Yahoo DFS Basketball: Friday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Friday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

There will be no shortage of options in DFS on Friday with 10 games. We have some exciting matchups among them, including the Mavericks taking on the Jazz. Let's try to add to the fun by winning some cash on Yahoo. Here are some players who could help that cause, as well as some to potentially avoid.

GUARDS

Trae Young, ATL at WAS ($40): It doesn't get much more appealing than Young's matchup against the Wizards. Not only have they played at the fastest pace in the league, but they also enter with the second-worst defensive rating. With Young's ability to contribute in multiple areas, a monster stat line could be coming.

Reggie Jackson, LAC at ORL ($17): Jackson made another start Thursday with the Clippers missing key players due to COVID-19 and cashed in his added minutes to score 34.6 Yahoo points. That came on the heels of scoring 47.4 Yahoo points in a starting role Tuesday versus the Hawks. Expect Jackson to log a lot of minutes again, which would make him a bargain at this salary.

Guard to Avoid

Elfrid Payton, NY vs. CLE ($16): Payton has started to see his production decline after scoring fewer than 20 Yahoo points in three straight games. In fact, he hasn't topped 25.4 Yahoo points in any of his last eight. Payton's playing time has been inconsistent and this is a matchup between teams ranked inside the bottom-five in pace of play, so he isn't an appealing option.

FORWARDS

Pascal Siakam, TOR vs. SAC ($29): After missing two games with a knee injury, Siakam made his return Wednesday against the Bucks. He logged 35 minutes, so don't expect him to be limited moving forward. This is a great matchup for Siakam against the Kings, who come in with the league's worst defensive rating. The last time he faced them, he scored 49.8 points and came one rebound shy of a triple-double.

Jeff Green, BKN at OKC ($10): Believe it or not, Green has now become an important member of the Nets. The James Harden trade depleted their depth chart and has contributed to Green averaging 31 minutes across the last 12 games. His production hasn't been off the charts, but an expanded role has helped him score at least 20.5 Yahoo points in six of the last seven.

Forward to Avoid

Joe Harris, BKN at OKC ($17): Playing time certainly hasn't been an issue for Harris since he's averaged 37 minutes over the last six games. The problem is he's only averaged 10 shot attempts during that stretch. As a result, Harris scored 22.8 Yahoo points or fewer four times. On a night with so many other viable options, it might not be worth taking a chance on him receiving more scoring opportunities.

CENTERS

Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. DAL ($36): Gobert steamrolled the Mavericks on Wednesday by posting 29 points, 20 rebounds, three steals and three blocks. He attempted 20 shots with Donovan Mitchell (concussion) out, which was by far the most that he's attempted in a game this season. If Mitchell remains out, Gobert should once again carry a higher usage rate. If Mitchell does play, Gobert is still an appealing option based on his averages of 13.4 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.

Cody Zeller, CHA vs. IND ($11): The Hornets eased Zeller back from injury by bringing him off the bench and playing him fewer than 20 minutes in each of his first three outings. However, he rejoined the starting five Wednesday and played 30 minutes against these same Pacers and looked ready for the move by posting 10 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. If Zeller can see similar court time in this rematch, his salary could end up being a value.

Center to Avoid

Jarrett Allen, CLE at NY ($20): Allen played 20 minutes against the Pistons on Wednesday and has now logged 26 minutes or fewer in three of the last five games. He's recorded only one double-double since joining his new team and has grabbed six or fewer rebounds three times. Unless Andre Drummond gets traded, Allen should continue to be limited.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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