This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
After the College Football Playoff limited us to just three games last week, we come back this week with an expanded slate of nine games all day to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is always a tough slate to play considering games start at 2 p.m. EST and run until 10:30 p.m., making it hard to lock in your lineups at 2 with some players' statuses in the air for the later games. However, a day like Monday also offers a lot of opportunities to split up lineups into two segments throughout the day, which is pretty much double the DFS action.
Guard
J.J. Redick, LAC vs. HOU ($19) - The Rockets enter Sunday allowing the sixth most fantasy points per game (210.7). Houston is also in the bottom half of the league in terms of three-pointers allowed per game (8.86). Blake Griffin is still sidelined, which means Redick should continue to see plenty of looks. Redick is a tad too reliant on treys for points, but with the plus matchup and low price tag he makes for a nice cash-game play.
J.J. Barea, DAL vs. BOS ($16) - It's just a coincidence that both J.J.'s land in the recommended guards section. The Mavericks have to play five games in the next eight days, which means plenty of starters will rest, particularly on the back-to-backs. Dallas has a tough task against the Spurs on Sunday, so there's a chance Deron Williams will sit Monday. If that happens, Barea becomes a very appealing cash-game play and makes sense for tournaments considering his high ceiling and low cost.
Guard to Avoid:
Kemba Walker, CHA vs. UTA ($39) - The Jazz have done a decent job disrupting point guards this season, allowing just 42.6 points per game in Yahoo DFS. Walker isn't exactly slumping, but he hasn't been consistently good either. He's failed to reach more than 12 points in three of his last five games and unless he hits a lot of three-pointers Walker will have a lot of trouble hitting value. Walker should be avoided in cash games and is really only a contrarian play for tournaments.
FORWARD
Marcus Morris, DET vs. CHI ($21) - The Bulls are a mess again, and they were already allowing a ton of points to small forwards this season. Morris is coming off a solid performance against a tough Warriors defense on Ben Wallace night Saturday and appears to be on an upward trajectory. It also helps that he's played 40 minutes in back-to-back games. This is likely because the Pistons don't feature a very deep bench, making Morris a safe play in pretty much all formats.
Trey Lyles, UTA at CHA ($10) - Lyles is the ultimate value play Monday as the Hornets entered Sunday allowing 46.9 points per game to opposing power forwards. Derrick Favors has been out since December and Trevor Booker has a concussion, which has forced Lyles into a bigger role. He's averaging 26.8 fantasy points per game over his last three contests and is dirt cheap. Lyles should see a lot of action in cash games, but consider him a decent tournament play as well considering the kind of cap flexibility he offers.
Forward to Avoid:
Anthony Davis, NO at MEM ($54) - As the highest priced power forward and tied for highest priced player in Yahoo DFS, you'd think Davis would score more than his salary a bit more often. Nope. Davis has failed to outscore his price in seven of the last nine games. The Grizzlies aren't a great matchup, allowing just 41.7 fantasy points per game to opposing PFs this season. The only scenario in which it would make sense to play Davis in your lineup is if he's up against the Rockets, Kings or 76ers. Davis isn't reliable enough to play considering he'll eat up more than a quarter of your salary cap.
CENTER
Jonas Valanciunas, TOR vs. BKN ($23) - Big Val was huge for the Raptors on their recent five-game road trip, scoring at least 33 points in three of five games. He's had at least two blocks in six consecutive games and is finally consistently playing 30 minutes a game. The Nets allow 48.9 points per game to centers, and Bismack Biyombo shouldn't be much of a threat to Valanciunas' production.
Center to Avoid:
Al Horford, ATL vs. ORL ($31) - Horford is a risky fade Monday, but the Magic have been stingy against centers this season. He got himself into a lot of foul trouble recently against the Hornets and guarding Nikola Vucevic down low is no easy task. Horford was limited to 16 points, six rebounds and five assists the last time he faced the Magic, which is an uninspiring stat line if you're considering him for a tournament lineup. He's not a bad cash play, but there are more appealing centers that won't cost you as much.
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