Yahoo DFS Basketball: Sunday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

Sunday's six-game NBA slate begins bright and early at noon EST. Read on to see which players to target and which to avoid.

GUARD

Andrew Harrison, MEM at TOR ($13): With Tyreke Evans (coach's decision) no longer in the rotation and Mario Chalmers (hamstring) sidelined, Harrison's getting the opportunity to play heavy minutes and taking advantage. He posted a season-high 35.8 fantasy points in 34 minutes Thursday and is primed for similar success after averaging 29.3 fantasy points with 14.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 6.7 APG the last three games. Harrison's a no-brainer at this price given his current role and recent production.

Russell Westbrook, OKC vs. LAL ($60):
Westbrook rarely misses a chance to stat-pad, so he's likely to come away with a monstrous fantasy performance against a Lakers team that allows a league-high 46.2 fantasy points per game to point guards. Things have been even worse lately for Los Angeles, with that average creeping up to 56.0 in the last 10 games. While Westbrook won't come cheap, his upside in this matchup is too high to ignore.

Guard to Avoid:

Eric Bledsoe, MIL at BKN ($29): Bledsoe has struggled with an ankle injury lately, totaling just 17.2 fantasy points in his last two appearances combined. While this favorable matchup is tempting, it's tough to trust Bledsoe at $29 until he proves healthy.

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FORWARD

Kristaps Porzingis, NYK vs. ATL ($40): Porzingis has been held to less than 40.0 fantasy points in six of his last seven games, but it's worth noting that he scored 45.0 in his one home game over that stretch. The Latvian unicorn has been much better at Madison Square Garden all season, averaging 42.2 fantasy points in his last five home games while scoring at least 39.7 in all but one. Maintaining his strong home form should be easy against a subpar Hawks squad that he burned for 55.6 fantasy points in their last meeting.

Taurean Prince, ATL at NY ($17):
Prince is coming off season highs of 31 points and 50.6 fantasy points against a tough Celtics defense, so the improving small forward should have no trouble providing excellent value against a Knicks team against which he's scored 26.1 and 31.1 points in their two previous meetings this season. His ability to stretch the floor is likely to prove especially problematic for New York's collapsing defensive scheme, as the Knicks allow the seventh-most made 3-pointers to small forwards (2.6).

Forward to Avoid:

Jabari Parker, MIL at BKN ($18): The logic against using Parker is similar to that for his teammate Bledsoe, except the forward's upside is much lower. Parker scored 15.6 fantasy points in 15 minutes during Friday's season debut, and his playing time is likely to ramp up slowly coming off a pair of ACL tears. The value just isn't there, especially with no shortage of competing options in this price range.

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CENTER

Marc Gasol, MEM at TOR ($32): Gasol's carrying a massive burden on both ends for the injury-riddled Grizzlies, and his heavy usage is translating into tremendous fantasy success. He's averaged 43.6 fantasy points in his last four games, and the Spaniard's consistently outplayed his $32 price all season, averaging 38.0 fantasy points per game. Roll him out with confidence against a Raptors team that allows the fifth-most PPG to centers (17.9).

Brook Lopez, LAL at OKC ($13):
Lopez built up some momentum Friday with a 19-point effort against Brooklyn, and he gets a similarly favorable matchup here. Oklahoma City's allows the most PPG (18.8) and sixth-most made 3-pointers (0.7) to centers, so Lopez is primed for another strong performance on the offensive end. At just $13, there's little risk.

Center to Avoid:

Jusuf Nurkic, POR at BOS ($24): Nurkic has generally been a beast lately, but he's not immune to duds. Just in the last 10 games, he's put forth performances of 8.6, 16.5 and 17.7 fantasy points. Boston allows the fewest fantasy points to centers (31.4), so Nurkic's low floor could certainly come into play.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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