This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Tuesday's four-game slate is slim, but that doesn't make it unplayable. Quite the contrary, in fact. Oftentimes, you just have to make one or two contrarian plays to squeak out a GPP score or stick to solid high floor options to nail your cash games with a lot less variance. Lots of games to choose from can be fun, but they are often harder to profit from.
Vegas is a big fan of ORL/DAL on Tuesday with an O/U of 214, but I'm a fan of the MIA/TOR game, and I think it'll beat the 208 over with no problem.
Russell Westbrook ($59) stands alone as the sole member of the $50-plus club, and it makes sense to spend for him whether Damian Lillard suits up for the Trail Blazers or not. On nights like these you sometimes just have to bite the bullet to keep pace, so going with Westbrook on all cash lineups is almost a must. Too many people will do the same, and the slate is too shallow to be contrarian in a cash game setting. I'm only fading him in GPP punt plays.
As usual, I'll be targeting two players per position, along with one player to avoid. I'll also list a few other players per position that hold equal value in my predictions even though I haven't provided detail on them.
GUARDS
DeMar DeRozan, TOR vs. MIA ($40): DeRozan's value shot up on Monday night as Kyle Lowry went down-- quite literally - and it didn't look pretty. With Lowry ruled out for Tuesday's game, that leaves DeRozan as the torch-bearer for the Raptors' offense. When Lowry was last out, DeRozan was an absolute beast. He'll be logging close to 40 minutes and there's no way I'm leaving him off my lineups.
C.J. McCollum, POR at OKC ($30): Like DeRozan, McCollum has been a reliable cash-game anchor over the past month. He depends on rebounds and assists to get him above 30 YFP in most game scenarios, and though he hasn't excelled against the Thunder in the past two contests against them, the absence of Andre Roberson should help.
Other guards to consider: Elfrid Payton, ORL at DAL ($29); Dennis Smith Jr., DAL vs. ORL ($21); De'Aaron Fox, SAC at LAL ($12)
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GUARD TO AVOID
Evan Fournier, ORL at DAL ($20): Even though the Mavericks are struggling this season, their defense ranks fourth against opposing shooting guards, and Fournier's record against Dallas hasn't been particularly strong. He's also underperformed projections in three straight games now, so I'm steering clear of him in this matchup.
FORWARDS
Josh Richardson, MIA at TOR ($28): In an effort to keep cost down I'm sliding a bit further down the forward list to start. While it's a toss-up as to whether or not he'll start, he'll get in his 30-plus minutes as usual and may benefit from some garbage time if Miami falls behind. Averaging 16.8 points, 4.2 assists and almost two steals per game over his last five contests, Richardson is an across-the-board contributor who regular sees a 30-plus YFP.
Harrison Barnes, ORL at DAL ($26): Barnes is the best cash play you'll find at Yahoo's median price. He's a virtual lock to net you 30-plus YFP on a regular basis, and while he'll rarely blow up above that, he won't torpedo your cash lineup either. Orlando ranks 29th against his position so I like Barnes in his usual production range Tuesday.
Other forwards to consider:Paul George, OKC vs. POR ($36); Brandon Ingram, LAL vs. SAC ($29); Serge Ibaka, TOR vs. MIA ($21)
FORWARD TO AVOID
Kyle Kuzma, LAL vs SAC ($25): While it's a good matchup for Kuzma, the rookie is finally experiencing some growing pains after a red-hot start. It was thought that perhaps Lonzo Ball's absence was hurting his production, but that argument hasn't borne any fruit as he's also underperformed since his return. I'd consider playing him if he was closer to $20, but right now he's no cinch to make value at his current price.
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CENTERS
Jusuf Nurkic, POR at OKC ($26): I go to Nurkic based on the matchup as Steven Adams was completely shut down by Nurkic when they last met and Nurkic lit up the Thunder for almost 50 YFP. Though a lot of people will flock to Adams, previous history will be our best guide here.
Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC at LAL ($25): The Lakers have shipped Andrew Bogut out and Brook Lopez has been unimpressive. While Julius Randle will pick up the slack underneath, Cauley-Stein will see an uptick in minutes while Zach Randolph eases back into the starting lineup. After being benched earlier in the year, Cauley-Stein has a chip on his shoulder and has put up much better stat lines recently.
Other centers to consider: Bismack Biyombo, ORL at DAL ($21)
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CENTER TO AVOID
Steven Adams, OKC vs. POR ($28): As previously stated, I'm making a judgment call on the Nurkic/Adams matchup based on past history. At this price Adams is on track to come short of value against a tough Portland defense that plays well at home.
