This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA has 10 games on tap Friday, several of which shape up to be fantasy friendly. The Wizards play against a 76ers team that just traded two of their primary big men, and still has Joel Embiid sidelined, which could mean big scoring opportunities for both the Wizards and the remaining 76ers bigs. The Lakers get to distribute Lou Williams' offense throughout the team, providing a potential bump for their other scorers. Yogi Ferell is now the man in Dallas, as they cut Deron Williams. The Suns have an explosive offensive unit, and travel to a Bulls team that just traded one of their best defenders in Taj Gibson. The Celtics, who didn't trade, face a rival Raptors team that bolstered their front line with two different trades. And the Nuggets, fresh off getting shellacked by a shockingly spry Kings unit, now gets a chance to lick their wounds at home against the worst defense in the NBA in the Nets. It should be a fun night.
GUARDS
Jameer Nelson, vs BKN ($18): Nelson barely edged out Yogi Ferrell for this spot. Both are good, low-priced starters who have been productive since taking over the jobs. Ferrell is the last man standing in Dallas after Deron Williams was released. Nelson is older and on the second night of a back-to-back, but he's also been producing a bit more than Ferrell plus he's matched up against the worst point guard defense in the NBA.
Nick Young, LAL at OKC ($12): The Lakers just traded away their leading scorer, Lou Williams, to the Rockets, which opens up space for their other perimeter scorers. Young is a score-only shooting guard who has been productive all season, but the Williams move could allow him to get more consistent with his production.
Guard to Avoid
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs UTA ($53): Antetokounmpo can go off any given night, but the Jazz are an excellent defense, and several other guards in his price range have much better matchups, making it a risk to pay max for the Greek Freak even with the season he's been turning in.
FORWARDS
Dario Saric, PHI vs WAS ($17): First, I'd be remiss not to point out that Andrew Wiggins ($36) entered the All-Star break averaging almost 48 fantasy points per game over his last five. With that said, Saric has also been greatly outperforming his price of late, averaging 20.6 points, 7.4 boards, 2.2 3-pointers and 1.2 steals per game in his last five. The 76ers also traded Nerlens Noel and Ersan Ilyasova, plus Joel Embiid is still out, and 76ers head coach Brett Brown has finally said Saric will have a more pronounced role.
Markieff Morris, WAS at PHI ($27): Morris has settled in as an impact player for the Wizards for an extended period, and he entered the All-Star break on a three-game streak averaging 23.3 points, 7.7 boards, 3.0 treys, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. On Thursday, he faces a 76ers defense that, without both Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel, is much weaker on defense and on the glass.
Forward to Avoid
Blake Griffin, LAC vs SA ($45): Griffin entered the break on a tear and is the definite go-to for the Clippers while Chris Paul is out. However, the Spurs' frontline has been among the league leaders in fewest fantasy points allowed to bigs all season. Plus, Griffin is on the second night of a back-to-back after getting stifled in the second half of a come-from-ahead-blowout-loss to the Warriors. And if the Clippers aren't careful, the Spurs could blow them out as well and end Griffin's night early again.
CENTERS
Hassan Whiteside, MIA at ATL ($37): Lots of great centers going Friday, but Whiteside and Mark Gasol ($34) have almost as much upside as Karl-Anthony Towns or Nikola Jokic but at much lower prices. The Hawks are actually tough in the middle, but Whiteside faced them earlier this month and dropped 18 points and 18 rebounds on them in a blowout win.
Kelly Olynyk, BOS at TOR ($11): Olynyk was averaging 16 points, seven boards, 2.6 assists and one combined block and steal per game in the five outings leading up to the beak. He now faces a Raptors defense that has been bolstered by the addition of Serge Ibaka, but Olynyk still makes a good buy as a near-min-priced player with 30-fantasy-point potential.
Center to Avoid
Mason Plumlee, DEN vs BKN ($23): Plumlee's price was built upon his production as a starter in Portland. He's now a backup in Denver, and though he got big minutes in his Nuggets debut due to injuries in the frontcourt, the 22 minutes he played Thursday are probably more representative of his average night moving forward.
