This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA brings a fairly quiet slate Sunday with only four games. There are still a couple great games, though, with the Warriors taking on the Nuggets and the Rockets facing the Clippers. Let's dig into the matchups for the evening and see which players you should target or avoid while creating your Yahoo entry.
GUARD
Stephen Curry, GS at DEN ($44): Curry is off to a blistering start this year, averaging 31.5 points on 54.5 percent shooting from the field through two games. The Warriors have plenty of mouths to feed on offense, but Curry has a 29.8 percent usage rate after finishing with a usage rate of at least 30.1 percent the last three seasons. He's not just excelling in the scoring column this year, either, averaging six rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Look for him to thrive again Sunday.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC at OKC ($18): It's only been two games, but Fox is showing signs of having a breakout season. He only averaged 28 minutes a game during his rookie season, resulting in 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and one steal per game. After logging 37 minutes in their season opener, Fox played 27 minutes in what was a blowout loss Friday against the Pelicans. He finished with at least 31.4 Yahoo points in both contests. The Kings weren't consistent with their rotations last year, but if Fox can play more than 30 minutes a night, he's going to see a significant increase in value. This may be one of the last opportunities to take advantage of him at a cheap price.
Guard to Avoid:
Jeremy Lin, ATL at CLE ($19): The Hawks are going nowhere fast but brought in Lin in the offseason to add some depth to their backcourt. He injured his knee in the first game of the season last year for the Nets and never made it back onto the floor. Entering this year, he had only played 37 games across the last two seasons. The Hawks have limited him to 17 minutes or fewer in both of their first two games, so Lin doesn't have much upside.
FORWARD
Kevin Love, CLE vs. ATL ($32): As expected, Love is shouldering the offensive load for the Cavaliers with LeBron James now in L.A. After posting a 25.1 percent usage rate last year, Love has a 29.2 percent usage rate through two games. He hauled in a whopping 19 rebounds Friday against the Timberwolves and should feast Sunday against a Hawks team that will be without John Collins (ankle) and Dewayne Dedmon (ankle).
Cedi Osman, CLE vs. ATL ($15): Osman also has benefited greatly from the departure of James. The Cavaliers limited him to 11 minutes per game last year, but he has logged at least 33 minutes in both of their first two games. He's certainly made the most of his opportunity, averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, six assists and 1.5 steals. The Hawks have allowed 128.5 points per game over their first two, so look for Osman to have another valuable performance.
Forward to Avoid:
Carmelo Anthony, HOU at LAC ($19): Coming off the bench for the first time in his career, Anthony has scored 21.5 Yahoo points or fewer in both of his first two games. Known for his ability to score in bunches, Anthony is averaging just eight points on 30 percent shooting from the field. Considering he derives most of his value from points and rebounds, Anthony just doesn't provide enough upside in his new role, especially when you consider Osman is four dollars cheaper.
CENTER
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. GS ($47): Jokic has put up some great stat lines over his career, but his performance Saturday against the Suns rates right up there with the best of them. Not only did he finish with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, but he shot 11-for-11 from the field and 10-for-11 from the charity stripe. Oh yeah, and he also chipped in four steals and a block. He has the potential to approach a triple-double on any given night and should be a handful for a Warriors team that does not have a lot of quality size at center outside of Draymond Green.
Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC at OKC ($22): The Kings logjam at power forward and center last year made for some frustration rotations from a fantasy perspective. Cauley-Stein only averaged 28 minutes per game, which limited his upside. It's been encouraging to see him average 32 minutes this season while the Kings have also kept Zach Randolph anchored to their bench. If you don't want to pay up for Jokic, Cauley-Stein could be one of the more productive options in the lower-priced tier.
Center to Avoid:
Marcin Gortat, LAC vs. HOU ($11): The Clippers decided to move on from DeAndre Jordan this summer, bringing in Gortat to replace him at center. Gortat was coming off of one of the worst seasons of his career since becoming a starting player, averaging just 8.4 rebound and 7.6 blocks. He hasn't logged more than 20 minutes in either of the first two games this year, recording 19.9 Yahoo points or fewer in both contests. Playing time might be hard for him to come by again Sunday since the Rockets like to deploy so many small lineups.
