This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Friday is a full slate of games with 11 contests on tap. There are many values available, with low-priced players who are in larger roles due to injuries/absences of higher-profile teammates. There are also some higher-priced players who are values because they've been hot and/or have great matchups. Let's look at some of these cases.
GUARD
Damian Lillard, POR at PHO ($46) and/or John Wall, WAS at NO ($44) - These two go in the same heading because they have so much in common. They're expensive, but both are significantly less ($10 or more) than either Stephen Curry or Russell Westbrook. But Friday both Lillard and Wall have the potential to outscore their higher-priced brethren, as they both have excellent matchups against terrible defenses. Lillard, fresh off of a 47.2 FPts effort against the Cavaliers, faces a Suns defense that is last in the league at defending opposing point guards. Wall, coming off of a 58.8 FPts effort in his last game against the Rockets (and with four games with 55.8 or more FPts in his last six) faces a Pelicans defense that is 27th in the NBA at defending opposing point guards.
O.J. Mayo, MIL at TOR ($15) - Mayo is starting at point guard with the Bucks' backcourt decimated by injuries. He has averaged 29.0 FPts in his last three games, including a 31.8-FPts outing against the Clippers in his last game. That's is very good production for the price slot, and Friday he faces a Raptors defense that is only average defending the opposing backcourt (14th against point guards, 19th against shooting guards).
Guards to Avoid:
Ish Smith, NO vs WAS ($24) - Smith is in this space for the second week in a row, as he is still priced as a starter but in reality the returns of Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole in conjunction with the presence of the still-recovering Jrue Holiday have rendered him unstartable at this price.
Evan Fournier, ORL vs CLE ($26) - Fournier started the season as one of the hotter value players in the league, and his price eventually rose to reflect his level of play. But he has cooled dramatically in recent weeks, averaging only 11.4 FPts over his last three games to dramatically underplay his price.
FORWARD
Gordon Hayward, UTA vs OKC ($32) - Hayward has just gone into the zone since Rudy Gobert went down to injury. In his last five games, Hayward has averaged 22.4 points, 5.6 boards, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals, notching 36.0 to 41.1 FPts in all five games. That's the kind of production Kawhi Leonard averages (39.4 FPts/G), but Leonard costs $11 more than Hayward.
Kobe Bryant, LAL at SA ($27) - Bryant has rested more lately, leading to sub-15 FPts efforts in two of his last three games. On top of that, he is on the road against the Spurs, who are first in the NBA at minimizing production to opposing small forwards, led by Kawhi Leonard.
FORWARD
Trevor Booker, UTA vs OKC ($12) - Booker is a high-risk bargain candidate. He has played a larger role for the Jazz since Rudy Gobert went down, but he is still coming off the bench, so his production is less predictable. He produced consecutive double-doubles for 27.8 and 27.5 FPts before the Jazz blew out the Knicks on Wednesday so dramatically that Booker and the other rotation players played fewer minutes than normal. But if Booker can be the player he was the previous two games, he's excellent value at only $12.
Forward to Avoid:
Robert Covington, PHI vs DET ($27) - Covington has also cooled way off after a hot start to his season. After posting six consecutive games with at least 30.2 FPts that peaked with a 60.9 FPts effort, Covington has now posted 22.2 or fewer FPts in three of his last four games with a minimum 14.4 FPts Thursday. He'll be on the second game of a back-to-back, facing a Pistons defense that is fifth in the NBA at limiting production from opposing power forwards.
CENTER
Jon Leuer, PHO vs POR ($15) and/or Cody Zeller, CHA at MEM ($10) - These are two value picks who have outplayed their price tags but that still come with an element of risk. Leuer has taken over the starting power forward position in Phoenix, and has averaged 28.3 FPts/G over his last five games. Zeller has taken a larger role for the Hornets with Al Jefferson out, averaging 31.7 FPts/G in back-to-back games before a 16.4 FPts clunker in his last outing. Even still, at $10, Zeller's level of play this week would be a big bargain.
Center to Avoid:
Hassan Whiteside, MIA at IND ($35) - Whiteside became one of the highest priced centers in the game with a 14-game stretch in which he scored at least 30 FPts 13 times, including five games of more than 40 FPts, including two more than 50 FPts. However, he has cooled the last couple of weeks and is on a five-game streak of less than 30 FPts, culminating in a 17.1 FPts effort in his last outing.
Snellings is a two-time winner of the Fantasy Basketball Writer of the Year award from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.
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