NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays and strategy for April 11
Keep an eye out for Tyler Herro during the Heat vs. Hawks game at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Play-In Tournament kicks off on Tuesday, featuring two games on the agenda. Despite the limited options available on Yahoo due to the concise schedule, it’s still possible to conclude the evening with a victorious entry. Here’s a list of some players you might want to consider for your lineups, along with a few you might want to steer clear of.
Guards
Anthony Edwards, MIN at LAL ($35): Edwards took another step forward this season, averaging career-highs in points (24.6), rebounds (5.8), assists (4.4) and steals (1.6). His 45.9% shooting from the field was also the best mark of his career. The Lakers played at the fourth-fastest pace in the league during the regular season, which should afford Edwards plenty of opportunities to make his presence felt.
Tyler Herro, MIA vs. ATL ($24): On an aging roster, the youngster Herro is extremely important to the Heat’s success. He had a 25.6% usage rate during the regular season, which tied Jimmy Butler for the highest mark on the team. The Hawks played at the sixth-fastest pace and ranked inside the bottom 10 in the league in defensive rating, so they could have plenty of problems trying to slow down Herro.
Guard to Avoid
D’Angelo Russell, LAL vs. MIN ($26): Russell provides the Lakers with added shooting that they desperately needed. However, with the playoffs here, the Lakers are going to lean heavily on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Combine that with Russell likely being guarded often by Mike Conley Jr. and he might not be worth the risk at his salary.
Forwards
LeBron James, LAL vs. MIN ($48): The Lakers head into the playoffs with a healthy James to lead the way. He is in prime form, averaging 30.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 4.5 3-pointers over his last four games. Without Jaden McDaniels (hand) on the floor, the Timberwolves will be significantly compromised on the defensive end. Expect James to exploit that and provide another monster stat line.
Taurean Prince, MIN at LAL ($11): Since we’ve reached the playoffs, expect teams to go with shorter rotations. That makes finding players with cheap salaries who could provide upside difficult to find. However, with McDaniels being out, the potential for Prince to approach 30 minutes in this game should at least put him on your radar in tournament play.
Forward to Avoid
Jarred Vanderbilt, LAL vs. MIN ($17): Vanderbilt provides the Lakers with defense and energy. However, he doesn’t have much of a role in their scoring attack and his style of play generally doesn’t translate well to fantasy. Over his last 12 games, he scored fewer than 20.0 Yahoo points 10 times.
Centers
Anthony Davis, LAL vs. MIN ($48): With Rudy Gobert (suspension) out, the Timberwolves won’t have much of a defensive presence inside the paint. They can slide Karl-Anthony Towns back over to center, but he’s not much of a shot-blocker. Coming off a regular season in which he provided 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per game, expect the Timberwolves to have major problems with Davis.
Onyeka Okongwu, ATL at MIA ($16): Okongwu has a ton of talent and could end up being the center of the future for the Hawks. However, as things currently stand, he is in a timeshare with Clint Capela. Still, he has scored at least 25.0 Yahoo points in 12 of his last 16 games. For those who want to fade Davis in tournament play, Okongwu is worth deploying.
Center to Avoid
Clint Capela, ATL at MIA ($22): For people who don’t want to add Davis or Bam Adebayo ($32) to their lineups, it might be best to just go really cheap at the center with Okongwu’s salary. Capela is a great rebounder, but his timeshare with Okongwu has contributed to him scoring fewer than 30.0 Yahoo points in five of his last six games. He also doesn’t have the easiest of matchups against Adebayo, who is one of the best defensive big men in the league.
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Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
