This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The first week of the NBA season has been crazy. What is becoming clear is the fact that we have tons of things to worry about as DFS players. Whether it's COVID protocols, players resting, disciplinary issues, scratches or injuries, we've had a ton of chaos in the DFS community. That's just the nature of the game though and it makes it as important as ever to keep an eye on news and updates up until tip-off. With that in mind, let's dive into this modest five-game ledger!
Guards
Victor Oladipo, IND vs. NYK ($23)
It's really bizarre that Oladipo's price remains this cheap. He was an All-Star player just a couple of years ago and it appears he's back to that form with his 37 fantasy points per game. What's really nice is his floor, scoring at least 35 Yahoo points in every game this year. A big reason why he's been so successful is the injury to T.J. Warren, opening up minutes, shots and usage for Oladipo. That usage and production are really intriguing against the Knicks too, with New York ranked 26th in total defense. Just ride Oladipo until he gets closer to the $30 price tag he's earned.
Markelle Fultz, ORL vs. OKC ($21)
Fultz is another guy having a bounce-back season and Yahoo is slow adjusting his price too. Despite having his worst game against an elite Philly defense on Thursday, Fultz is still averaging 31 fantasy points per game. That's no surprise when you see that he scored at least 29 Yahoo points in each of his first four games, stuffing the stat sheet at will. Those stat-stuffing ways make him very intriguing against the Thunder, with OKC ranked 18th in defensive efficiency.
Guard to Avoid
Devonte' Graham, CHA at PHI ($26)
Graham performed well above expectations in the first three months of last season but his shot has been broken since then. In fact, Graham is shooting just 30.8 percent from the field this season, following up a 35.7 percent field goal percentage over the final three months last season. All of that doesn't even take into consideration that he finished Friday's game 1-of-10 from the field. That makes him one of the least efficient players in the NBA and it's led to him averaging 28.7 Yahoo points per game so far this year. That's simply not good enough from a $26 player and we hate that his team is a 10-point underdog here against a top-5 defense.
Forwards
Pascal Siakam, TOR vs. NOP ($31)
Many people are going to be worried about Siakam after getting scratched on Thursday but that means it's the perfect opportunity to use him. Not only will he be used in very few lineups, Siakam should also be as motivated as ever. That's big news with him already outperforming this price tag, averaging 38 Yahoo points per game despite shooting just 39 percent from the field. That means the career 50 percent shooter is due for some positive regression and it's scary to think that a $31 player averaging nearly 40 fantasy points per game is due to improve.
Darius Bazley, OKC at ORL ($17)
The rebuild in OKC has opened up a ton of minutes for young players and Bazley is certainly one of those guys. In his first three games of the year, Bazley averaged 10 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. That might not sound too special but it equates to nearly 30 fantasy points per game. That's really all you can ask for from a $17 player, especially with Bazley averaging 31 minutes a game in that span too. Orlando really isn't a bad matchup for him either, with the Magic ranked 19th in rebounds allowed and 18th in field goal percentage, opening up the boards for Bazley.
Forward to Avoid
Zion Williamson, NOP at TOR ($35)
We all know that Zion is an incredible talent and this price tag definitely tells us that. The main problem is that he hasn't really performed up to this price tag all year long. Not only is he averaging just 34 fantasy points per game for the season, he's also failed to surpass 30 Yahoo points in three of his five fixtures. That's unacceptable from such an expensive player, especially with all the other guys in the $35-range averaging over 40 fantasy points per game. The matchup is horrific too, with the Raptors ranked second in defensive efficiency.
Centers
Andre Drummond, CLE at ATL ($46)
Drummond was really tough to figure out last season but it appears that Cleveland knows he's their go-to big man this year. That's evident by his 52-point average, scoring at least 59 fantasy points in three of five games this year. That's a ceiling you rarely see from any player below $50 and a lot of it is due to the fact that he provides rebounds and defensive statistics at ease. Those sorts of numbers become especially attractive against a team like the Hawks, with Atlanta ranked 22nd in points allowed and 27th in defensive efficiency.
Myles Turner, IND vs. NYK ($23)
Out of all the strange pricing, this might be the most egregious one. The big man for the Pacers is currently averaging 38.3 Yahoo points per game for the year which is more like the production from a $30 player. Yahoo is keeping him at just $23 though and we need to exploit this mistake. What makes that even more surprising is the fact that he's scored at least 33 fantasy points in every game this year, providing an elite floor from someone so cheap. He's done that despite averaging just 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, providing some of the best defensive numbers around. Could you imagine what he'd drop if he had a 20-10 game with those defensive stats? That could definitely happen against a Knicks team that ranks 23rd in both rebounds allowed and turnovers committed.
Center to Avoid
Clint Capela, ATL vs. CLE ($22)
Capela had his best game of the season against the Nets on Friday but that's probably the thing that worries me most here. His rehab from an Achilles injury has been slow, to say the least, and one has to believe he'll either sit or be limited in the second half of a back-to-back set here. It's not like he's been seeing a ton of minutes either, playing fewer than 20 minutes in each of the first two games of the season. Any player being limited is worrisome and we haven't even talked about how Cleveland has the fifth-best defensive efficiency in the league right now. Just stray away from Capela because you can use Turner, Al Horford, Mitchell Robinson and Steven Adams in the same price range.
