This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The first round of the playoffs continues with a solid three-game Tuesday slate. There's plenty of intrigue after all three home teams on this slate lost their opening games, which means there should be even more aggressive play and higher fantasy scores.
GUARD
Isaiah Thomas, BOS vs. CHI ($45): Thomas overcame personal tragedy in Game 1 to score 45.5 fantasy points, and there's little reason to doubt he can replicate that caliber of performance. Thomas shot 53.8 percent from the field and 48.4 percent from three-point range in three regular-season games against the Bulls, and posted a 55.6 percent success rate Sunday. Rajon Rondo clearly is no match for Thomas on a consistent basis and the Bulls were porous throughout the regular season against point guards, allowing 49.3 fantasy points per game to the position.
Malcolm Brogdon, MIL at TOR ($17): Brogdon often outperformed his price during his rookie season, and he was it again in Game 1 on Saturday, scoring 29.2 fantasy points in 34 minutes. He scored between 25.6 and 38.3 fantasy points in five of his last six regular-season games, which were excellent returns on his price. Despite Kyle Lowry's well-earned defensive reputation, Brogdon shot a solid 46.2 percent on 13 attempts Saturday, while the Raptors surrendered the fifth-highest field-goal percentage (44.7 percent) to point guards this season.
Guard to Avoid
Rodney Hood, UTA at LAC ($15): Hood lost his starting spot to Joe Ingles and failed to reach 20 fantasy points in the last five games of the regular season, as well as in Game 1 of the series. His price is reasonable enough, but his upside is too limited, particularly since he's shot better than 30 percent just once in those six games.
FORWARD
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at TOR ($52):Jimmy Butler ($51) is in play as well, but Antetokounmpo dominated the Raptors during the regular season and provided more of the same in Game 1 on Saturday. The Greek Freak scored 47.1 fantasy points on the strength of 28 points, and he averaged 24.8 points (on 58.8 percent shooting), 7.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in three regular-season starts against Toronto. Despite the presence of Serge Ibaka, the Raptors allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game (46.8) to the position over the last 10 games of the regular season, including the sixth-most (48.7) over the last five.
Serge Ibaka, TOR vs. MIL ($25): On the other side of this matchup is Ibaka, who didn't have much trouble with Antetokoumpo's length in Game 1. The veteran scored 41.3 fantasy points on the strength of an impressive 19-point, 14-rebound double-double and has already stated he'll play in Game 2 after tweaking his ankle Saturday. Ibaka averaged a solid 18.0 points (on 54.3 percent shooting), 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in four appearances against the Bucks this season, so his Game 1 production is far from an outlier. If Ibaka's condition were to unexpectedly worsen before game time, Derrick Favors ($18) makes for a solid cost-savings pivot considering that he'll draw the start for the Jazz at center in place of Rudy Gobert (knee).
Forward to Avoid
Jae Crowder, BOS vs. CHI ($23): Crowder had 19.1 fantasy points in Game 1, which was an extension of the struggles he encountered against the Bulls during the regular season. The Celtics forward averaged just 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.0 minutes per game in four starts against Chicago this season, and with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Al Horford boasting high usage, Crowder appears overpriced for what will likely be a modest offensive role.
CENTER
Al Horford, BOS vs. CHI ($27): Horford makes for an appealing option at a limited center pool, and considering his Game 1 performance, he could be in line to outperform his reasonable price once again. He scored 37.9 fantasy points Sunday with a full stat line of 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and also wrapped up the regular season by scoring over 30 fantasy points in two of his last three games.
Greg Monroe, MIL at TOR ($16): Monroe seems to always maximize his time on the floor with the second unit, which was the case in Game 1 when he scored 36.0 fantasy points in 26 minutes on the strength of a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double. He sported a robust 25.4 percent usage rate after the All-Star break and should be out there chucking away Tuesday, making him one of the best value plays on the board.
Center to Avoid
Jonas Valanciunas, TOR vs. MIL ($18):Kyle Lowry has come out and stated he'll need to be more aggressive in Game 2, and he and DeMar DeRozan already account for a substantial portion of the Raptors' offensive production, while frontcourt mate Serge Ibaka figures to have a robust role too. That leaves Valanciunas as a bit of the odd man out, which was reflected in the 18.8 fantasy points he scored in the series opener. With Lowry back at full health, Valanciunas' days of producing 25-plus fantasy points – a range he hit regularly during the former's extended absence due to a wrist injury – are likely in the past.
