value at his price.
Sean Kilpatrick, BKN at LAL ($18): Kilpatrick has scored over 30 fantasy points in two of his last five games, while tallying 43.5 in another. That type of upside at his modest price against a Lakers defense that's given up the fourth-most fantasy points (42.09) and fourth-most points (23.9) per game to shooting guards make Kilpatrick an ideal choice for those looking to save some salary cap space.
Guard to Avoid
Ricky Rubio, MIN vs. CHA ($31): Rubio returned from an elbow injury and scored 22.7 and 34.3 fantasy points in his first two games back, respectively. Several other players with better offensive profiles, including Rajon Rondo ($27), D'Angelo Russell ($26) and Dennis Schroder ($25), check in with higher upside than the Timberwolves guard.
FORWARDS
Jimmy Butler, CHI at POR ($39): Butler checks in $15 cheaper than LeBron James yet offers almost as much upside, as he's scored 64.3 and 64.5 fantasy points in two of his last three games. Furthermore, he's scored fewer than 30 fantasy points only twice this season, and the Blazers check in just outside the bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed per game to small forwards (39.65) while also yielding the fourth-most rebounds per game (9.73) to the position.
Andrew Wiggins, MIN vs. CHA ($29): Wiggins has taken a major leap in his third season and has scored between 41.8 and 57.3 fantasy points in three of his last four games. The high end of that range came on the strength of a career-high 47-point haul against the Lakers on Sunday, and Wiggins continues to sport the second-most field-goal attempts (167) and highest usage rate (32.2 percent) on the T-Wolves.
James Johnson, MIA vs. ATL ($10): Johnson makes for a nice high-upside minimum-priced play, especially considering the consistent number of minutes he's playing. Johnson has played no fewer than 18 minutes and as many as 30 in the last five games, scoring between 12.8 and 30.2 fantasy points during that span. He draws a solid matchup against the Hawks, who've allowed 40.5 fantasy points and 22.7 points per game to two-guards, with the former figure ranking as the tenth-highest in the league.
Forward to Avoid
LeBron James, CLE vs. TOR ($54): James is a bit overpriced Tuesday, especially against a Raptors defense that has given up the eighth-fewest points per game (99.2) this season. James tallied a rather modest (by his standards) 37.2 fantasy points in his Oct. 28 meeting with the Raptors, who also give up the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to small forwards (34.75). With the likes of Jimmy Butler ($39) and Paul Millsap ($39) considerably cheaper and in better matchups, James is a candidate to pass on Tuesday.
CENTER
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN vs. CHA ($42): Towns has scored between 40.4 and 44.5 fantasy points in his last three games, while scoring 20 to 33 points in his last six games. Meanwhile, the Hornets have given up the second-most points per game (22.9) and seventh-highest field-goal percentage (55.8) to centers, which is good news for Towns, who continues to be one of the focal points of the Minnesota offense, having made the most shot attempts (153) on the team.
Mason Plumlee, POR vs. CHI ($21): Plumlee checks in at a bargain price relative to his production, as he's scored between 20.9 and 32.9 fantasy points in four of his last five. The Bulls give up the seventh-most fantasy points (49.61), sixth-most points (21.5) and seventh-most assists (3.4) per game to centers as well, furthering Plumlee's appeal.
Center to Avoid
Roy Hibbert, CHA ($11): Hibbert has played no more than 13 minutes in his first two games back from his knee injury while coming off the bench. With Cody Zeller also a viable option, Hibbert may well remain in a secondary role for now, making his production too hard to rely on.
