This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
There are seven games on the NBA schedule Friday, including a great game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors. While injuries to star players have been rampant throughout the league, two prominent players, Rudy Gobert and D'Angelo Russell, are expected to return Friday. Let's take a look at who's available across the board and see who you should target or avoid for your Yahoo entry.
GUARDS
Gary Harris, DEN vs. PHO ($25): Harris continues to be one of the main offensive weapons for the Nuggets, scoring at least 35.5 Yahoo points in three of his last four games. He's much more than just a scorer though, recording a total of 12 steals over those same four contests. Friday brings an excellent matchup against a Suns team that plays at the fourth-fastest pace (102.4 possessions per game) and allows the most points per game (112.4) in the league. He scored 47.3 Yahoo points in his last game against the Suns and looks primed for another valuable performance.
Josh Hart, LAL vs. IND ($10): The Lakers are going to be thin at guard Friday with Lonzo Ball (knee) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Achilles) already ruled out. That should open up added playing time for Hart, who has scored at least 21.6 Yahoo points in each of the last eight games that he has played 25 minutes or more. Combine the added playing time with the fact that the Lakers play at the fastest pace (103.6) in the league, and Hart could provide excellent value at the minimum price.
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Guard to Avoid
D'Angelo Russell, BKN vs. MIA ($28): Russell hasn't played for the Nets in more than two months because of a knee injury but is listed as probable for Friday. While he eventually will return to being a valuable player, the likelihood of a minutes restriction would limit his ceiling in this game. The Heat allow the fifth-fewest Yahoo points per game (39.9) to opposing points guards, so it might be best to avoid him in his first game back.
FORWARDS
Kristaps Porzingis, NY at UTA ($40): Porzingis went through a brief slump early this month but has broken out of it to score at least 41.8 Yahoo points in four straight games. It's no coincidence that Tim Hardaway Jr. returned from a leg injury to play in three of those games. Defenses will have a hard time keying in on Porzingis now that he has another strong shooter on the floor, which should help free him up offensively to an extent. Expect him to keep things rolling again Friday.
JaMychal Green, MEM vs. SAC ($14): Green has shown a high ceiling recently, scoring at least 41.4 Yahoo points in two of his last four games. He's off to a strong start to January, averaging 12.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal through six games. He has a favorable matchup Friday against a Kings team that allows the third-most Yahoo points per game (47.3) to opposing power forwards, making him someone to consider at this cheap price.
Forward to Avoid
Otto Porter Jr., WAS at DET ($27): Porter isn't playing well right now, scoring 25.2 Yahoo points or less in four of his last six games. Not only has he been ice cold shooting 37.5 percent from the field in seven games this month, but he only posted a 14.2 percent usage rate as well. He's struggling too much right now to take a chance on him at this price.
CENTERS
Andre Drummond, DET vs. WAS ($45): Drummond has a tremendous ceiling in DFS, scoring at least 58.4 Yahoo points in three of his last four games. His improved free-throw shooting has allowed him to stay on the floor late in games, giving him added minutes to accumulate stats. Not only does he provide big double-doubles, but he also is averaging career-highs in assists (3.8) and steals (1.6) per game. He scored 56.9 Yahoo points in his last game against the Wizards and could provide similar production again Friday.
Hassan Whiteside, MIA at BKN ($31): For everyone pushing the panic button on Whiteside because of his lack of playing time in the fourth quarter, he went a long way toward easing some of those fears by scoring 59.6 Yahoo points Wednesday against the Bucks. While his playing time has been down, he's still been able to score at least 36.5 Yahoo points in five of his last six games. The Nets allow the second-most Yahoo points per game (53.1) to opposing centers, making Whiteside someone to strongly consider at this reasonable price.
Center to Avoid
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. NY ($30): Gobert has been hit hard by injuries this season and hasn't played in more than a month. He's listed as probable Friday, but much like the Nets with Russell, the Jazz will probably ease him back in slowly. Without his usual allotment of playing time, this is too much to pay for him with so many other great options available at center.
