NBA Yahoo DFS Advice: Who To Play, Avoid For Wednesday, March 29

We're set for another critical late-season slate Wednesday, and in typical mid-week fashion, it's a big one with 10 games. That offers us plenty of flexibility when it comes to building lineups. Fortunately, plenty of teams are still hunting for the postseason or looking to improve playoff positioning.

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

Josh Giddey, OKC vs. DET ($31): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is considered questionable for Wednesday's contest with the ankle issue that caused him to sit out Tuesday's game against the Hornets, but Giddey is a very viable play at his salary irrespective of his teammate's availability. The second-year wing went off for 54.5 Yahoo points without SGA available Tuesday, and he'd also generated 46.2 and 61.9 in the two previous games. The Pistons allow the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards (25.1) and the fourth-most Yahoo points per game to the position (44.1).

Bones Hyland, LAC at MEM ($12): Hyland's salary is eye-catching, considering his body of work in the last three games without Paul George (leg) available. The second-year guard scored 27.4 to 36.3 Yahoo points in those contests, which significantly outpace the investment required to roster him. The Grizzlies have also been highly susceptible to allowing production from second-unit players, surrendering the third-highest offensive efficiency rating in that split (45.8).

ALSO CONSIDER: Kevin Huerter, SAC at POR ($21)

Guard to Avoid

Kevin Porter, HOU at BKN ($28): Porter doesn't normally fall under an Avoid designation, but his matchup is less than ideal Wednesday. The Nets are surrendering the third-lowest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (24.4) and the second-lowest shooting percentage to the position (42.4). Brooklyn has also yielded the second-fewest Yahoo points per game to ones in the last 15 games (41.5), reflecting the defense Spencer Dinwiddie has been providing since he arrived from the Mavericks.

Forwards

Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. MEM ($41): Leonard is naturally another big beneficiary of George's ongoing absence, with the star wing sporting a 30.3 percent usage rate and averaging 47.1 Yahoo points per 36 minutes without his teammate on the floor. Leonard just scored 44.4 Yahoo points against the Bulls on Monday and 58.2 Yahoo points three games ago, plus he lit up the Grizzlies for 52 Yahoo points across 38 minutes in his one prior encounter with them March 5.

RJ Barrett, NYK vs. MIA ($19): Barrett just rang up 37.7 Yahoo points on the Heat three games ago in Miami, and he's coming off a tally of 30.1 Yahoo points against the Rockets on Monday. The fourth-year wing has proven his ability to overdeliver on his current salary. A rematch against a Heat squad allowing the highest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (27.1) and the most Yahoo points to the position in the last seven games (50.8) is very likely a matchup that will coax another productive performance out of him.

ALSO CONSIDER: Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at IND ($56)

Forward to Avoid

Tim Hardaway, DAL at PHI ($18): Hardaway continues to put up mostly middling production when both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are healthy. He'll check into Wednesday having scored under 20 Yahoo points in four of his last five games, and he's now up against a 76ers squad that's allowing the second-lowest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (20.7) and fewest Yahoo points per game to the position in the last 15 games (34.2).

Centers

Rudy Gobert, MIN at PHO ($29): Gobert offers the upside of a higher-salaried player, as he just demonstrated Monday when he put up 45.2 Yahoo points against the Kings. The big man hasn't been under 33.6 Yahoo points in the last six games overall, and he has one prior tally of 46.2 against the Suns this season. Phoenix also ranks just inside the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency rating allowed to centers (32.1) and is allowing an elevated 58.6 Yahoo points to the position in the last seven contests.

Brook Lopez, MIL at IND ($26): Lopez has eclipsed 50 Yahoo points in two of his last three games and has been over 40 Yahoo points an additional seven times overall in March, including one instance over 60. The big man may also be facing a Pacers frontcourt without Myles Turner (ankle/back), who's already missed the last two games. Indiana is already allowing the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.5) and the most Yahoo points to the position in the previous 15 games (61.6), along with the fourth-most blocks per contest on the season (5.3).

ALSO CONSIDER: Walker Kessler, UTA at SAN ($27)

Center to Avoid

Myles Turner, IND vs. MIL ($28): As alluded to, Turner isn't even certain to take the floor Wednesday and could be limited if he does, considering he's dealing with multiple injuries. The big man also has a tough matchup against Lopez down low and is an unnecessary risk on a night with 20 teams in action.