This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
After a busy slate Wednesday, the NBA follows it up with only three games Thursday. The evening starts off with the Knicks, who will be looking to bounce-back from a loss at home Tuesday, hosting the Pelicans. The Mavericks will be hosting the Suns in a matchup between two Western Conference teams that hope to make deep runs in the playoffs. Finally, the night will be capped off by the Warriors hosting the Pacers. Both teams will be missing a key big man, with Draymond Green (calf) out for the Warriors and Myles Turner (foot) sidelined for the Pacers. Let's highlight some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to potentially avoid.
GUARDS
Stephen Curry, GS vs. IND ($39): Curry has uncharacteristically struggled with his efficiency this season, shooting only 42.2 percent from the field. The Warriors have also been involved in some blowouts lately, which has resulted in him logging limited minutes. That's helped his salary come down to a very reasonable number, especially against a Pacers team that has the ninth-worst defensive rating in the league.
Chris Duarte, IND at GS ($17): Malcolm Brogdon has missed a lot of time lately with an Achilles injury, appearing in only 11 of the Pacers last 13 games. He played Wednesday, so don't be surprised if he sits the second game of this back-to-back set. Best case scenario is probably that he logs limited minutes. That could mean more playing time for Duarte, who has scored at least 26.5 Yahoo points in back-to-back games.
Guard to Avoid
Tim Hardaway Jr., DAL vs. PHO ($20): Hardaway is mostly a one-dimensional player in fantasy. He's averaged 14.6 points and 2.5 three-pointers per game, but has only averaged 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals. A scoring-dependent player usually isn't a great option against a Suns team that has the second-best defensive rating in the league.
FORWARDS
Julius Randle, NY vs. NO ($37): The top-tier forward options are limited for this slate, especially with Domantas Sabonis suffering an ankle injury Wednesday that will likely keep him out Thursday. Randle has arguably the highest floor of any forward who will be in action with his averages of 19.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. It could also help his cause that the Pelicans have the eighth-worst defensive rating.
Jonathan Kuminga, GS vs. IND ($12): With Draymond Green (calf) out, the Warriors have turned to Kuminga to play more minutes. He's responded by scoring at least 25.5 Yahoo points in three straight games. Add in the Pacers battling injuries, and Kuminga could be in line to provide value again.
Forward to Avoid
Alec Burks, NY vs. NO ($16): The Knicks decided to change up their starting five Tuesday, benching Burks in favor of Kemba Walker. Burks ended up playing just 17 minutes off the bench, finishing with no points and four rebounds. As long as he remains in a reserve role, he's not someone to consider in DFS.
CENTERS
Bismack Biyombo, PHO at DAL ($13): The Suns are once again without Deandre Ayton (ankle), who won't play in this game because of an ankle injury. He's missed seven of their last 11 games, opening up an opportunity for Biyombo to play. He's scored at least 25.7 Yahoo points in three of four games that he's played in without Ayton, including when he scored 37.3 Yahoo points against the Spurs on Monday.
Goga Bitadze, IND at GS ($12): With Sabonis likely joining Turner on the sidelines for this game, the Pacers are going to have a lot of minutes to fill up front. Bitadze only played three minutes against the Lakers on Wednesday, but Sabonis made it all the way through that contest. Bitadze scored 34.6 Yahoo points over 25 minutes against the Clippers on Monday, showing that he has upside when placed in an expanded role.
Center to Avoid
Mitchell Robinson, NY vs. NO ($20): Robinson continues to show flashes of promise, but battle with consistency issues, overall. Across his last eight games, he's scored at least 31.6 Yahoo points three times. However, he scored 22.2 Yahoo points or fewer in each of the other five games. Rolling with Biyombo or Bitadze at a significantly cheaper salary could provide similar production as Robinson, if not more.
