Jaden Hardy and the Mavericks host the Grizzlies on Monday night.
The NBA starts the week with seven games on the schedule Monday. There are some intriguing matchups, including when the Kings host the Bucks and the Suns take on the Warriors. Let’s dig into the options on Yahoo and highlight some players to target, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
Guards
Tyus Jones, MEM at DAL ($26): Jones is the starting point guard for the Grizzlies for however long Ja Morant (personal) is away from the team. He has scored at least 33.8 Yahoo points in three of the four games during Morant’s absence and scored at least 49.3 Yahoo points twice. His salary has been climbing, but it’s still low enough for him to bring plenty of value.
Jaden Hardy, DAL vs. MEM ($10): Hardy moved into the starting five with Luka Doncic (thigh) and Kyrie Irving (foot) out Saturday against these same Grizzlies. He made the most of his expanded role, posting 22 points, two rebounds, three assists and a steal across 37 minutes. Doncic is out for this rematch, and Irving is questionable. Hardy is worth deploying in tournament play at the minimum salary, regardless of whether Irving plays.
Guard to Avoid
Kevin Porter Jr., HOU vs. BOS ($24): After sitting out Thursday against the Pacers, Porter returned to log 34 minutes Saturday against the Bulls. While his minutes haven’t been a problem since his return from injury at the beginning of March, he has scored 27.7 Yahoo points or fewer in three of five games. The Celtics have the fourth-best defensive rating in the league, so Porter could be looking at another muted stat line.
Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at SAC ($56): This is a solid matchup for the Bucks since the Kings play at the ninth-fastest pace in the league. However, Antetokounmpo is questionable with his hand injury. If he doesn’t play, it makes sense to pivot to Khris Middleton ($28). Over the last three games with Antetokounmpo sidelined, Middleton has averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals.
Terrence Ross, PHO at GSW ($12): The Suns made a big splash by acquiring Kevin Durant (ankle), but there is a chance that he doesn’t appear in a game again until the playoffs. An under-the-radar move that they made was signing Ross after his buyout. They need his scoring off the bench, and he has responded by scoring 35.4 and 24.7 Yahoo points, respectively, over the last two games since Durant went down. Expect him to continue to fire away at will as a member of the second unit in this matchup.
Forward to Avoid
Harrison Barnes, SAC vs. MIL ($18): Barnes is a key veteran for a Kings team that hopes to make a deep playoff run. However, he doesn’t exactly have a leading role within their offense, posting a 17.0% usage rate. With him averaging just 24.6 Yahoo points per game for the season, it’s hard to get excited about his potential.
Centers
Xavier Tillman, MEM at DAL ($17): Tillman scored 27.6 Yahoo points over 28 minutes against the Mavericks on Saturday. He has scored at least 26.5 Yahoo points in four of the last five games, and he doesn’t have much competition for playing time anymore since Steven Adams (knee) and Brandon Clarke (Achilles) are out for the remainder of the regular season. The Mavericks don’t have a ton of quality size up front, so Tillman might not face much resistance in this rematch.
James Wiseman, DET vs. IND ($15): Wiseman has started each of the last eight games for the Pistons. He has shown plenty of upside, averaging 13.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks during that stretch. Expect him to be locked into plenty of minutes for this game since Marvin Bagley III (ankle) is sidelined.
Center to Avoid
Christian Wood, DAL vs. MEM ($19): Even with Doncic and Irving out Saturday, Wood played only 15 minutes. Tillman and Wiseman both have cheaper salaries and more secure roles, so there is no need to take a chance on Wood for now.
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Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
