This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Tuesday brings a light slate in the NBA with only five games, but it should still be a fun night with the Lakers taking on the Nuggets and the Raptors facing the Grizzlies. Let's try to add to the excitement with a winning entry on Yahoo. Here are some players to target and avoid as you craft your lineup.
GUARDS
Jamal Murray, DEN vs. LAL ($23): Murray is not your traditional pass-first point guard, but his assists are up this season at 4.6 per contest. The majority of his value comes from the scoring column with his 24.1 percent usage rate, which is third-highest on the Nuggets. This should be a high-scoring game against a Lakers team that plays at the fourth-fastest pace (104.2 possessions per game), leaving Murray with excellent upside.
Trey Burke, NY at DET ($14): It's not always easy to predict which way the wind is blowing with the Knicks rotations. However, Burke has logged at least 26 minutes in five of the last six games, averaging 23.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and four assists per contest. With the team searching for offense without Kristaps Porzingis (knee), it might be worth taking a chance that Burke gets extended run again Tuesday considering his cheap price.
Guard to Avoid
Tyreke Evans, IND at PHO ($21):Victor Oladipo (knee) has missed the last four games for the Pacers, which would have seemed to leave a prime opportunity for Evans to thrive. However, with Cory Joseph and Aaron Holiday also playing well, Evans hasn't received a significant increase in playing time. As a result, he scored 25.1 Yahoo points or fewer in all four contests. Even if Oladipo doesn't return for this game, it might be best to avoid Evans.
FORWARDS
Blake Griffin, DET vs. NY ($40): Griffin might not provide many defensive stats, but he still has a tremendously high floor with 24.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per contest. His 29.1 percent usage rate is not only by far the highest on the team, but it ranks him inside the top-20 in the league. The Knicks allow the third-most Yahoo points per game (45) to opposing power forwards, potentially setting up Griffin for a monster night.
Noah Vonleh, NY at DET ($20): Vonleh has also been the victim of the Knicks inconsistent rotations, but he's logged at least 30 minutes in each of their last five games. That's a key threshold considering Vonleh is averaging 11.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks across eight games in which he has played at least 30 minutes. It wouldn't surprising to see him play plenty Tuesday against the Pistons big frontcourt.
Forward to Avoid
Trevor Ariza, PHO vs. IND ($20): Ariza has shown plenty of upside with at least 32.8 Yahoo points in four of his last nine games. However, he's scored 21.1 Yahoo points or fewer in each of the other five games during that stretch. The Pacers allow the second-fewest points per game (102.1), so this might not be one of Ariza's finest performances.
CENTERS
Enes Kanter, NY at DET ($25): Kanter exceled in a really tough matchup against the Grizzlies on Sunday by scoring 54.7 Yahoo points. That marked the third time in the last five games that's he's scored at least 45.4 Yahoo points. He's bounced in and out of the starting five, but Kanter's numbers have been similar in both roles, making him a great option at this reasonable price. The Knicks are going to need him against Andre Drummond.
Jonas Valanciunas, TOR at MEM ($18): This will likely be a game that Valanciunas starts facing off against Marc Gasol. Across nine starts this season. Valanciunas is averaging 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. They key is that he's averaging five more minutes per game as a starter than when he comes off the bench, which is huge considering his career-high 25.2 percent usage rate.
Center to Avoid
Dewayne Dedmon, ATL at MIA ($14): Dedmon doesn't have a clear path to significant minutes right now with Alex Len (back) and John Collins both healthy. In the last two games that all three players took the floor, Dedmon scored 18.4 and 10.6 Yahoo points, respectively. His price won't break your budget, but his upside doesn't leave him as a very appealing option.
