We have what could be considered a modest slate by Wednesday standards, as there are “only” eight games on tap. Naturally, that still gives us a very robust player pool to work with, and we fortunately have several players carrying salaries that render them very high-upside value options.
As customary, we’ll highlight multiple advantageous positional matchups to exploit at each position for your Yahoo Fantasy lineups, as well as a good trio of candidates that may be best to steer clear of due to a combination of circumstances/salary.
Guards
Tyrese Haliburton, IND at HOU ($42): Haliburton has been over 45 Yahoo points in each of his last two games, and he also has a pair of tallies north of 54 Yahoo points already this season. The talented guard has had some atypical inefficiencies with his shot in the early going, but Haliburton’s ceiling is above question, and he may have the right matchup to break him out of his funk Wednesday. The Rockets are surrendering an NBA-high 59.1 Yahoo points per contest to point guards in the last seven games, and they’re also yielding 36.8% 3-point shooting on their home floor.
Jared McCain, PHI at MEM ($19): McCain’s salary is quite the eye-opener when considering his body of work in recent games with Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) unavailable. The rookie has scored 34.8 to 54.4 Yahoo points in his last three games, and he’d generated 32.6 and 27.6 Yahoo points in the two contests prior to that stretch as well. The opposing Grizzlies play at the league’s fastest pace (108.3 possessions per game) and rank in the bottom 10 of the league in offensive efficiency rating allowed to two-guards (23.8), brightening McCain’s case at his very reasonable salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Stephen Curry, GSW vs. ATL ($42); Paul George, PHI at MEM ($35)
Guard to Avoid
Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL at GSW ($25): Bogdanovic made his return Monday from a multi-week absence due to a hamstring injury, posting 14.1 Yahoo points across a modest 18 minutes. Bogdanovic naturally has plenty of upside, but he carries a salary that’s in line with his usual bench role that affords him minutes in the upper 20s on average. Bogdanovic is likely not ready to get back to that yet Wednesday after missing almost a month, so there’s certainly a chance you’d be overpaying at his current salary.
Forwards
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK at PHO ($38): Towns has quickly adjusted to his new Big Apple digs, averaging 48.4 Yahoo points per contest and already exceeding 50 Yahoo points six times, including a trio of 60-plus tallies. That’s a fantastic ceiling for his salary, especially considering Joel Embiid carries a tag that’s $15 higher and has been much less productive thus far. KAT is averaging a career-high 26.2 points per game and shooting a career-best 54.4 percent, including a career-high 51.5 percent from behind the arc. Meanwhile, the Suns are surrendering the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.3) and 55.4 Yahoo points per contest to the position, as well as 36.9% 3-point shooting overall.
Dyson Daniels, ATL at GSW ($20): Daniels is another player who certainly has the ability to offer a handsome return on investment, considering he’s averaging 36.7 Yahoo points per contest on the season. Daniels has scored at least 28 Yahoo points in seven straight games, exceeding 40 and 50 Yahoo points twice apiece in that stretch. The Hawks could be without Jalen Johnson (lower leg) again Wednesday, and Daniels boasts a 24.1% usage rate and averages over 46 Yahoo points per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor. Additionally, the Warriors are surrendering the fifth-most points per game to two guards (24.7), furthering Daniels’ appeal.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tari Eason, HOU vs. IND ($24)
Forward to Avoid
Deni Avdija, POR at OKC ($28): Avdija has a ceiling north of 30 Yahoo points – he’s scored over 34 Yahoo points on four occasions already this season – but when he misses, he tends to miss pretty significantly. The offseason addition has scored under 20 Yahoo points in six instances already, including a season-low tally of 9.4 against the Grizzlies on Nov. 10. The Thunder are a quality defensive team and have allowed only 42.2% shooting to small forwards thus far, making it a likely uphill battle for Avdija to justify his relatively elevated salary.
Centers
Jarrett Allen, CLE vs. NOP ($33): Allen has tallies of 53.5 and 43 Yahoo points within his last three games, and he’s bookended those with 29.9 and 29.2 Yahoo points. The big man has scored at least 31.9 Yahoo points in 11 games overall, giving him a dependable floor that should manifest again in Wednesday’s favorable matchup. The Pelicans are surrendering the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.8) and the second-most Yahoo points per game to the position in the last seven contests (63.1). New Orleans is also giving up the second-most points in the paint per game (54.8), an area of the floor where 78.1% of Allen’s scoring originates.
Robert Williams, POR at OKC ($20): Williams has been quite the revelation over the last four games while Deandre Ayton (finger) has been sidelined, and the latter is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s contest as well. Williams has scored 28.6 to 51.3 Yahoo points in three of his first four games with Ayton out, and he’s encouragingly logged at least 25 minutes in each of the last two games. Williams’ durability can always be a bit of a concern, but a matchup against a Thunder team that’s without Chet Holmgren (hip) and giving up 53.5 Yahoo points per game to centers on the season is an enticing one at Williams’ salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Alperen Sengun, HOU vs. IND ($43)
Center to Avoid
Joel Embiid, PHI at MEM ($53): Embiid was already mentioned earlier as carrying a salary that doesn’t really match up to his production thus far, so the fact he qualifies for an Avoid designation isn’t entirely surprising. The star big man has dealt with both a knee injury and suspension to open the season, and he’s scored only 25.1 to 32.6 Yahoo points in his first three contests. While there’s no doubting Embiid’s ceiling, he’s been quiet by his standards so far but carries a salary that’s commensurate to when he’s in peak form. Therefore, the money might be better spread out elsewhere on your roster Wednesday, giving you a chance to potentially snag two quality options for the same salary you’d have to dish out for the big man.
