NBA Fantasy: Yahoo DFS for Nov.1

Following a three-game slate Tuesday night, the NBA takes center stage Wednesday with a massive 13-game ledger. With such a massive player pool, we’re well insulated as DFS players from both injuries and rest days, which both project to be in fairly ample supply with so many teams in action and some on the second night of back-to-back sets. 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

Luka Doncic, DAL vs. CHI ($58): Doncic is normally a play that doesn’t really need much justification, but it’s worth noting the dominant guard could be even more appealing than usual on Wednesday. Backcourt mate Kyrie Irving could be in line to miss a second straight game due to a foot sprain, which would naturally afford Doncic even more usage than usual. Luka is already averaging a whopping 68.2 Yahoo points per contest, the result of scoring between 65.6 and 71.5 Yahoo points in his first three games. With talent and production like his, the matchup is almost irrelevant, but it’s still worth noting the Bulls are allowing an NBA-high 11.1 assists per game to point guards, which only serves to strengthen Doncic’s case.

Desmond Bane, MEM at UTA ($34): Bane has unsurprisingly gotten the season off to a very productive start, as he’s currently holding down the mantle of the top offensive weapon for the Grizzlies with Ja Morant serving his season-opening suspension. Bane is averaging an impressive 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest while shooting a crisp 48.7%, and he already boasts tallies of 51.5 and 48.7 Yahoo points in two of his first four games. That type of ceiling combined with his salary makes him stand out on the massive slate, and the fact Utah is allowing 47.4% shooting and 46.8 Yahoo points per game to two-guards only adds to Bane’s appeal.

ALSO CONSIDER: Cam Thomas, BKN at MIA ($22); Davion Mitchell, SAC at GSW ($10)

Guard to Avoid

Fred VanVleet, HOU vs. CHA ($35): VanVleet has gotten his Rockets tenure off to an uneven start, and Wednesday, he’ll face what’s been a statistically tough matchup for point guards early this season. The Hornets are allowing just 37.3% shooting to PGs, including 22.7% from distance. That’s certainly no recipe for VanVleet’s early-season shooting woes, considering he’s drained only 37.0% of his attempts over his first three games while scoring only 20 and 22.7 Yahoo points in two of those contests. Given his salary and matchup, there are certainly better ways to allocate funds at guard Wednesday.

Forwards

Kristaps Porzingis, BOS vs. IND ($34): Porzingis has quickly proven a strong fit in his new Boston digs, scoring 50.6 and 40.3 Yahoo points in two of his first three games. The big man’s offensive production will naturally fluctuate a bit more than in recent seasons thanks to the fact he’s sharing the floor with the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but Porzingis’ reasonable salary accounts for such. The matchup Wednesday could coax a very fantasy-friendly game out of him, however, considering Indiana is allowing 54 Yahoo points per game to centers, along with the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to the position (42.3), an NBA-high 60 points in the paint per contest and the third-most blocks per game (7.0).

John Collins, UTA vs. MEM ($17): Collins often looked disinterested during the last couple of seasons in Atlanta, but the move west seems to have rejuvenated him. The big man has opened the campaign scoring 30.3 Yahoo points or more in three of the first four games, encouragingly generating a double-double in each of those contests. The Grizzlies haven’t been particularly tough on power forwards early, as they’ve allowed 49.6 Yahoo points and the third-most rebounds per game (12.7) to the position, along with the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to fours (32.5). Given the matchup and his surprisingly low salary, Collins is an excellent value option to consider.

ALSO CONSIDER: P.J. Washington, CHA at HOU ($26)

Forward to Avoid

Evan Mobley, CLE at NYK ($39): Mobley’s salary is especially elevated, he’ll be on the second night of a back-to-back, and he’ll once again face an opponent that stymied him consistently in a loss Tuesday – all factors that contribute to labeling him as a player to avoid Wednesday. Mobley was held to 31.9 Yahoo points by New York, a solid figure that’s nevertheless a disappointment relative to his current salary. Additionally, the Knicks rank tops in the league in offensive efficiency rating allowed to centers (NBA-low 21.3), further diminishing Mobley’s outlook.

Centers

Anthony Davis, LAL vs. LAC ($52): Davis has looked like vintage Pelicans A.D. early in the new campaign, scoring 63.4 Yahoo points or more in three straight after a relatively quiet opener against the Nuggets. Davis is even shooting a career-best 42.9% from 3-point range on a small sample of 1.8 attempts from behind the arc per contest, and although the matchup against Ivica Zubac and the Clippers down low is never an appealing one on paper, Davis’ current form makes him a worthwhile investment if you’re paying up at center Wednesday.

Clint Capela, ATL vs. WAS ($21): Capela’s salary is a pleasant surprise, given he opened the season with three straight tallies of more than 30 Yahoo points before a slight downturn to 23.5 Monday against the T-Wolves, a game in which he nevertheless racked up five blocks across just 23 minutes. The big man could be right back to the higher range of his production Wednesday, as the opposing Wizards may be down starting center Daniel Gafford (ankle) and are already allowing the ninth-highest offensive efficiency rating to fives (35.3), along with 50.2 Yahoo points per contest to the position and an Eastern Conference-high 7.3 blocks per contest as well.

ALSO CONSIDER: Domantas Sabonis, SAC at GSW ($41)

Center to Avoid

Kelly Olynyk, UTA vs. MEM ($18): Thanks to his floor-spacing prowess, Olynyk can always rack up some scoring fairly quickly as he demonstrated last season. However, he enjoyed a more prominent role than he’s filling thus far in the new campaign, which he’s started with allotments of 18 minutes or fewer in three of the first four games. Olynyk has done reasonably well with the opportunities – he’s averaging 22.6 Yahoo points per contest – but with the Grizzlies ranked in the top half of the league in offensive efficiency rating allowed to centers (30.3) and multiple centers with more opportunity/current upside sporting very similar salaries (Capela, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Ivica Zubac, Mark Williams), Olynyk can be steered clear of.