This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Just five games on the Sunday schedule, but there is still plenty of fantasy value to be found for daily players.
GUARD
Bradley Beal, WSH at LAL ($20) - Not only has Beal scored at least 25 fantasy points five times in his last six games, he has played a ton of minutes. Beal is averaging 35 minutes across his last five games. The icing on the cake is the matchup, as the Lakers allow the most fantasy points in the NBA to shooting guards.
J.J. Barea, DAL at SAC ($10) - With Deron Williams sitting this game out, Barea should get the nod to start at point guard. Barea is a very good per-minute producer, averaging 16.6 points, 6.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per 36 minutes. He'll likely play about 30 minutes in this matchup, so those numbers aren't far off from what to expect. The Kings are the worst defense in the NBA, while playing at the fastest pace. Considering his minimum priced, Barea might be the best option Sunday to exceed his value.
Guard to Avoid:
Stephen Curry, GS vs. PHI ($54) - It's never easy to avoid the best player in the NBA, but there are concerns with Curry in this game. The Warriors are a 21-point favorite, which means Curry likely will struggle to crack 30 minutes. He has sat in 18 fourth quarters this season, and this seems like another of those scenarios. Curry can provide 50-plus fantasy points in three quarters, but his upside is limited with the amount of minutes he'll receive.
FORWARD
Wesley Matthews, DAL at SAC ($15) - Matthews has stepped up his game in the absence of Deron Williams and Chandler Parsons. He has surpassed 27 fantasy points in three consecutive games and is averaging more than 30 fantasy points in that span. It's clear that his usage and minutes are up and that makes him especially valuable as the Mavericks square off against the worst defense in the NBA. A 15-point game seems to be a floor for Matthews, and that would still give him value at his dirt cheap price.
Marreese Speights, GS vs. PHI ($10) - With a blowout expected, Speights could play a lot of garbage time. Speights hasn't been half bad either, as he is averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks across his last eight games. What's especially enticing about him is his usage rate, as his 27.4 rate ranks 22nd in the league. That usage rate puts him ahead of players like Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose, Kemba Walker and Kyle Lowry. While that does seem ridiculous, it makes him particularly valuable in a matchup like this where he could potentially play a season-high in minutes against a bad team.
Forward to Avoid:
Rudy Gay, SAC vs. DAL ($25) - Gay is permanently on my avoid list, as he's simply not the same player he used to be. The small forward has only surpassed 29 fantasy points once in his last nine games and has become third fiddle in this offense. With Rajon Rondo dominating the ball-handling and DeMarcus Cousins taking all the shots, there's little for Gay to feast off of. His upside is limited, as he has surpassed 40 fantasy points only twice in his last 21 games.
CENTER
Salah Mejri, DAL at SAC ($10) - Mejri started the last couple games for the Mavericks and performed pretty well. The center is averaging 28 fantasy points across his last three games and blocking shots at will. He has 11 blocks in that span with 27 rebounds. The Kings are the NBA's worst defense and play at the fastest pace, thus giving Mejri more opportunities for points, rebounds and blocks. The Kings also have allowed 67 fantasy points to centers over their last five games, the most in the league by more than 10 points.
Center to Avoid:
Dwight Howard, HOU at IND ($31) - Howard has been terrible recently and doesn't appear to be part of the Houston offense. The center has scored 10 points or fewer in six of his last seven games, while failing to attempt more than 10 shots in nine consecutive games. The other numbers appear to be fine, but when you're paying for the third-highest priced center, you need a guaranteed double-double. Howard does have the potential to go off against this weak frontcourt, but his form and usage are too scary to trust.
Get a FREE RotoWire 10-day trial (no credit card required) at RotoWire.com
