This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Like most Sundays, this week offers a good share of day games and night games. There are two day games that start at 1:30 EST and three night games that start between 4 and 7. The big Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball tournaments focus on all five of the games, so they're all in play for this article. When games are separated by so much time, it is imperative to avoid injury situations to not get stuck with inactives or players with limited minutes. So be sure to monitor injury reports before submitting lineups and stay away from anyone with injuries.
GUARD
Eric Bledsoe, PHX at OKC ($32) - Not only is Bledsoe a great scorer and distributor, he provides stats across the board. In his last five games, he is averaging 22.4 points, 5.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 steals and a block per game. An an up-tempo pace against the Thunder should benefit him, as well. Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson are both priced higher than Bledsoe and the Suns guard has been better than both.
Dwyane Wade, MIA vs. TOR ($28) - Ten guards are priced higher than Wade, which is surprising for a five-game slate. Wade is always criminally under-owned but almost always lives up to his price. Aside from a poor game Friday in the second half of a back-to-back set, Wade averages 22.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He should reach those numbers Sunday in what should be a close game between Eastern Conference contenders.
Guard to Avoid:
Monta Ellis, IND at CLE ($25) - Ellis was once a great fantasy player, but he doesn't have the same role with the Pacers now. The Pacers use George Hill as their primary ball-handler and ask Paul George to carry the scoring load. That doesn't leave much for Ellis, and he's having a hard time adjusting his game. Ellis averages 10.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 3.2 turnovers per game this season on just 33 percent shooting. That's simply not good enough for a $25 player. Ellis also has a very tough matchup Sunday against the Cavaliers, the league's third-ranked defense. Mo Williams and Goran Dragic are much better options in the same price range.
FORWARD
Carmelo Anthony, NYK vs. LAL ($39) - Melo isn't necessarily a great value, but the matchup is just too good to pass up. Anthony faces the league's second-worst defense in the Lakers and should have no problem scoring 25-plus points, with 40-point potential. Anthony also has the advantage if the Lakers put Kobe Bryant on him, as Bryant's legs can't keep up with at this stage of his career. Anthony is in the midst of a nice five-game stretch, averaging 23 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Anthony is expensive, but he has the highest upside of any player on the Sunday slate, aside from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, who all cost significantly more than Melo.
Luis Scola, TOR at MIA ($13) - Scola has been far more productive than his price indicates. The power forward was given the starting role after the first game of the season and has averaged 8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal in 23 minutes per game. Scola's near minimum price has not adjusted. Scola is not necessarily a great tournament-play with his limited upside, but he's a fantastic option in a head-to-head or 50/50's as a solid cheap option to fill out a stacked lineup around him.
Forward to Avoid:
DeMarre Carroll, TOR at MIA ($26) - Carroll is a fantastic defender and a nice contributor, but he simply doesn't do enough for daily fantasy. In season-long formats, he will contribute counting stats little-by-little, which adds up. But that limits his upside in daily formats, making him unusable at his price. Carroll averages 13 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals a game this season. That's fine, but it's just not enough for a $26 player.
CENTER
Mason Plumlee, POR vs. DET ($17) - The Trail Blazers have one of the worst frontcourts in the NBA, but that makes for good value in daily fantasy. The best player in the frontcourt for Portland is Plumlee, who has put together a pretty good season. In six games this year, Plumlee is averaging 9.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, one steal and one block per game. His last two games have been especially good, as he's grabbed 28 boards against two of the best frontcourts in the NBA, the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies. He faces another stud center on Sunday in Andre Drummond and should see plenty of minutes to match up with the rebounding monster. Anyone with this sort of double-double potential is an absolute steal at just $17.
Center to Avoid:
Enes Kanter, OKC vs. PHX ($22) - Kanter is a talented player who provides good statistics in the minutes he is given, but he simply doesn't get enough playing time. The Thunder have a ridiculous frontcourt with Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams and Kevin Durant, and there's not enough minutes to go around for Kanter. In fact, Kanter has yet to play more than 24 minutes in a game this season and has played 18 or fewer minutes in three of six games. He is one of the best per-minute producers in the NBA this season, but I can't reasonably put a 20-minute per game player into my DFS lineup and expect him to blow up.
