This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Only five games on the Sunday schedule, which makes it all the more important to find the right players for your Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball lineups.
GUARD
Tony Parker, SAN vs. DAL ($20) - Some assume Parker is on the back-nine of his career, but he's playing some of his best basketball in quite some time. In his last two games, Parker averaged 27.5 points and nearly 40 fantasy points against, impressively, two of the NBA's best defenses. On Sunday, he gets a matchup against a hobbled Deron Williams and should have no problem continuing his great form. He's a near guarantee to outscore his price with a floor of about 20 fantasy points.
Tyler Johnson, MIA at OKC ($10) - With the injury to Goran Dragic, Johnson has been asked to step up. Johnson is averaging about 17 fantasy points a game this year and about 24 fantasy points a game over his last three games. He's also seen a major increase of minutes recently, playing more than 26 minutes a game in his last eight games. Johnson should play a big role in an important game and have no problem obliterating his minimum price tag.
GUARD TO AVOID:
Russell Westbrook, OKC vs. MIA ($59) - Westbrook is never a completely 100 percent avoidable player, but his price is simply too high. Spending 30 percent of your budget on one player is not a good move considering all of the value players available. What's worse, Westbrook hasn't surpassed 46 fantasy points six times in his last eight games. That 46-point mark sounds great, but that's a bad return on investment for a $59 player. He also faces a Miami team that ranks in the top-three in defense and slowest pace.
FORWARD
Terrence Jones, HOU at LAL ($13) - This is a good play either way, but if Dwight Howard misses this game, Jones becomes a near must-use. Jones has had an on-and-off season, but he's played better lately. In fact, he has scored at least 26 fantasy points three times in his last five games. That doubles his price tag, which is a fantastic bargain on Yahoo. In those five games, he is averaging more than 27 minutes per game. The icing in the cake is the matchup, as the Lakers are easily one of the five worst defenses in the NBA.
Darrell Arthur, DEN vs. IND ($12) - Arthur got a rare start in Denver's most recent game and appears likely to start again in the absence on Jusuf Nurkic. Arthur is averaging 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 steals per game across his last five games. That's about 28 fantasy points per game, which is hard to find for a near minimum priced player. Arthur stretches the floor as a big man and should do that Sunday in a matchup against a weak frontcourt.
FORWARD TO AVOID:
Will Barton, DEN vs. IND ($31) - This was my forward to avoid last week and considering his price hasn't dropped much since, we have to mention him again. Since Danilo Gallinari rejoined the Nuggets, Barton's role and usage rate have fallen off a cliff. In fact, Barton is averaging 9.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and nearly no blocks or steals over his last six games. That's 20 fantasy points a game, which is a horrendous value for a $31 player. The minutes have been declining as well, averaging less than 26 minutes per game in that span. Just steer clear of Barton for now until his price drops closer to $25 or lower or an injury clears up more usage for him to capitalize on.
CENTER
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. IND ($10) - Jokic also has benefited from the injury to Jusuf Nurkic, becoming a fantastic per-minute producer. Jokic can stuff the stat sheet at center. His per-36 minute numbers are 16.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Over his last three games, he is averaging 6.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 blocks/steals per game. That's 25 fantasy points per game, which is 2.5 times value for a minimum priced player. With only four legitimate center options to use for Sunday, Jokic makes for a great punt play to fill your other positions with elite players.
CENTER TO AVOID:
Enes Kanter, OKC vs. MIA ($16) - It's sad what's happening with Kanter, simply because he is playing great but not getting the minutes he deserves. Kanter is barely averaging 20 minutes per game and is only averaging 18 minutes a game over his last four. The reason for the lack of playing time is his defense, as the Thunder believe he is a detriment to their team late in games. That alone makes Kanter hard to use here, as he faces Chris Bosh or Hassan Whiteside. Not only should those guys destroy him on the defensive end, they should also have no problem guarding him on the offensive end. If Kanter would get 25-plus minutes, he would be a great bargain, but he's simply too hard to trust with his current role.
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