LaMelo Ball will look to hit the ground running as a top play in Yahoo DFS tonight.
After an exciting opening night, we’re ready for our first full NBA schedule of the season on Wednesday night, with 12 games to go. The huge pool of players gives us no shortage of flexibility when it comes to salary, and we’ll try to hone in on the best combinations of upside and value.
As usual, we’ll highlight multiple advantageous position combinations to exploit at each position for your Yahoo Fantasy lineups, as well as a good trio of candidates that might be best avoided due to a combination of circumstances/salary.
Guards
LaMelo Ball, CHA vs. ATL ($44): We are relying on very talented players who missed large chunks of last season due to injury and have returned to full strength. Ball is the first such example, as the Hornets’ versatile point guard looked good in the preseason with an average 15.3 points, 4.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals. Ball’s nagging ankle appears to be in good shape, and a matchup with Trae Young and a Hawks team in which he averaged 37.9 and 55.7 Yahoo points over two games last season could help him get started an important start to the new season.
Tyler Herro, MIA vs. DET ($24): Herro should once again be an integral part of the defending Eastern Conference champion’s success this season. During the 2022-23 season, he averaged over 20 points for the second year in a row, while also setting new career highs in rebounds (5.4) and assists (4.2). Herro had 29, 31.2 and 48.6 Yahoo points against the Pistons last season, and Detroit finished the season No. 24 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to two guards (24.7) while allowing 36.5 3-point shooting % at the position as Good.
ALSO CONSIDER: Paul George, LAC vs. POR ($47)
Guard to avoid
Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN vs. CLE ($29): Dinwiddie proved to be a good fit in Brooklyn after being traded from the Mavericks last season. But the combination of his salary, matchup, and the fact that he will apparently cede the primary ball-handling duties to Ben Simmons to open the season make him a wait-and-see candidate in my mind. The Cavs were extremely tough defensively on their backcourt last season and allowed the second-lowest offensive efficiency rating to two guards in particular (20.7), while also shooting just 44.6% at the position. Dinwiddie could certainly still put up a solid score, but the fact that his assist numbers are likely to take a significant hit makes him less attractive at a $29 salary.
Front
Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. POR ($41): Leonard is the second star returning from injury that could be worth the investment on Wednesday. The perennial All-Star, who appeared to be in strong shape during his limited preseason appearances, said he feels completely healthy after dealing with knee problems once again during the postseason last spring. Leonard is likely to operate at power forward to start the season against the Blazers, who ranked in the bottom 10 with 46.5 Yahoo points per game allowed at the position a year ago. Leonard also finished with 39 and 43.6 Yahoo points in two meetings with Portland last season.
Kyle Kuzma, was at IND ($28): The Wizards have been building during this offseason, and Kuzma should have even more on his plate as a result. The floor-spacing big man enjoyed the best campaign of his career in 2022-23, posting new highs in points (21.2) and assists (3.7) in the process. Kuzma’s shooting performance remains subpar, but the sheer number of opportunities he should see and facing a Pacers team that has allowed an NBA-high 28.9 offensive efficiency to PFs and the fourth-most Yahoo Points (47.0 ) to four a season ago, it’s a great way for Kuzma to start the new campaign.
ALSO CONSIDER: Victor Wembanyama, SA vs DAL ($29)
Promotion to Avoid
Kyle Anderson, MIN on TOR ($23): Anderson is certainly capable of contributing in all stats, but his salary is a little on the up side for his bench role. It will be hard to estimate how much time he will see out of the gate in the new season. The versatile veteran will also match up against a Raptors team that ranked in the top 10 in offensive efficiency allowed to second-unit players a season ago.
Centers
Myles Turner, IND vs. WAS ($28): Turner once again returns as the Pacers’ go-to center and is always capable of heavily supplementing his fantasy production with plenty of blocks. He’ll make a good fit in that regard to open the season, as the Wizards allowed the sixth-most turnovers per game (2.3) to centers last season, along with 54.3 Yahoo points per contest. Turner can also contribute a lot in scoring (including from distance) and rebounding up front and in particular had a 55-point Yahoo barrage against the Wizards in the second game of the season a year ago.
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP at MEM ($25): Valanciunas is about as solid as they come under center, and he’ll face an undermanned Grizzlies frontcourt to open the season with Xavier Tillman, not Steven Adams (knee), patrolling the paint. While the return of Zion Williamson will certainly lead to a usage bump for Valanciunas, he should be able to take advantage of the one-on-one matchup quite a bit.
ALSO CONSIDER: Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. DET ($27)
Center to avoid
James Wiseman, DET at MIA ($19): Wiseman’s stock took a hit this offseason before the Warriors’ first-round pick put together some miserable performances. He’ll back up Jalen Duren to start the season, and a matchup against a Heat team that’s been very center-heavy overall – one that held Yahoo under 16 points on two occasions last season – doesn’t inspire enough confidence to describe him. vs. other centers with lower salaries in better matchups and with more projected minutes (Ivica Zubac, Mark Williams, Daniel Gafford).