Yahoo DFS Basketball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

The Suns stormed out of the gate during the NBA Finals to earn a decisive victory at home in Game 1 against the Bucks. Thursday brings Game 2 of the series and another opportunity to play Yahoo's single game contest.

In addition to selecting two flex players, there are three multiplier positions in this single-game format. A player slotted into the Megastar spot will earn double their fantasy points scored. The Superstar spot will earn 1.5X their fantasy points scored. Finally, the Star will earn 1.2X their fantasy points scored. With that in mind, let's discuss some players to consider.

MULTIPIERS

Chris Paul ($34): Paul certainly didn't disappoint in his first career game in the NBA Finals. He shot 12-for-19 from the field on his way to 32 points over 37 minutes. He also chipped in four rebounds, nine assists and a steal on his way to 51.3 Yahoo points. The Suns frequently used screens to help Paul free himself of Jrue Holiday, which certainly helped with his efficiency. While that type of performance will be difficult to duplicate, Paul has scored at least 42.4 Yahoo points in seven of his last nine games.

Devin Booker ($34): Booker was very aggressive in Game 1, attempting 21 shots and 10 free-throws. Despite shooting just 1-for-8 from behind the arc, he still finished with 27 points, thanks to his lofty usage rate. He wasn't just looking for his own shot, either, also dishing out six assists to go along with his three steals. Booker is averaging 40 minutes per game during the playoffs, so with his ability to score and contribute in other areas, he's likely to continue to have a high floor.

Deandre Ayton ($30): The Bucks were dominated by Ayton, who finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds Tuesday. He managed to surpass 20 points despite only attempting 10 shots from the field. After shooting 62.6 percent from the field during the regular season, Ayton is shooting a lofty 71.1 percent in the playoffs. While he provides virtually no assists and generally underwhelming blocks for a player of his size, he's still an appealing option based on his ability to rack up points and rebounds.

FLEX PLAYS

Jrue Holiday ($32): After scoring at least 25 points in back-to-back games with Giannis Antetokounmpo out, Holiday only scored 10 points in Giannis' return to action Tuesday. A big reason for that was him attempting just 14 shots. In the previous two games, he registered 20 and 23 attempts, respectively. His usage rate could remain lowered in Game 2, but he's also unlikely to shoot just 4-for-14 again considering he hit 50.3 percent of his field-goal attempts during the regular season. What also makes him someone to target is that he's averaged 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs, thanks in large part to him averaging 39 minutes per game.

Cameron Johnson ($10): Johnson might not garner a lot of attention, but his ability to hit three-pointers and guard multiple positions makes him a valuable player for the Suns. They might even need him to log some added minutes moving forward after Dario Saric suffered a torn ACL in Game 1. While his ceiling isn't high, Johnson has scored at least 19.0 Yahoo points in four of the last six games.

PLAYER TO AVOID

Mikal Bridges ($17): Bridges scored 14 points in Game 1 thanks to his 13 shot attempts, which were the most that he's had in a game during the Suns' playoff run. However, he only chipped in one rebound and one steal, leaving him with yet another underwhelming stat line. He's scored fewer than 20 Yahoo points in four of the last six games, so it's difficult to justify taking a chance on him at this salary.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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