This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Friday's NBA playoff slate will be greatly impacted by injuries. The Hawks will be trying to climb out of an 0-2 hole against the Heat, but they will once again be without Clint Capela (knee). The Bulls were able to pull out a win over the Bucks on Wednesday, and now Milwaukee will be missing Khris Middleton (knee) not just for at least the next two weeks. Finally, the Suns will continue their series with the Pelicans without one of their best players since Devin Booker (hamstring) is projected to miss 2-to-3 weeks. Let's try to make sense of it all and highlight some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Chris Paul, PHO at NO ($38): The Suns are going to need to rely heavily on Paul to try and get by without Booker. He's already been excellent in this series scoring 63.4 and 42.2 Yahoo points. With the ball in Paul's hands even more going forward, he offers the potential to provide another juicy stat line.
Alex Caruso, CHI vs. MIL ($16): The Bulls pulled off an upset win in Game 2 to even up their series with the Bucks. Caruso was a big reason why finishing with nine points, two rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks. He also logged 38 minutes, and should continue to play a lot because of his defensive work. It might be difficult for Caruso to approach a double-double again, but he should still provide value.
Guard to Avoid
Trae Young, ATL vs. MIA ($43): The good news is that Young bounced back from a dreadful performance in the opener to produce 25 points in Game 2. However, he shot just 2-for-10 from behind the arc and committed 10 turnovers. The Heat continue to be one of the more dominant defensive teams in the league, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Young continued to struggle to match his lofty salary.
FORWARDS
Giannis Antetokounmpo, ML at CHI ($57): While the Bucks lost Game 2, it certainly wasn't Giannis's fault. He dominated the Bulls once again by recording 33 points, 19 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks and a steal. That came on the heels of him finishing with 27 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in Game 1. Of all of the players included in this slate, Giannis may be the top one to consider building your entire entry around.
Patrick Williams, CHI vs. MIL ($13): The Bulls don't have a lot of size up front, and Nikola Vucevic isn't exactly great at protecting the paint. Getting Williams back has been huge as he provides added size, rebounding and defense in the frontcourt. He posted 30.3 Yahoo points in Game 2 and has scored at least 24.4 Y! in six of his last eight games.
Forward to Avoid
Herbert Jones, NO vs. PHO ($17): Jones has quickly proven himself to be an excellent defender. However, the Pelicans boast plenty of scorers on their roster, which left him to a 13.7 percent usage rate during the regular season. That's a big reason why Jones has registered 21.7 Yahoo points or fewer in four of his last five outings.
CENTERS
Deandre Ayton, PHO at NO ($27): Whenever Booker has been out, Ayton has generally stepped up his production. During a five-game stretch in December with Booker injured, Ayton averaged 19.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Expect him to carry a high floor moving forward.
Brook Lopez, ML at CHI ($15): Lopez represents a tough matchup for the Bulls even though Vucevic is a good three-point shooter, but he's not a great defender around the perimeter. Lopez has taken advantage by recording 28.0 and 36.7 Yahoo points from the first two games. With Middleton out, don't expect Lopez's role to decline anytime soon.
Center to Avoid
Jonas Valanciunas, NO vs. PHO ($28): Valanciunas isn't a terrible option, but he was underwhelming in Game 2 with 29.1 Yahoo points. Ayton is an excellent defender, so Valanciunas will be fighting an uphill battle throughout this series. At a minimum, Ayton and Valanciunas offer similar upsides. An argument can be made that Ayton has a higher ceiling with Booker out, so it might be better to roll with him at the center spot at a dollar discount.
