This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
An unusual number of injuries has opened the door for plenty of value plays for Monday's 11-game slate. The Pacers are without Thaddeus Young, which thrusts Lavoy Allen ($10) into the starting lineup. He had 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals for 39.7 fantasy points against the Pistons on Saturday. Should Young sit again, target Allen in cash games.
With Jimmy Butler (heel) out of the lineup against the Rockets on Friday, Michael Carter-Williams ($10) stepped up with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists for 43.8 fantasy points. Butler is a game-time decision Monday against the Kings, but if he sits, MCW becomes enticing for tournaments.
GUARDS
John Wall, WAS vs. CLE ($48): Instead of opting for Russell Westbrook ($62), you can pay $14 less and get Wall, who may have more upside at home against the Cavaliers. Sure, Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving is expected to play through a quad injury, but that only increases Wall's odds of having a monster game. Speaking of monster games, Wall has eclipsed 50 fantasy points in four of his past six games, and he has a four-game double-double streak.
Tyreke Evans, NO vs. PHO ($16): A lot of the risk in playing Evans is mitigated by his cost. After two straight duds, Evans bounced back with 15 points and six rebounds for 24.2 fantasy points in just over 27 minutes against the Wizards on Saturday. New Orleans will need his offense off the bench if it wants to keep up with the Suns, who are tied for third in the NBA in pace factor (101.7). Evans is a great high-risk, high-reward play for use in big tournaments.
Guard to Avoid
Eric Bledsoe, PHO at NO ($41): The Suns have really been riding Bledsoe and it showed when he scored just 13 points with six assists and four rebounds in a loss to the Bucks on Saturday. Bledsoe doesn't get much rest before playing the Pelicans, so there's a chance coach Earl Watson opts to give him fewer minutes. Even if he chooses to give Bledsoe his normal amount of playing time, the point guard has scored fewer than 40 fantasy points in three of his past four games. He's an easy fade on an 11-game slate with plenty of quality guards.
FORWARDS
Paul George, IND vs. OKC ($39): George has a chance to provide nice value, particularly in tournaments, with a good matchup against the Thunder at home. He's scored at least 31 points in three of his past four games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and the Pacers are riding high on a six-game winning streak in which he's averaging 25.2 points per game. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game (44.36) to small forwards over the past four weeks.
Nikola Mirotic, CHI at SAC ($12): Mirotic, and the Bulls for most of this season, has been an enigma. You're never going to know whether he's going to play well or poorly, a lot of minutes or barely any, but that's the definition of a tournament play. Mirotic has shown signs of consistency with double-digit scoring in two of his past three games. He had 11 points (21.0 fantasy points) in a win against the Kings on Jan. 21, so there's a bit of past success in this matchup. The Bulls may also lean on Mirotic for offense should Jimmy Butler miss the game with a heel injury.
Forward to Avoid
Kawhi Leonard, SA at MEM ($45): After going off for a career-high 41 points in a win against the Cavs, Leonard has been underwhelming. He's scored just 19 points in each of the past two games, and has only scored over 50 fantasy points once in his last five. Leonard is averaging 41.7 fantasy points per game during that stretch, but that total won't cut it if you're spending that much salary cap space. It also doesn't help that the Spurs are on the road in a tough matchup against the Grizzlies, who have held opponents to under 100 points in four of five games.
CENTERS
Andre Drummond, DET vs. PHI ($34): This feels like an absurd price for Drummond given the matchup at home, where he's averaging 14.1 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in 23 appearances. The 76ers have been holding Joel Embiid out with a knee injury, which only makes life easier for Drummond in the paint and on the glass. Philadelphia is allowing 57.21 fantasy points per game to centers over the past four weeks, and were just torched by Hassan Whiteside for 30 points and 20 rebounds Saturday.
Robin Lopez, CHI at SAC ($13): If you're looking for a cheaper tournament play, consider Lopez, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds for 42.0 fantasy points against the 76ers on Jan. 29. He had nine points, eight rebounds and two assists (23.6 fantasy points) against the Kings on Jan. 21, which was enough to return value. Should coach Fred Hoiberg use a similar rotation as he did against the Rockets on Friday, Lopez could see big minutes again; he played 40:32 against Houston.
Center to Avoid
Dwight Howard, ATL vs. UTA ($25): Other than a strong performance (24 points, 23 rebounds) against the Rockets, Howard has failed to provide much value outside of cash games, as he's scored more than 37.8 fantasy points once in his past 13 games. It's always wise to know where/when the Jazz are playing, and in this case Howard will have to deal with Rudy Gobert all night. Utah ranks third in defensive efficiency (101.5) and fifth in rebound rate (51.2).
