We have a short schedule for a Wednesday with just six games to go, but there are plenty of raised totals and elite players taking the floor. As such, we still have a very desirable group of players to work with on what should be a fun night of lineup building.
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
Luka Doncic, DAL to TOR ($60): There may not be a salary high enough to move Doncic away every night, especially in a scenario as favorable as Wednesday’s. The Mavs-Raptors tilt has the highest projected total of the night as of noon Wednesday, and Doncic comes in having recorded an impressive 84.8 Yahoo points against the Cavaliers on Tuesday. The fact that he’s on the back of a back-to-back set isn’t ideal, but on the plus side, and the fact that Toronto ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in the last 15 games against point guards with over 51 Yahoo points per game. delivered to the position makes it impossible not to consider him despite the heavy investment required.
James Harden, LAC vs. LAL ($37): Harden certainly makes himself a tempting choice, considering Paul George will sit out again with his knee problem on Wednesday. The Beard has been on a bit of a downward trend lately with scores ranging from 27.2 to 35 Yahoo points over his last three games, but the upside is certainly very much there and he checks in at a 24.9% usage rate without George on the floor . The Lakers also rank in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to point guards (29.0) and have allowed just over 51 Yahoo points per game to them over the last seven games, furthering Harden’s case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Immanuel Quickley, TOR vs. DAL ($27)
Guard to avoid
Donovan Mitchell, CLE at CHI ($46): There’s certainly a lot of risk in assigning Mitchell an Avoid designation, but I’m still in favor of it given a few factors. One is his vastly increased salary, which he’s falling short of while posting 28.3 and 44.4 Yahoo points in his last two games. The latter group in particular is still very solid of course, but on a night where Doncic and Tyrese Haliburton are also at the top of the guard pool, you’re arguably looking at more than a Yahoo point per minute if you’re going to invest heavily in the position. Plus, Mitchell will play his third game in four nights on Wednesday, never an ideal scenario.
Front
Scottie Barnes, TOR vs. DAL ($43): Barnes is coming off a stellar triple-double effort against the Pacers, one that netted him 65.4 Yahoo points. The do-it-all star has eclipsed 40 Yahoo points twice and 50 on two other occasions in the last six games as well, giving him quite the head start in Wednesday’s matchup. The Mavs are allowing 49.8% shooting to power forwards and have surrendered 50.9 Yahoo points per contest at the position over the past 15 games as well, making Barnes’ roster a great investment when considering the expected playing environment.
Bennedict Mathurin, IND vs. NOP ($18): Speaking of recent flashy Yahoo point totals, Mathurin has blown away his current salary by providing 30.7 to 59.3 Yahoo points in his last three games. The second-year pro has eclipsed 30 Yahoo points on 14 occasions overall this season, showing the upside of a much higher-paid player. Mathurin could have the benefit of dealing with an injury-plagued Pelicans team as well, and his salary is so reasonable that there’s very little risk he’ll fail to deliver at least a solid ROI.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. LAL ($43)
Promotion to Avoid
Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM at MIN ($38): Like Mitchell, Jackson is another player who wouldn’t normally merit that designation, but has a few warning signs that dog him on Wednesday. One is the fact that the Grizzlies are a double-digit underdog on the road, which could lead to brief minutes for the big man if things get out of hand. Another is the fact that his salary is a bit steep for a player who has averaged 32.7 Yahoo points or less in three of his last four games and faces an incredible matchup with Rudy Gobert and company.
Centers
Domantas Sabonis, SAC at DEN ($48): Sabonis’ seemingly unstoppable barrage of double-doubles and triple-doubles speaks for itself, and he’s essentially put up 50 points on Yahoo for most of February. The highly versatile big man has held the Nuggets to 52.4 and 50.1 Yahoo points the last two times he’s faced them as well, and Denver has been especially vulnerable under center of late, yielding 63.4 Yahoo points per contest at the position in last seven Games.
Naz Reid, MIN vs. MEM ($12): Reid could turn out to be one of Wednesday’s most exciting sub-$15 plays for a few reasons. First, Karl-Anthony Towns could miss a second straight game for personal reasons. Additionally, the T-Wolves are favored by as many as 12 points as of noon, which bodes well for a night of extra running for Minnesota’s second unit. Additionally, Reid’s salary is so low, it would be hard for a player with as secure a role as his and a proven ceiling north of 30 Yahoo points not to have a strong performance. The Grizzlies have also allowed the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.0) and rank No. 19 in that category against bench players as well, making Reid an even better value play.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. SAC ($59)
Center to avoid
Daniel Gafford, DAL on TOR ($21): Gafford has been serviceable since arriving in Dallas and averaged 58.4 points per Yahoo against his old team the Wizards on Feb. 12, but that is quickly fading in the mirror. Gafford has returned to the second unit the last few games with Derek Lively returning from injury and has posted 6.4 to 17 Yahoo points in his last three games while playing under 20 minutes in each. Despite the expected favorable playing environment, Gafford’s salary isn’t justified based on recent work, and others like Reid can offer similar gains with a nice save.