This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
A busy trade deadline Thursday makes for an interesting DFS slate Friday. Not only are there 11 games, but we could see some limited depth charts as recently traded players might not yet be eligible to play. Let's discuss some players to consider while working your way through the options, and some to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Trae Young, ATL at GS ($39): The shorthanded Warriors are coming off a loss to the Kings on Thursday where they allowed De'Aaron Fox to score 44 of the Kings' 141 points. Now they have to face another prolific scoring point guard in Young, who has racked up at least 41.7 Yahoo points in three of the last four games. As far as safer options at the guard spot go, Young is right up there with just about anyone on this slate.
Kendrick Nunn, ATL at CHA ($14): When Nunn is given expanded playing time, he generally produces. Across 22 games where he has logged at least 30 minutes, he's averaged 18.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals. Goran Dragic (back) has already been ruled out for this contest, so an expected boost in playing time could leave Nunn with a valuable stat line - especially considering his salary.
Guard to Avoid
Jordan Clarkson, UTA vs. MEM ($17): Make no mistake about it, Clarkson's job is to fire up shots at will off the Jazz bench. While he's generally thrived in that role, he's struggled lately by only shooting 28.7 percent from the field across the last six contests. During that stretch, Clarkson has averaged just 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Facing a Grizzlies' team with the NBA's sixth-best defensive rating is not an ideal matchup for him to get back on track.
FORWARDS
Kyle Kuzma, LAL vs. CLE ($24): If there is a silver lining to the Lakers losing LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (calf), it's that Kuzma has performed well in his expanded role. Across the last nine games, he's averaged 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists. With the Cavaliers ranking inside the bottom-10 in defensive rating, Kuzma faces a favorable opportunity to continue his recent run of success.
Chuma Okeke, ORL vs. POR ($10): The Magic blew up their team at the deadline, trading away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier. With most of their newly-acquired players possibly not eligible to play in this game, the few who remain could receive significant run. That includes Okeke, who scored 17 points across 20 minutes off the bench in the previous game versus the Suns.
Forward to Avoid
Kyle Anderson, MEM at UTA ($19): Anderson is coming off a clunker against the Thunder on Wednesday in which he scored only 14.5 Yahoo points. He's struggled for an extended period of time by scoring 25 Yahoo points or fewer in nine of his last 11 matchups. With the Jazz sporting the fourth-best defensive rating, it's difficult to make a case for Anderson in DFS on a night with so many other viable options.
CENTERS
Bam Adebayo, MIA at CHA ($34): Adebayo destroyed the Blazers on Thursday by scoring 63.3 Yahoo points. While that could be partially attributed to Jimmy Butler (illness) being out, Adebayo has been excellent for the majority of the season averaging 42.1 Yahoo points. Even if Butler is able to play, this is still a great spot to deploy Adebayo given the Hornets have allowed the eighth-most Yahoo points to opposing centers.
Nicolas Claxton, BKN at DET ($11): The Nets stood pat at the trade deadline, which should not come as a big surprise given the treasure trove of assets they had to deal to get James Harden. They could be active in the buyout market, but at least for now Claxton remains one of their primary bench players up front. That could make him an appealing tournament option as the Pistons have allowed the fifth-most Yahoo points to centers.
Center to Avoid
Chris Boucher, TOR vs. PHO ($19): Boucher is a tantalizing fantasy option. He's generally been productive when given added playing time, but the problem is minutes have often been difficult for him to come by. Case in point, Boucher hasn't played more than 22 minutes in any of the last four contests. Since his salary doesn't come at much of a discount, he may be too risky to consider for your lineup.
