This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA starts off the week with eight games on the schedule Monday. There will be no shortage of exciting matchups, either. Among the most appealing early games are the Sixers hosting the Knicks and the Bulls facing the Nets. Later on in the evening, the Heat will battle with the Nuggets.
The three West Coast games include the Hawks taking on the Warriors and the Kings hosting the Suns, who will be without Deandre Ayton (leg). Let's get down to business and highlight some players to consider for Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Will Barton, DEN vs. MIA ($21): Michael Porter Jr. (back) will not play in this game, leaving a significant hole within the Nuggets' scoring attack. After having just a 19.0 percent usage rate last season, Barton has seen that number increase to 21.5 percent this season, which has helped him average 15.2 points per game. More shot attempts could be coming his way in this contest, so despite this being a tough matchup, Barton still has an opportunity to provide value, especially when you add in his averages of 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals.
Shake Milton, PHI vs. NY ($15): The Sixers are playing shorthanded right now with Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, and Matisse Thybulle in the health and safety protocols. Their absences, combined with Ben Simmons still not playing, has left Milton to start both of the last two games. He hasn't been a token starter, either, logging at least 34 minutes in both contests. That helped him score 36.1 and 39.4 Yahoo points, respectively. A similar role should be on tap for him in this game.
Guard to Avoid
Andrew Wiggins, GS vs. ATL ($25): Wiggins has been quiet, scoring fewer than 20 Yahoo points in both of the last two games. He's topped 30 Yahoo points in a game two times across nine games, which is scary for a player with this salary. It's not helping his cause that he's averaging only 29 minutes per game, which is down from 33 minutes per game last season.
FORWARDS
Miles Bridges, CHA at LAL ($34): After a rare off night in a blowout loss to the Kings, Bridges stormed back with 40.8 Yahoo points against the Clippers on Sunday. His playing time has increased to 36 minutes per game and his usage rate has jumped up to 24.6 percent. That's helped him average 42.6 Yahoo points per game. With the Lakers in shambles without LeBron James (abdomen), Bridges could be in for another juicy stat line.
Georges Niang, PHI vs. NY ($11): Make no mistake about it, Niang is a deadly three-point shooter. Although he's still not starting with Harris out, he's averaged 30 minutes across four games since Harris went down. Over those four contests, he's averaged 16.0 points and 3.0 three-pointers. His averages of 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists during that stretch aren't exactly great, but at near the minimum salary, he could score enough to be worth considering in tournament play.
Forward to Avoid
Kyle Anderson, MEM vs. MIN ($18): After scoring a season-high 16 points versus the Nuggets last Wednesday, Anderson followed it up with no points against the Wizards on Friday. He's scored fewer than 10 points in six of nine games and his playing time has decreased to 22 minutes per game, compared to 27 minutes per game last season. His role is too small right now to consider rolling with him in DFS.
CENTERS
Jonas Valanciunas, NO at DAL ($38): The Mavericks don't exactly have a ton of talent at center, which has contributed to them allowing the ninth-most rebounds per game in the league. Enter Valanciunas, who is averaging 14.2 rebounds and has failed to log at least 10 rebounds in only one of his 10 games. He's also averaging career-highs in points (19.3) and minutes (34) per game, two trends that should continue with Zion Williamson (foot) out.
Richaun Holmes, SAC vs. PHO ($26): Holmes is one of the more underrated big men in the league. Despite only averaging 28 minutes per game, he's produced averages of 15.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. He's extremely efficient given that he is on pace to shot at least 60.8 percent from the field for the fourth straight season. With the Suns missing Ayton for this matchup, Holmes could feast against JaVale McGee and Frank Kaminsky.
Center to Avoid
Nikola Vucevic, CHI vs. BKN ($33): The good news for Vucevic is that he's averaging 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The bad news is that he's shooting just 38.0 percent from the field, which has left him with an average of 13.4 points. He's missing easy shots close to the basket and his struggles might be in his head at this point. Until he shows signs of coming out of his slump, he's too risky at this salary.
