This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
We're primed for an eight-game Wednesday night slate that does have a fair share of low projected totals, with only one game sporting a figure above 230 points. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any defensively vulnerable teams in action, and there are still plenty of favorable positional matchups and competitive game environments to work with.
As customary, we'll highlight multiple advantageous positional matchups to exploit at each position for your Yahoo Fantasy lineups, as well as a good trio of candidates that may be best to steer clear of due to a combination of circumstances/salary.
Guards
De'Aaron Fox, SAC at LAL ($43): Fox has scored over 50 Yahoo points in five of his last six games, and he posted 56.8 and 50.5 Yahoo points in his two prior meetings with them this season. The Lakers have also allowed the ninth-highest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (28.9) on the season and over 50 Yahoo points per contest to ones in the last 15 games, making Fox an appealing pivot off the appreciably more costly Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($56).
Caris LeVert, CLE at ATL ($19): LeVert makes for an intriguing value play on a night where the Cavs will not only be down Donovan Mitchell (knee), but quite possibly Max Strus (knee) and Evan Mobley (ankle) as well. The veteran guard has tallies of 44.4 and 54.9 Yahoo points in his last four games, a glimpse of the vast upside he offers at his salary. The Hawks make
We're primed for an eight-game Wednesday night slate that does have a fair share of low projected totals, with only one game sporting a figure above 230 points. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any defensively vulnerable teams in action, and there are still plenty of favorable positional matchups and competitive game environments to work with.
As customary, we'll highlight multiple advantageous positional matchups to exploit at each position for your Yahoo Fantasy lineups, as well as a good trio of candidates that may be best to steer clear of due to a combination of circumstances/salary.
Guards
De'Aaron Fox, SAC at LAL ($43): Fox has scored over 50 Yahoo points in five of his last six games, and he posted 56.8 and 50.5 Yahoo points in his two prior meetings with them this season. The Lakers have also allowed the ninth-highest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (28.9) on the season and over 50 Yahoo points per contest to ones in the last 15 games, making Fox an appealing pivot off the appreciably more costly Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($56).
Caris LeVert, CLE at ATL ($19): LeVert makes for an intriguing value play on a night where the Cavs will not only be down Donovan Mitchell (knee), but quite possibly Max Strus (knee) and Evan Mobley (ankle) as well. The veteran guard has tallies of 44.4 and 54.9 Yahoo points in his last four games, a glimpse of the vast upside he offers at his salary. The Hawks make for good targets as well, considering they're allowing the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards (24.5), 47.3 percent shooting to the position, and an Eastern Conference-high 49.1 Yahoo points to twos in the last 15 games as well.
ALSO CONSIDER: Dejounte Murray, ATL vs. CLE ($43)
Guard to Avoid
Spencer Dinwiddie, LAL vs. SAC ($21): Dinwiddie has struggled to acclimate to his new L.A. digs, scoring 16.4 Yahoo points or fewer in every game since the All-Star break. The veteran guard is shooting an abysmal 30.6% over that span. Although he can offer much better efficiency, there's simply no need to invest in his salary on an eight-game slate with no signs of improvement on the horizon.
Forwards
Paolo Banchero, ORL at WAS ($41): Banchero has been on one of the best runs of production of his short career recently, scoring over 40 Yahoo points in four of his last seven games. The talented forward and 2022 first overall pick should be in an excellent position to thrive Wednesday. The Wizards bring a significant bump in pace to the Magic and have allowed the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to the power forward position (31.0). Washington has also conceded an NBA-high 59.3 Yahoo points per game to fours in the last 15 contests, and Banchero is shooting a crisp 49.3% over his last 16 games overall.
Jalen Williams, OKC at POR ($30): There's admittedly some blowout risk Wednesday with the Thunder-Trail Blazers matchup, but Williams offers some exposure to OKC's favorable matchup without requiring an inordinately high investment. The talented wing did turn in a dud his last time out versus the Lakers, but he'd scored at least 34.3 Yahoo points in the four games prior. He also put up 38.8 Yahoo points across 32 minutes the last time he saw Portland on Jan. 23, and the Blazers are surrendering the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to two-guards (26.1) for the season.
ALSO CONSIDER: DeMar DeRozan, CHI at UTA ($39)
Forward to Avoid
Kyle Kuzma, WAS vs. ORL ($33): It's definitely counterintuitive to suggest avoiding a player who's eclipsed 40 Yahoo points in five straight games, but I'm taking that stance with Kuzma on Wednesday. The Magic-Wizards game has a much lower projected total (224.5) than many Washington contests, and that's due to Orlando's typically stout defensive play. The Magic have allowed an NBA-low 22.9 offensive efficiency rating to power forwards, along with the third-fewest Yahoo points to the position in the last 15 games (40.5). Kuzma scored an adequate but still disappointing (relative to current salary) 27.8 Yahoo points against Orlando last time he saw the Magic in late December as well. The player pool is large enough Wednesday to consider pivoting elsewhere within the same salary range.
Centers
Domantas Sabonis, SAC at LAL ($48): Sabonis continues to be one of the safest plays of any slate he's on, given he's become a lock for a double-double at minimum. Most recently, the big man has scored over 50 Yahoo points in his last two games, and dating back to Feb. 5, he's eclipsed that mark in 10 contests overall. That span even includes his memorable showing of 85.6 Yahoo points versus the Suns on Feb. 13, and he's now facing a Lakers team he rang up 66.7 Yahoo points against the last time he saw them Nov. 15.
Jarrett Allen, CLE at ATL ($31): Allen is typically a solid play at this salary anyhow, but on a night where he could be one of only two available regular Cavs starters, he becomes exponentially more appealing in a very favorable matchup. The big man is averaging 40.7 Yahoo points per 36 minutes without his trio of projected absent teammates on the floor, and he's already coming in having posted over 40 Yahoo points in back-to-back games. The Hawks are also a good target, having allowed the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (36.2), 56.7 Yahoo points per game to the position, and tallies of 48.3 and 44.2 Yahoo points to Allen the last two times he's faced them.
ALSO CONSIDER: Alperen Sengun, HOU vs. LAC ($42); Bobby Portis, MIL at GSW ($19)
Center to Avoid
Brook Lopez, MIL at GSW ($25): There's always some risk in avoiding Lopez due to his propensity for breaking out for big games occasionally, but the conditions appear right Wednesday. The veteran has been quiet of late, scoring 23.7 Yahoo points or fewer in three of the last four contests. There's a chance Giannis Antetokounmpo (Achilles) misses a second straight game Wednesday, but with other solid alternatives below Lopez's salary such as Clint Capela ($22), Wendell Carter Jr. ($22), teammate Bobby Portis ($19) and Paul Reed ($17), there's a case to be made for steering clear.
