This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
I absolutely love this slate from a DFS standpoint. There are numerous players below $20 that I adore, and it should make lineup construction a breeze. Having this many viable sub-$20 players makes it much easier to get studs like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, and Tyrese Haliburton into your build. I don't feel like you need to be sold on any of those guys, but they're great pairings with some of the cheap players mentioned below.
GUARD
De'Anthony Melton, PHI at CHI ($18)
There are so many cheap plays in this article because so many players are stepping into expanded roles for injured studs. That's what we have with Melton, who's seeing more usage in the absence of Joel Embiid. He was already balling out with James Harden out of town, averaging 30 Yahoo points per game across his last 21 outings. He's also got 35 and 42 Y! points in his two most recent games going into Friday and is stuffing the stat sheet at will with the MVP sidelined. Chicago is not a scary matchup either, sitting 18th in defensive efficiency.
Jaden Ivey, DET vs. TOR ($17)
The Pistons haven't won a game seemingly since Obama was in office, but it's not Ivey's fault. This youngster has been one of their best players since being reinserted into the starting lineup, scoring at least 41 Yahoo points in three of his last four games. He's also got a 39-point average across his last five fixtures and needs to be above $20 in this new role. Toronto isn't a terrible matchup, either, ranked 16th in total defense.
Guard to Avoid
D'Angelo Russell, LAL at MIN ($22)
D-Lo was relegated to the bench earlier in the week, and it's going to be tough for him to provide value in this diminished role. He's played 18 or fewer minutes in two of his first three games since this demotion, scoring 21 or fewer Yahoo points in both of those. The one outlier was a blowout, but that's not expected to be the case here. The matchup with Minnesota might be the worst part of this, as the T-wolves are ranked first in both points allowed and defensive efficiency. Getting sent to the bench is bad enough, but Russell's fantasy value tumbles even further because Austin Reaves is the primary playmaker for the Lakers off the pine.
FORWARD
Julius Randle, NYK at IND ($38)
Most of the players in this article are cheap, but paying up for Randle makes sense. The All-Star has returned to the role that has made him a $40 player in the past, averaging 35 minutes and 18 shots a game. He's done damage with that robust usage, scoring at least 36 Yahoo points in 26 of 31 games this year. He's also got a 45-point average across his last 15 outings and should be incredible in this matchup with Indiana. Not only do the Pacers play at the fastest pace in the NBA, but they also surrender the most fantasy points to opposing PFs.
Tobias Harris, PHI at CHI ($25)
It's hard to understand why Toby is just $25. This is an appropriate price when the Sixers' roster is at full health, but he's one of the primary playmakers with Embiid sidelined. With the MVP off the floor, Harris has a 24 percent usage rate, averaging 1.1 Y! points per minute in those circumstances. In the last four games that Embiid has missed, Toby has tallied 55, 36, 46 and 56 Yahoo points! Good luck finding that from another $25 player, especially since Harris had 42 fantasy points when he faced Chicago without Embiid last year.
Forward to Avoid
Ausar Thompson, DET vs. TOR ($21)
It's hard to understand what Detroit is doing with the talented rookie, but it makes it easy to avoid him. Despite looking like one of their best players through the opening month, Ausar was demoted to the bench a few weeks back. In his seven games with the second unit, Thompson is averaging 11 Y! points across 15 minutes a night. He's also delivered fewer than 10 fantasy points in back-to-back games and needs to be dropped to a minimum price tag in this nightmarish role. This rookie will get better when Detroit gives him more minutes, but he can't be trusted until then.
CENTER
Isaiah Hartenstein, NYK at IND ($17)
The Knicks' center position has been wracked by injuries, but Hartenstein has done a wonderful job of filling the void. The big man has started the last five games for NY and averaged nearly 35 minutes across his last six. He's done some serious damage in that expanded role, posting a 29-point average across his last eight outings. That's all you can ask for from a sub-$20 player, and the matchup with Indiana is the icing on the cake. They rank 29th in both points allowed and defensive efficiency, while playing at the pace we mentioned in the Randle write-up.
Andre Drummond, CHI vs. PHI ($17)
This is the most egregious pricing on this slate. People who just started playing DFS might not realize this, but Drummond was a $40 player in his days with the Pistons. That's no surprise when looking at his per-minute production, as he's averaged 21 Y! points per game across 14 minutes a night in a reserve role. That absurd rate showed up big time in his first start in place of an injured Nikola Vucevic, as Drummond dropped 69 Yahoo points on Tuesday night. As long as Vooch is out, Drum should be double his $17 salary as Chicago's starting center.
Don't forget about Paul Reed at just $13 because he's likely going to start for Embiid once again.
Center to Avoid
Jakob Poeltl, TOR at DET ($22)
We love Poeltl as a player, but his workload is terrifying. The Raptors have been running small-ball a ton recently, with Poeltl playing 22 or fewer minutes in five of his last six games. He's also failed to crack 27 Yahoo points in 11 of his last 14 games because he's simply not being asked to play as much as we're accustomed to. It's impossible to trust a $22 player in a 20-minute role, and we don't want to trust Poeltl until he gets closer to 30 minutes a night.
