This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The Warriors are the best defense in action Wednesday by a considerable margin, ranking first in opponent points per possession over the last 10 games. The next best defense playing, the Grizzlies, are closer to the bottom half of the league than to the Warriors. The Blazers offense is struggling and should be avoided entering this tough matchup.
The Kings are the worst defense Wednesday, and they play a Heat squad experiencing a dynamic injury report. Pay attention to who is active, as whichever Heat players end up going should have lots of value.
GUARDS
Tyler Johnson, MIA at SAC ($23): Johnson has probably been the healthiest member of the Heat this season, which opened up lots of extra minutes. Goran Dragic (back) was back in the lineup Tuesday, but James Johnson (illness) and Justise Winslow (shoulder) were both out. Tyler Johnson (migraine) was a late scratch Tuesday afternoon, but the early indication is that he is expected to play Wednesday. If any of Dragic, James Johnson or Winslow are out Wednesday, the second night of a back-to-back, then Tyler should be looking at expanded minutes against the most favorable opponent on the slate.
Raymond Felton, LAC vs. MEM ($10): Felton, who hadn't been fantasy relevant for what felt like years, has shockingly returned for the Chris Paul (hamstring)-less Clippers. Felton has played at least 30 minutes in six of the last seven games, and he has been earning daily gamers hefty profits throughout this stretch. The mismatch between price and opportunity easily outweighs the downside of facing a tough Grizzlies team.
Other suggestions: Malcolm Brogdon, MIL at NY ($12); Kyle Korver, ATL at ORL ($11); Klay Thompson, GS vs. POR ($29)
Guard to Avoid
Russell Westbrook, OKC at CHA ($62): Westbrook is fun. He is exciting. And on any night, he could go for 80 fantasy points and single-handedly lift your team to victory. Most nights, however, he only manages a pedestrian 30-point, 10,-assist, 10-rebound triple-double. That's not even 60 fantasy points. Sure, that's still a truckload of points, but you are paying for more than that. This is the highest price Yahoo has charged this season (tied with himself for each game of the past week). Daily managers need better than a one-to-one points-per-dollar production ratio to win, and Westbrook's price makes it incredibly difficult to achieve that.
FORWARDS
Jimmy Butler, CHI at CLE ($42): The Cavaliers are dealing with the flu and could be without both LeBron James and Kevin Love. First of all, I always find it weird when NBA players get sick with normal human illnesses. Isn't their super-DNA beyond these kinds of layman-level difficulties? That's not really basketball analysis, but I stand by it. Secondly, with LeBron out, the Cavs go from a team to avoid to a team to target – especially at the small forward position. If James does not play, Butler is in my fantasy lineup. Butler's recent play – a 40-point double-double and a 52-point double-double in his last four games – is also encouraging.
Josh Richardson, MIA at SAC ($15): Richardson is healthy, though many of his teammates are not. He already averages 31 minutes per game. Entering Tuesday, he had shot 50.0 percent over previous last four games. During that stretch, he scored at least 30 fantasy points per night. Comparatively, he struggled Tuesday, but so did the entire roster in a disappointing loss to the Suns. Even in that game he still managed to earn a profit.
Other suggestions: Evan Turner, POR at GS ($13); Channing Frye, CLE vs. CHI ($10)
Forward to Avoid
Carmelo Anthony, NY vs. MIL ($35): If Hassan Whiteside (eye) unexpectedly returns Wednesday, then pretend this paragraph was written about DeMarcus Cousins. Assuming Whiteside remains out, Cousins is a reasonable option, and managers should avoid Anthony instead. His slow-paced style is a poor matchup verse the long and athletic Bucks. Additionally, his play has been inconsistent lately, and he has played fewer than 20 minutes in two of his past four games.
CENTERS
Nikola Vucevic, ORL vs. ATL ($24): Vucevic's price has fallen, despite a recent hot streak. He is riding back-to-back double-doubles, playing at least 30 minutes in both games. Before that, he went for 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and 39.2 fantasy points. The Hawks are a tough matchup for a center, but this discount is priced to sell.
Willie Reed, MIA at SAC ($10): I'm all in on the Heat, but this is probably the best deal of the bunch. I don't have much confidence in Reed's talent, but with Whiteside out, Reed is the starting center. On New Year's, that translated to extra minutes and a tiny profit. On Tuesday, it meant 22 points, 18 rebounds and 51.6 fantasy points in 32 minutes. It's unrealistic to expect a repeat of Tuesday's performance, but with starter's minutes, he'll have plenty of time to help fantasy teams.
Other suggestions: Joakim Noah, NY vs. MIL ($11); DeAndre Jordan, LAC vs. MEM ($27)
Center to Avoid
John Henson, MIL at NY ($11): Saying "none, all of the healthy centers are reasonable or better options" is boring. Henson is the highest-cost healthy player I object to because he is inconsistent, neither in the minutes he receives nor the production he provides during that time. He's not a very bad option, but there are many better available.
