This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We had a fun day of NBA In-Season Tournament games Friday, but we're back to normal regular season matchups here. We have six games in total, with the games starting at 5 p.m. EST. That's a strange time, but we've been getting strange start times every weekend throughout the season. There are still some great matchups to discuss, so let's get started with two of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference.
Guards
Trae Young, ATL at WAS ($41)
Young has been one of the assist leaders throughout his career and he's on track to be at the top of the leaderboard once again. Trae has scored at least 39 Yahoo points in every game since the opener, scoring 57 and 63 Yahoo points in his two most recent outings. Those are two of his best stat lines of the year and it's likely to continue against Washington's woeful defense. The Wizards rank 28th in defensive efficiency and 29th in points allowed while surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing PGs this season. That's on full display by the fact that Young has at least 43 Y! points in each of their last six matchups!
Darius Garland, CLE vs. LAL ($29)
It's hard to understand why Garland is below $30. This guy's fantasy value has been limited by Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) since he was signed, but that's not an issue right now. Mitchell is out for Cleveland, and Garland has a usage rate above 30 percent in those circumstances. He's also averaging over 40 Y! points per game when Mitchell has been out over the last two years, scoring 41 and 55 Yahoo points over the last week. We also don't mind that LA allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing PGs last season, with DG averaging 39 fantasy points per game against them.
Guard to Avoid
Russell Westbrook, LAC vs. DAL ($25)
Westbrook has been the best player in fantasy at times throughout his career, but this could be his worst season. Playing with guys like James Harden, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard was already limiting his upside, but the move to the bench was the nail in the coffin. That's led to Westbrook scoring 27 or fewer fantasy points in five straight outings. He's also playing just 21 minutes a night in this diminished role, scoring just 14 Y! points across 14 minutes on Friday!
Forwards
Zion Williamson, NOP at UTA ($35)
It was hard to figure out who the primary ball-handler would be in the absence of CJ McCollum (lung), but Zion has taken on that role. Williamson has a 31 percent usage rate with McCollum off the floor, averaging over 1.2 Y! points per minute in those circumstances. That elite rate has carried over recently, with Zion scoring at least 38 fantasy points in five straight fixtures. We also saw the big man attempt 25 shots on Friday, and that sort of workload makes Williamson a wonderful option against Utah. The Jazz rank 26th in points allowed and 27th in defensive efficiency, with Zion dropping 54 Yahoo points in their most recent matchup.
Saddiq Bey, ATL at WAS ($12)
Bey isn't the most exciting option, but there are not many players with his sort of upside at just $12. Most players sitting in this range barely get off the bench, but Bey is still one of the primary scorers for the Hawks. The sharpshooter has scored at least 25 Yahoo points in four of his last five outings. He's also playing nearly 30 minutes a night in that span and should never be this cheap in that type of role against Washington. The Wizards are surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing SFs!
Forward to Avoid
Royce O'Neale, BKN vs. MIA ($16)
Why is O'Neale is $16? This guy should be the minimum on Yahoo, and his role is going in the wrong direction. He got shifted to the bench last week with Cameron Johnson returning and has scored 14 or fewer Yahoo points in four of his last six outings. We're talking about a guy with a 30-point ceiling for the season in a starting job, so the poor production will continue in this smaller role. The matchup against Miami couldn't be worse either because they're a Top 10 defense every year.
Centers
Jarrett Allen, CLE vs. LAL ($20)
Allen was limited early on because of a minutes restriction but that was lifted earlier this week! The big man played a season-high 35 minutes a few days ago, dropping a season-high 44 Yahoo points! He followed that up with an ugly showing against Miami, but every Cleveland plater struggled in that 33-point blowout. We're willing to overlook that because JA had at least 29 Y! points in four straight games before that. You can't ask for any more from a $20 player, especially since that's less than Allen averaged last season! The matchup is the icing on the cake because Allen scored 36 and 45 Yahoo points in his two matchups with LA last year.
Kelly Olynyk, UTA vs. NOP ($15)
This Utah team has been a nightmare, but Oly has been a bright spot for this team. What we're encouraged by is that he started their most recent game, collecting 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists across 32 minutes. This guy has always been known to stuff the stat sheet, and a bump to 30-35 minutes is all he needs to be a $20 player. He's played at least 30 minutes in 35 games since the start of last year, posting a 33-point average in that expanded workload. All you need is 25 fantasy points from a $15 player to be a good value, which looks like Olynyk's floor with Walker Kessler (elbow) still sidelined.
Center to Avoid
Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. DAL ($18)
We talked about how the addition of Harden was hurting Westbrook, and the same thing is happening with Zoo. The simple fact is that there are not enough fantasy points to go around with Harden, Paul and Kawhi all playing. That's limited Zubac to 31 or fewer fantasy points in 13 straight games. He's also got fewer than 23 Yahoo points in eight of those and has no upside with this roster construction. This is also a Dallas team that might run small with Dereck Lively (back) out, and we wouldn't be surprised to see LA match them in that facet and hold Zoo to 20-25 minutes.
