This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
What was originally scheduled to be a 10-game slate in the NBA on Wednesday has already been whittled down to eight games because of COVID-19. Things seem to change by the minute, but as of early Wednesday morning, here are some players to consider for your Yahoo entry, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
CJ McCollum, POR at SAC ($36): McCollum has been one of the more reliable contributors across the league, scoring at least 20.9 points in five straight seasons. With that being said, he's taken his game to another level this season by averaging 28.1 points to go along with what would be a career high 29.1 percent usage rate. On top of that, he's averaging 4.1 rebounds, five assists and 1.6 steals. Both of these teams are ranked inside the top-10 in the league in pace of play, so McCollum should have plenty of opportunities to stuff the stat sheet again.
Trey Burke, DAL at CHA ($11): The Mavericks are one of the teams that is currently dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19. They will be missing two key guards for this matchup in Jalen Brunson and Josh Richardson, so expect Burke to take on an expanded role. He logged 21 minutes off the bench against the Magic in their last game and thrived with 29 points and four assists. Don't expect him to duplicate the 11-for-13 shooting that he produced in that game, but he doesn't need to in order to provide value at near the minimum salary.
Guard to Avoid
Eric Bledsoe, NO at LAC ($19): Bledsoe is listed as questionable for this matchup because of eye irritation, so there's a chance that he doesn't even take the floor. If he does, though, he's still probably someone to avoid. His move to the Pelicans has not gone well, leaving him with averages of 11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Those would all be his lowest averages since he was with the Clippers in the 2012-13 season.
FORWARDS
Jerami Grant, DET vs. MIL ($29): The Pistons might be a rebuilding team, but they appear to have hit a home run by bringing in the veteran Grant. He's thrived in a leading role, scoring at least 40.8 Yahoo points in six of 10 games. That included two matchups against these same Bucks in which he scored 43.3 and 44.5 Yahoo points, respectively.
Kyle Kuzma, LAL at OKC ($11): The Lakers will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set and will be facing an inferior foe who also just played Tuesday, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see both teams rest a veterans or two. At the very least, some veterans could see limited minutes. Anthony Davis (toe) is listed as questionable, and if he can't play, Kuzma would likely step into a starting role and significantly more scoring opportunities.
Forward to Avoid
Robert Covington, POR at SAC ($16): It's pretty incredible that Covington is averaging 31 minutes a game, but he only has one contest in which he has scored at least 10 points. That's what a 10.5 percent usage rate will do to a player's scoring numbers. There's no sign of his role changing anytime soon, so no need to risk it here.
CENTERS
Enes Kanter, POR at SAC ($13): The big piece of news to keep an eye on is the status of Jusuf Nurkic (quadriceps), who is listed as questionable. Kanter has already been productive in a bench role, scoring at least 24.2 Yahoo points in four of the last five games. If Nurkic is out and Kanter starts, he's going to be awfully difficult to resist at this salary.
Willie Cauley-Stein, DAL at CHA ($10): While the Mavericks will be thin at guard, they are actually in more dire straits up front with Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell both out. The good news is that Kristaps Porzingis (knee) is expected to make his season debut. However, expect him to play limited minutes. That could leave Cauley-Stein with just James Johnson and Boban Marjanovic to battle with for playing time.
Center to Avoid
Brook Lopez, MIL at DET ($15): There isn't much to be excited about with Lopez. He's surpassed 30 Yahoo points in a game only one time all season and he's failed to reach even 20 Yahoo points five times. Even if Nurkic plays, Kanter has at least the same upside as Lopez does and he can be added to your lineup at a lower salary. Even Cauley-Stein could outproduce Lopez based on the situation surrounding the Mavericks.
