This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA season officially tipped off Tuesday, but Wednesday marks the first full slate of action with 11 games on the schedule. One of the best matchups of the evening is the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the San Antonio Spurs, two teams expected to be among the best in the West. Let's dive right in and look at some players who can make you a winner on Yahoo.
GUARDS
John Wall, WAS vs PHI ($48): Wall is coming off the best season of his career as he averaged 23.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.1 three-pointers per game in 2016-17. He is an excellent source for assists as he has averaged at least 10 assists per game in each of the last three seasons. As the leader of the team, expect a big performance from Wall in the Wizards first game of the year.
Darren Collison, IND vs BKN ($15): Collison takes over as the starting point guard on a Pacers squad lacking talent and depth. He was productive as a member of the Sacramento Kings last season as he averaged 13.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.1 three-pointers in 30 minutes per game. At this cheap price, Collison makes for a valuable option Wednesday.
Guard to Avoid
Jimmy Butler, MIN at SA ($38): Butler was the best player on the Bulls last season, averaging 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 three-pointers per game. He's still going to be very good on Minnesota, but expect his scoring to take a hit as he shares the load with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. At this price, it's best to stay away from him Wednesday.
FORWARDS
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at BOS ($49): Giannis has moved into elite status in the NBA as he averaged 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.9 blocks and 0.6 three-pointers per game last season. He will be charged with leading the Bucks again this year and his ability to contribute in categories across the board makes him a very value DFS option. He'll be worth this expensive price.
Aaron Gordon, ORL vs MIA ($23): Gordon has slowly seen his playing time increase during his career and averaged a career-high 29 minutes per game in 2016-17. He came through with averages of 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 three-pointer per game. Expect him to play even more this season in what could finally be his breakout campaign.
Forward to Avoid
Zach Randolph, SAC vs HOU ($21): The Kings have an odd roster. They should be building for the future and giving their young players plenty of playing time, but they added Randolph and point guard George Hill over the summer. Their options up front leave Randolph, Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos and Skal Labissiere set to share time between power forward and center. This is a bad matchup Wednesday for Randolph against a fast pace Rockets squad who uses small lineups.
CENTERS
Hassan Whiteside, MIA at ORL ($34): Whiteside was a monster for the Heat last season as he averaged 17.0 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He is the anchor on the defensive end for Miami and has made great strides offensively. He's going to dominate Nikola Vucevic and the Magic Wednesday.
Myles Turner, IND vs BKN ($24): While Turner didn't have the breakout season that some expected last year, he was still valuable as he averaged 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He is in line for an even bigger role this season as the Pacers don't have great options behind him on the depth chart. The Nets may have the worst centers in the league as Timofey Mozgov will start at the position. Expect Turner to excel in this contest.
Center to Avoid
Nikola Vucevic, ORL vs MIA ($29): This is a tough matchup for Vucevic against Whiteside, so offense might be hard to come by. Vucevic only averaged 14.6 points per game last season, his lowest average since the 2013-14 season. Don't expect him to produce enough Wednesday to warrant this price tag.
