Yahoo DFS Basketball: Friday-Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Friday-Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

It's win-or-go-home time for the Celtics and Nuggets, who are both down 3-1 in their respective series. We could see both Conference Finals end over the next two days, so let's take advantage of a two-game Yahoo slate while we still can. Here are some players to consider for your entry, as well as a few to possibly avoid.

GUARDS

Goran Dragic, MIA vs. BOS ($24): One of the main reasons why the Heat lost Game 3 was because Dragic struggled on the offensive end. He rectified that in Game 4 by scoring 22 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. With a reasonable salary and at least 33.5 Yahoo points in nine of the last 11 games, Dragic remains an appealing option with a high floor.

Tyler Herro, MIA vs. BOS ($23): It's not often you see a rookie dominate a playoff game off the bench the way Herro did in Game 4. He came up with big bucket after big bucket, scoring 37 points on his way to 47.7 Yahoo points. That's obviously going to be difficult for him to duplicate, but he's still a great target considering he's scored at least 29.3 Yahoo points in five straight contests.

Guard to Avoid

Kemba Walker, BOS vs. MIA ($25): Walker actually produced one of his best playoff games in Game 4 by scoring 20 points to go along with four rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. The zero turnovers were big since he had nine over the last two games. Walker still came away with 32.3 Yahoo points and hasn't scored more than that in three of the series' four games. It's not huge savings, but rolling with Dragic should at least bring a similar floor while coming in at a cheaper salary.

FORWARDS

Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. MIA ($42): Tatum looked off in the first half of Game 4. He wasn't aggressive on the offensive end and was ultimately held scoreless in the half. But Tatum exploded after that, scoring all 28 of his points in the second half. He's racked up at least 50.8 Yahoo points in three of the four games and will need to post another strong performance if the Celtics are going to advance to Game 6.

Jerami Grant, DEN vs. LAL ($14): After scoring 26 in Game 3, it was pretty obvious Grant was going to regress in Game 4. He still performed well with 17 points, although he didn't chip in that much elsewhere with only two rebounds and an assist. The good news is Grant has played at least 34 minutes in three of four games against the Lakers and should once again spend a lot of time on the court in Game 5.

Forward to Avoid

Duncan Robinson, MIA vs. BOS ($12): Duncan couldn't get anything going from the field in Game 4 and finished with just three points - all of those coming at the free-throw line. The Celtics have held him to single-digit points in two of the four games, which makes him a risky option given he doesn't normally contribute much outside of the scoring column.

CENTERS

Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. BOS ($34): Adebayo continued his dominance down low in Game 4, posting his third straight double-double on his way to 43.4 Yahoo points. He appeared to injure his left arm late in the fourth quarter, but practiced Thursday and has said he'll be fine for Game 5. As long as that doesn't change, Adebayo is arguably the top center for this slate when you factor in his reasonable salary.

Dwight Howard, LAL vs. DEN ($12): The Lakers made an adjustment for Game 4 by moving Howard into the starting five. Not only did it pay off with a win, but he also put forth an excellent stat line with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a steal across 23 minutes. There's no reason to believe he won't start again, which makes for an intriguing budget-friendly option in tournament play.

Center to Avoid

Daniel Theis, BOS vs. MIA ($15): Theis has done a solid job for a small Celtics' team this season, but he's no match for Adebayo. He's been locked down in this series, scoring 19.1 Yahoo points or fewer in all four games. If you want to save money at center, it's difficult to make an argument for Theis over Howard given Howard's new role for the Lakers and his reduced salary.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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