Players to buy and fade in Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball on Sunday
By Joel Bartilotta
RotoWire Basketball Writer
Sunday has a modest six-game slate. Fortunately, we don't have many injury issues, which should make for some easier DFS preparation. The only huge injury to monitor is Kevin Durant If he doesn't play, Russell Westbrook becomes a must-use yet again. Injuries are one of the most important factors in DFS value, and it's crucial to always know who is injured and who is next in line.
GUARD
Damian Lillard, POR at LAL ($42) - Lillard is establishing himself as one of the best DFS point guards in the NBA. He has scored at least 40 fantasy points in nine of 14 games this season and has a floor just shy of 30 points. He averages 25.2 points, 6.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game this season. This is the perfect matchup for Lillard as well, as he'll play a poor Lakers defense in an up-tempo game. The Lakers have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to point guards this season. Lillard ranks fourth in the NBA in minutes per game, and the Trail Blazers will lean on him once again to carry the offensive load.
Gary Harris, Den vs. GS ($12) - Few know much about Harris, but in his last three games, he averaged 17.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. That is about 25 fantasy points a game, which is a ridiculous return on investment for his incredibly cheap price. The best part about that run is that he played about 30 minutes a game. He's a fantastic value at just $12 and can provide sneaky productivity. It's the perfect time to jump on him before his price inevitably rises.
Guard to Avoid:
Jordan Clarkson, LAL vs. POR ($25) - Clarkson has a good matchup, but he's too hard to trust for DFS lineups. Clarkson has had two games this season in which he scored 37 fantasy points and 40 fantasy points. Aside from those two games, he averages about 20 fantasy points a game in 10 games. That's not good enough for a $25 player, and it's hard to trust a player who relies solely on his scoring. Clarkson averages just 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 combined blocks and steals per game. It's also hard to imagine him playing better with Kobe Bryant back in the lineup, as Kobe tends to dominate the ball.
FORWARD
Jae Crowder, BOS at BRK ($23) - Crowder doesn't get a lot of DFS respect, but he's a great contributor across the board. Not only does he lead the league in steals, he plays a ton of minutes for a mid-priced player. He averages 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.8 steals a game across 31 minutes a game. He is coming off a career game against Nets in which he totaled 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals en route to a 35-point fantasy game. It's no surprise, though, as Brooklyn has allowed the second most fantasy points to small forwards this season. For a player averaging nearly 28 fantasy points a game over his last five games, $23 is an absolute steal.
Luis Scola, TOR at LAC ($13) - Scola is my bargain of the day, and it's hard to understand why he's so cheap. Not only has he been producing, he's stepping into a bigger role in this game. Jonas Valanciunas broke his hand in the Raptors' last game, which should shorten the rotation in already weak frontcourt. That means Scola will see an increase on his already modest workload. His per-36 minute averages actually come out to 15.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. It would not be a huge surprise to see him approach 36 minutes in this game and those sort of numbers would be a ridiculous return on investment at his price. A $13 player usually only needs 10-15 fantasy points to live up to value, and that seems like Scola's floor Sunday.
Forward to Avoid:
Joe Johnson, BKN vs. BOS ($26) - Johnson's price is out of control. This seems more like a 2009 Joe Johnson price rather than the 2015 Johnson. He has scored less than 22 fantasy points six times this season, including two single-digit fantasy outings that surely killed his DFS owners. One of those single-digit outings came against the same opponent he faces Sunday, the Celtics, who rank as the top defense in the NBA based on efficiency ratings. Players like Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu and Ryan Anderson are within a dollar of Johnson, and all three have been significantly better than Johnson this season.
CENTER
Bismack Biyombo, TOR at LAC ($10) - Let's go back to the well here in the shallow Toronto frontcourt and use Jonas Valanciunas' projected replacement. Biyombo doesn't have huge upside or play a big role, but he should easily play 20-plus minutes and provide some nice value at just $10, which is five percent of your budget. Biyombo averages nearly a double-double with two blocks in his per-36 minute averages. Patrick Patterson could also be a nice sleeper in the absence of Valanciunas.
Center to Avoid:
Tyson Chandler, PHO at NOP ($20) - Chandler is priced as the sixth-highest center Sunday, which should never happen the way he is playing. Chandler averaged 4.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and less than a block a game in 25 minutes a game over his last six. The Suns have gone to more small-ball lineups and have used Chandler less and less. The Pelicans have done the same, which could limit Chandler's minutes. New Orleans is actually a great matchup for centers, but Chandler is playing too poorly to trust.
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