Yahoo DFS Basketball: Friday-Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Basketball: Friday-Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.

As we head into the weekend, we have two more big playoff games on the docket Friday and Saturday, forming a fun DFS contest on Yahoo. The Bucks will be looking to hold home court advantage against the Raptors on Friday, while the Blazers will try to get their first win in their series against the Warriors on Saturday. Here are some players to target and avoid while creating your entry.

GUARDS

Stephen Curry, GS at POR ($42): To no surprise, the Warriors have leaned on Curry to step up in the scoring department with Kevin Durant (calf) sidelined. He hasn't disappointed, scoring 36 and 37 points, respectively, in the first two games. With no reinforcements coming for either of the two games in Portland, Curry should continue to receive all of the shots that he can handle.

Seth Curry, POR vs. GS ($12): After getting beaten soundly in Game 1, the Blazers needed to make some adjustments with their rotations. One of the key moves that they made in Game 2 was to play Curry more. He ended up logging 29 minutes, which is the most playing time that he's received in a game during the Blazers current playoff run. He didn't let the opportunity go to waste and scored 31.2 Yahoo points. The Blazers were much more competitive despite the loss, so expect him to play more Saturday, as well. At this price, he could be well worth the risk.

Guard to Avoid

Eric Bledsoe, MIL vs. TOR ($27): Bledsoe didn't gave a great performance in Game 1, shooting 3-for-12 from the field on his way to 21 Yahoo points. Despite the Bucks continuing to win games, Bledsoe has now scored 25.9 Yahoo points or fewer in five of their last six games. The Bucks have a lot of weapons on the offensive end so they don't always need a lot of production from Bledsoe to still be successful. Since he doesn't come cheap, it might be best to spend elsewhere.

FORWARDS

Kawhi Leonard, TOR at MIL ($45): The Raptors couldn't hold on to win Game 1, but Leonard was once again spectacular with 50.8 Yahoo points. He scored 31 points on 26 shot attempts and is now averaging 31.8 points on 21.5 shots per game during the playoffs. If the Raptors are going to have any chance of winning Game 2, it will be on his shoulders, so expect him to have a high floor once again.

Rodney Hood, POR vs. GS ($10): The Blazers are lucky that Hood dodged a series knee injury in Game 7 of the second round, because he's become a key part of their second unit. He's been especially productive at home of late, averaging 17 points and 3.3 rebounds over the last three games in Portland. His upside isn't all that high since the majority of his contributions come from the scoring column, but he's still a viable target at the minimum price.

Forward to Avoid

Khris Middleton, MIL vs. TOR ($30): Middleton made an impact on the boards Wednesday with 11 rebounds. However, he only scored 11 points while shooting 4-for-12 from the field. He averaged 14 points across four games versus the Raptors during the regular season, so his muted offensive production to kick off the series wasn't a huge surprise. At this price, his limited ceiling makes him someone to avoid.

CENTERS

Brook Lopez, MIL vs. TOR ($20): Talk about a performance that came out of nowhere. Lopez had a terrible series against the Celtics, scoring a total of 27 points across five games. He shot just 28.6 percent from the field, including 22.2 percent from behind the arc, during that stretch. However, he destroyed the Raptors Wednesday with 29 points on 12-for-21 shooting from the field. He also chipped in 11 rebounds, which is rare for him since he averaged just 4.9 rebounds per game during the regular season. It's highly unlikely that he has another game of this magnitude, but the center options aren't all that great, so he might be worth taking a chance on based on the upside that he showed. 

Kevon Looney, GS at POR ($12): Looney might actually be the best center option for this slate when you consider his price and recent production. He's stepped up since Durant went down, scoring at least 21.9 Yahoo points in four straight games. He was particularly productive in Game 2, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds across 29 minutes. Expect him to continue to receive adding playing time in Game 3.

Center to Avoid

Enes Kanter, POR vs. GS ($21): One of the changes the Blazers made Thursday was to play Kanter less. After playing 30 minutes in Game 1, he logged only 19 minutes in Game 2. With so little playing time, it's not a surprise that he only finished with 14 Yahoo points. This is a tough matchup for him with all of the small lineups that the Warriors use, and he's not a very good defender, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him play a limited role again.

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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