This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Rather than feature the Monday game by itself, Yahoo has elected to add Tuesday's Warriors-Pelicans and Cavaliers-Raptors games in addition to the Sixers-Celtics matchup for their featured slate of contests. As a result, we'll make our predictions based on that format. Yahoo does not lock rosters, so you will be able to make additional picks all the way into Tuesday for the other two games.
Anthony Davis ($58), LeBron James ($58), Ben Simmons ($49) and Kevin Durant ($48) are our elite options in the $50 range. For starters, I think Davis is completely overpriced against the Warriors, and I don't see a single scenario where Davis fits into my lineups. Joel Embiid is an attractive option at $40, and if you're inclined to fill up on Philly players, and Ersan Ilyasova ($17) has been given a center designation at a very cheap price. While I think $58 is high for Davis, I think it's an appropriate price point for LeBron, as the King is a nightly threat to give you 60 YFP and he's been a staple anchor in every perfect lineup when Cleveland has played. Simmons and Durant will definitely be highly owned, but you have to give the nod to Simmons here because it's likely that Stephen Curry ($40) will return for Game 2, which will limit Durant's ability to post a truly explosive stat line.
With the aforementioned thoughts in mind, I'll now provide two options at each position accompanied by a fade selection at each spot.
GUARD
First, the Curry question. You can keep enough salary around for Tuesday and play wait-and-see on him. If he is slated to start I might play him over guys like Jrue Holiday or Rajon Rondo, but only if he starts and is expected to see a lot of minutes.
Rajon Rondo, NOR at GS ($31): After the Game 1 blowout handed to the Pelicans by Durant and company, it's time to finally be a little circumspect when it comes to fielding any New Orleans player. Rondo seemed to be handling things aptly, while the Warriors neutralized Holiday. Holiday is far too talented to simply be a decoy for Rondo, but unless they find a better method of delivering the ball inside to Davis, I think the better play will be Rondo here. Until I get a better sense of how DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry plan to attack the Cavaliers, I'll stick with what I know at this price point for now.
Marcus Smart, BOS vs. PHI ($16): He's cleared to play 35 minutes and whenever he sees that much time he always finds a way to generate enough output to meet value, but he'll crush value at this bargain price. Smart will get an extra bump if Jaylen Brown ends up sitting out, but I think he's a sensible bargain pick even if Brown suits up.
Additional guards to consider: Terry Rozier, BOS at PHI ($29); J.J. Redick, PHI at BOS ($20)
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GUARD TO AVOID
Andre Iguodala, GS vs. NO ($12): Even if Iguodala draws the start, I believe we'll see a good deal of Curry on Tuesday. With a few solid options hovering just above Iguodala in price, it's easy to keep him off your lineups and go for value elsewhere.
FORWARD
Draymond Green, GS vs. NO ($30): Green's superior defensive prowess was a key factor in compromising the Pelicans' interior attack in Game 1, and he was able to supplement that skill with some nifty ball movement and scoring that resulted in a triple-double. I'll ride this wave and look for more of the same Tuesday.
Dario Saric, PHI at BOS ($23): Saric enjoyed a pretty solid track record against the Celtics this season and though his interior play has been compromised a bit by the emergence of Ilyasova, I think the Sixers will revert to what has worked in the past against Boston and give Saric plenty of opportunities. Saric will also see a boost if we trust Robert Covington's sub-par history versus Boston this season.
Additional forwards to consider: Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. PHI ($26)
FORWARD TO AVOID
Nikola Mirotic, NO at GS ($33): While it's a small sample size, this will be a quick series if Mirotic continues to struggle like he did in Game 1. He actually looked a little lost at times on both sides of the ball and that's definitely not a good sign, as the learning curve against the Warriors is steep. I don't see things getting much better for the big man Tuesday.
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CENTER
While Joel Embiid ($40) is a fine play, I'm going to instead highlight two value guys that could be primed for big games on this slate.
Ersan Ilyasova, PHI at BOS ($17): Ilyasova has been one of the pleasant surprises to emerge in Philly's explosive offense, and even though Embiid's return diminished his output somewhat, he's certainly doing enough to roster him at $17. Boston will try to keep the pace slow, but that will be a difficult task as Philly sports one of the speediest offenses in the league.
Tristan Thompson, CLE at TOR ($11): While he's certainly not going to make your All-Morality Team – how about Thompson in Game 1? I think the Cavs may have seen the error of their ways in not giving Thompson more time during the Pacers series, but it's easy to see why when you consider Kevin Love and Larry Nance's foothold on the interior. While his playing time will largely depend on who matches up best against Jonas Valanciunas, Thompson will definitely get an opportunity to put up a good stat line.
CENTER TO AVOID
Greg Monroe, BOS vs. PHI ($12): His lack of postseason playing time has been a bit of a head-scratcher. While he owns his share of off-court issues, it looked like he had found a happy home in Boston, but he's seen his minutes dwindle to almost nothing in recent weeks. It's possible that they could look to him if they fail to contain Embiid, but I'm staying away until further notice.
