This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
With one NBA playoff game Wednesday and Thursday, Yahoo is offering a hybrid contest between the two. Both series are entering Game 2, so we have a small sample size with which to work. Ahead we will look at players who are trending favorably in the postseason, and those who have played well against their opponent in the regular season, as well as those to avoid.
GUARD
Dennis Schroder, ATL at CLE ($15) - Schroder had his best game of the postseason in Game 1 by posting 37.1 fantasy points. After a dud in Game 1 of the Hawks' first-round matchup with the Celtics, Schroder has been playing some solid basketball. He's posted 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 triples in 21 minutes since. The third-year player is the most likely candidate amongst cheap guards to post big numbers. Based on Game 1 he appears to have a good matchup opposite J.R. Smith, who has never been known for any type of lockdown defensive prowess. The Hawks tend to go with the hot hand between Schroder and Jeff Teague, and at nearly half the price Schroder becomes a pretty attractive option.
Dwyane Wade, MIA at TOR ($34) - Outside of a low fantasy output in Game 7 due to a lopsided win, Wade has been looking like his vintage self this postseason. Disregarding the blowout series finale, Wade averaged 36.2 fantasy points in opening-round series. He filled up the stat sheet during that time with 20.3 points, 5.2 boards, 5.7 dimes, 0.7 steals and 1.2 blocks in 32 minutes per game. Wade also played solid against the Raptors in the regular season, posting 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in those matchups. After Wade, the other shooting guard options are pretty much a crapshoot, so he should add some stability to your lineup as you tie it together. The Heat are going to continue to ride their franchise cornerstone as far as he can take them.
Guard to Avoid:
Jeff Teague, ATL at CLE ($28) - This pick goes hand-in-hand with Dennis Schroder. Teague has failed to post even 20 fantasy points in his last two games, averaging 19.1 in his last four. It was no secret that he was made available by Atlanta near the trade deadline, as the the team is happy letting Schroder run the show, but they ended up not pulling the trigger. As the playoffs have progressed Schroder has slowly but surely become leaned on more to run things than Teague. While Teague is fully capable of putting up a big performance, he is trending the wrong way.
FORWARD
Kent Bazemore, ATL at CLE ($20) - In the regular season, Bazemore posted 11.6 points, 5.1 boards, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.5 boards and 1.5 triples in 28 minutes. He's seen those numbers jump to 14.3 points, 7.7 boards, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.0 triples in 32.7 minutes this postseason. The fourth-year swingman has noticeably been coming into his own, and his price has yet to catch up to his performance. Also, he posted some of his best numbers against the Cavaliers compared to other teams during the regular season. He averaged 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and 2.0 3s in two games. He holds a lot of value for this contest considering his stellar play and affordable price.
DeMarre Carroll, TOR vs MIA ($15) - Carroll missed 31 straight games from Jan. 4 through April 5 before returning to play sporadically in three of the final five games of the regular season. He did not reach his full workload until halfway through the first round, but is finally starting to look like the player Toronto was expecting when the signed him in the offseason. When playing in bigger leagues it is always important to hit on a contrarian pick to fade the public, and Carroll likely will not be highly owned as he has not had a huge game. However, he is no longer on any minute restriction, and has seen his workload continue to increase. He has a favorable matchup being defended by Joe Johnson or Luol Deng in this series and is likely due for some more production.
Forward to Avoid:
Luol Deng, MIA at TOR ($26) - Deng had a relatively productive first round, but that was thanks in large part to being defended by a bigger and slower Frank Kaminsky. He has a less favorable matchup in this series, however, with Carroll moving up to power forward for the Raptors. Toronto opted to go small in Game 1 with Carroll at the four opposite Deng, which made a noticeable difference in Deng's production. He averaged 19.0 points, 6.6 boards, 2.1 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.4 blocks and 2.9 triples. Game 1 saw his output decreased to 10 points, four rebounds, zero assists, two steals, one block and two triples. With more appealing forward options, Deng is a risky play.
CENTER
Tristan Thompson, CLE at ATL ($20) - Given the lack of options in this Wednesday/Thursday contest, it is not a bad route to go with Hassan Whiteside, as he is the most likely candidate for a big evening. However, in daily hoops it is all about finding the biggest bang for your buck while arranging the studs around them accordingly. Now fully entrenched as the starting center, Thompson has noticeably been playing with more confidence recently. Also, he has owned the Hawks all year, and continued that stellar play in Game 1. In three regular-season games against Atlanta, Thompson averaged 9.0 points, 13.3 points and 2.3 assists. He continued that trend Monday with eight points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 32 minutes. Thompson's potential and price make him a pretty tempting play.
Center to Avoid:
Al Horford, Atl at CLE ($31) - Outside of the Spurs, which tend to lead all defensive categories, no team in the league held opposing centers to fewer fantasy points than the Cavaliers this season. This stingy defense was on display in Game 1 when Horford was held to just 10 points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals and three blocks. The blocks and steals were his saving grace from a fantasy standpoint, but overall he did not look like his normal self. Also, he has only reached 30 fantasy points in one of his last four games, and that as simply a 30.3 fantasy point output. If you are going to spend for a center it will probably be wise to shell out a little more and go with Whiteside.
Get a FREE RotoWire 10-day trial (no credit card required) at RotoWire.com
