This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
These are the final two days of the NBA season! We have a handful of teams in full-on tank mode, and we have even more teams battling for playoff positioning. That makes this Saturday slate absolutely critical, and it's an appetizer for the craziest slate of the season on Sunday. All 30 teams are in action on Sunday, while we have six teams on this Saturday schedule. Almost all of these games are during the day, though, so we'll key in on the day slate. With that in mind, let's get into it!
Guards
Zach LaVine, CHI at BKN ($33)
I rarely pick Lavine because of his style of play, but we couldn't get over this $33 price tag. To put it in perspective, the only guys above him in terms of fantasy points per game are all in the $40-range. That makes it hard to believe that LaVine remains so affordable, especially with Zach scoring at least 40 Yahoo points in three of his last four games. The best part of this play might be the matchup, though, with Brooklyn ranked 23rd in points allowed and 24th in defensive efficiency. He showed that last week when he dropped 50.3 Y! points on them in yet another gem.
Payton Pritchard, BOS at MIN ($10)
The laundry list of players missing for Boston is crazy. They're expected to be without Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Evan Fournier. That doesn't even include the handful of guys missing in the frontcourt, likely forcing Pritchard into 35 minutes and a start at point guard. In the three games he's played at least 30 minutes, PP is averaging 31.2 Yahoo points per game. That's a ridiculous total from a minimum-priced player, and it's crazy to think how much he'll play here with most of the roster sitting on the sidelines. The Minnesota matchup is majestic, too, and we'll discuss that more later.
Guard to Avoid
Tyler Herro, MIA at MIL ($17)
Herro has been all over the map this season, and it makes him impossible to trust. Let's start by talking about his form, averaging 24 fantasy points per game across his last 14 outings. That's actually a decent total from a $17 player, but it worries us that Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn are all healthy. That means Herro needs to be productive with limited ball-handling duties, and it worries us that all of these guys are starting to find it. It's also concerning that Milwaukee ranks 10th in defensive efficiency as well.
Forwards
Jayson Tatum, BOS at MIN ($44)
We just mentioned all of the players out for Boston, and it might leave Tatum with a tantalizing role. We already discussed all of those guards out, and it sounds like they'll be missing Tristan Thompson and Robert Williams as well. That's way too many players gone, with Tatum totaling a 35 percent usage rate with those guys off the floor while providing 1.2 Y! points per minute. We love all of that in this Minnesota matchup, with the Timberwolves ranked 27th in defensive efficiency and 29th in points allowed.
Jalen McDaniels, CHA at NYK ($12)
While McDaniels is not a trustworthy player, this price tag is impossible to overlook. We're talking about a guy who's started six straight games, averaging 23.3 Y! points per game across 29 minutes in that span. That's really all you can ask for from a $12 player, and it's clear that Charlotte wants to play this youngster to see what he brings to the table. New York is definitely a tough matchup, but it does mean that the Hornets will have to throw out McDaniels for big minutes against this huge frontline. That was crystal clear when he played 36 minutes in their last matchup.
Forward to Avoid
Oshae Brissett, IND vs. LAL ($18)
Brissett was one of our value plays two weeks back, but he's been in this fade section since then. The simple fact is, he's not the same guy when Domantas Sabonis is in the lineup. In the last seven games since Sabonis' return, Brissett has scored 23 or fewer fantasy points six times en route to a 20-point average. That's not good enough at this price, especially when his numbers are on the decline. Not to mention, the Lakers own a Top-5 defense as well.
Centers
Andre Drummond, LAL at IND ($22)
It's tough to lean on a guy like Drummond, but this $22 tag is way too tempting. This dude was $40 earlier in the season, flirting with a 40-point average. He's definitely shown flashes of that recently, averaging exactly 40 Y! points per game over his last two outings. What adds to his intrigue here is that Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Dennis Schroder and Kyle Kuzma could all miss this game. If that's the case, Drummond could literally drop a 20-20 game across 35 minutes of play. We say that because the Pacers surrender the most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing centers.
Nicolas Claxton, BKN vs. CHI ($10)
Claxton has way too much upside to be the minimum. We're talking about a guy who's seen his minutes increase over recent weeks and has some of the best per-minute numbers in the NBA. In fact, Claxton is averaging 19.4 Yahoo points per game across 18 minutes a night for the year. That looks even better when you see that he has 30 fantasy points in back-to-back games, playing 23 minutes in both of those. Chicago happens to have a huge roster, too, which should force Claxton into another heavy workload. We also don't mind that the Bulls surrender the seventh-most Y! points to opposing centers either.
Center to Avoid
Montrezl Harrell, LAL at IND ($14)
It's pretty sad what's happened to Harrell with the Lakers. He has been relegated to bench duties, and it's only gotten worse since Drummond joined the team. Over his last 18 games played, Trez is averaging 18.7 Yahoo points per game in fewer than 17 minutes a night. He's also got two DNPs in that span, too, making it really tough to know what to trust.
