This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA playoffs continue Sunday with four series openers beginning at 1 p.m. EDT. Certain players are primed to give their respective teams an early leg up on the competition, and the recommendations below should help owners find those players while avoiding overpriced options.
GUARD
Donovan Mitchell, UTA at OKC ($34): Mitchell finished the regular season with 17 consecutive games of at least 30.0 fantasy points, and that high floor was accompanied by a high ceiling, as evidenced by his pair of performances with more than 50.0 fantasy points. His shot volume and ability to make modest but important contributions in the other categories should allow the rookie to excel in his playoff debut, especially since he'll serve as the focal point of Utah's offense against a Thunder defense that was above average at defending every other position but allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to shooting guards (40.9 per game).
Jaylen Brown, BOS vs. MIL ($17): Brown has been an important piece for the beat-up Celtics, registering at least 33.5 fantasy points in four of his last seven appearances. The 2016 third overall selection is expected to play big minutes and comes a little cheaper than Boston's other key cogs, making him a low-risk, high-reward play in this series opener.
Guard to Avoid:
Ricky Rubio, UTA at OKC ($29): After drawing some late-season hype due to a hot shooting stretch, Rubio came back down to earth over the final few games, as he averaged just 25.0 fantasy points in the last four. That form's not ideal heading into a series against a Thunder defense that allowed just 31.2 fantasy points per game to point guards, second-fewest in the league.
FORWARD
LeBron James, CLE vs. IND ($58): As far as ability and opportunity go, few players possess a better combination of those traits than James, who will have the ball in his hands early and often as the Cavaliers look to establish their dominance early in what promises to be a high-scoring series. If he just matches last postseason's averages of 32.8 PPG, 7.8 APG and 9.1 RPG, LeBron will be a terrific team cornerstone both in real life and fantasy.
Thaddeus Young, IND at CLE ($21): Young was rested down the stretch, playing just 17 minutes in each of his last two appearances, so pay no mind to his low fantasy point totals from those games. He should get back to his season average of 32 minutes if not more with rotations tightening in the playoffs, and Young couldn't ask for a more favorable matchup considering Cleveland allowed a league-high 41.3 fantasy points per game to power forwards.
Forward to Avoid:
Andrew Wiggins, MIN at HOU ($24): Not only is Wiggins' score-first style not particularly fantasy friendly, but he's also not playing a major role right now with Minnesota's top guys all healthy. He scored more than 27.5 fantasy points only once in his team's final four games, and Wiggins is unlikely to step up in the postseason given how willing he was to defer in his team's must-win games down the stretch. Of all the forwards priced higher than $20 in this slate, Wiggins has the least enticing fantasy profile.
CENTER
Kevin Love, CLE vs. IND ($26): Love was tremendous in 11 appearances after returning from injury March 19, scoring more than 35.0 fantasy points seven times in that stretch. He's still significantly undervalued compared to his role and ability, and the sharpshooting big man should also benefit from a favorable matchup here. No playoff team allowed more fantasy points to centers than Indiana's 37.7.
Greg Monroe, BOS vs. MIL ($16): Milwaukee's 37.5 fantasy points per game allowed to centers rank a narrow second-highest behind the Pacers among playoff participants, so Boston also draws a favorable first-round matchup at the position. While Monroe isn't trusted with significant playing time, a Celtics club looking to generate offense without Kyrie Irving (knee) will likely lean heavily on Monroe when he's in the game. The old-school center's inside scoring and rebounding allowed him to average 34.4 fantasy points over his final four regular-season appearances, so outplaying his $16 valuation shouldn't be difficult for Monroe.
Center to Avoid:
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN at HOU ($44): Towns did a beautiful job of carrying the offense while Jimmy Butler was sidelined by a knee injury, but his value should take a hit with the perimeter star ready to log heavy minutes and touches again. In addition to the diminished workload, Towns also has to deal with a brutal matchup, as Houston's 32.3 fantasy points allowed to centers this season were a league low.
