This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Get ready for a wild night in the NBA. There are 11 games on the schedule and plenty of them will carry playoff implications.
One that tops the chart in that regards will feature the Celtics hosting the Heat. They are battling it out for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Celtics should be well-rested after they gave Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum the night off Monday against the Raptors. The Pelicans are trying to hold onto one of the final play-in spots in the West, and they will have a favorable chance to earn a victory when they take on the tanking Trail Blazers. The Spurs, who are also trying to earn a play-spot in the West, will have a much tougher task when they host the Grizzlies.
Let's get down to the task at hand and highlight some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Davion Mitchell, SAC at HOU ($21): With the Kings out of the playoff chase, we may have seen the last of De'Aaron Fox (hand) this season. He's missed each of the last five games, and has already been ruled out against the Rockets. Mitchell as been excellent in his absence, scoring at least 36.7 Yahoo points in four straight games. Add in the Rockets having the second-worst defensive rating in the league and Mitchell could be primed for another big night.
Theo Maledon, OKC vs. ATL ($16): The tanking Thunder are running out of healthy guards. That's left Maledon, who has only logged 17 minutes per game this season, to play at least 32 minutes in three straight games. He made the most of his opportunity, scoring at least 30.3 Yahoo points each time. Expect him to remain in an expanded role in this game, especially if Tre Mann (hamstring) is out again.
Guard to Avoid
Derrick White, BOS vs. MIA ($18): With the Celtics resting several players Monday, White produced 15 points, six rebounds and eight assists across 41 minutes. However, with Tatum and Brown expected to be back for this game, White should resume his limited role off the bench. With Mitchell and Maledon in the same salary range, it's difficult to make a case for rolling with White.
FORWARDS
RJ Barrett, NY vs. CHA ($35): This is a great matchup for Barrett since the Hornets have played at the fourth-fastest pace and have the eighth-worst defensive rating in the league. The last time he faced them, he recorded a double-double on his way to scoring 39.9 Yahoo points. With his career-high 27.3 percent usage rate, Barrett could exploit this matchup again.
Kevin Love, CLE vs. DAL ($16): The Cavaliers are running out of big men. As if being without Jarrett Allen (finger) wasn't bad enough, now Evan Mobley (ankle) will join him on the sidelines. Love logged 32 minutes when Mobley went down Monday against the Magic, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Until the Cavaliers' health situation improves, Love should receive additional playing time.
Forward to Avoid
Draymond Green, GS vs. PHO ($20): Green sat out Monday for rest, the second time he has sat out one half of a back-to-back set since returning from injury. He also hasn't played at least 30 minutes in any of the six games that he has appeared in since getting healthy. With so many viable options for this packed slate, expecting Green to see a significant increase in playing time is a risk that might not be worth taking.
CENTERS
Nikola Jokic, DEN at IND ($56): Jokic is coming off of a monster triple-double against the Hornets on Monday in which he scored 26 points. Across his last 13 games, he's averaged 30.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks. The sky is the limit for him in this matchup against a Pacers team that has the fourth-worst defensive rating.
Isaiah Roby, OKC vs. ATL ($20): Roby is going to have a chance to shine down the stretch with Darius Bazley (knee) out for the season. In the first game that Bazley missed Monday, Roby exploded with 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks across 38 minutes. He'll have his hands full against Clint Capela, but he should play enough to be worth considering.
Center to Avoid
Deandre Ayton, PHO at GS ($30): There are a ton of viable center options in this salary range. Drew Eubanks ($24) has been stellar for the Trail Blazers, Jakob Poeltl ($27) is averaging 34.6 Yahoo points per game for the season and Alperen Sengun ($21) has a chance to thrive with Christian Wood (hamstring) out. Those three are in addition to Roby, who also has a significantly cheaper salary than Ayton. It might be best to roll with one of them and allocate more of your budget to other positions, given all of their similar upsides.
