Yahoo NBA DFS Strategy: Friday, December 14th
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We have a nice nine-game NBA slate scheduled for today, but before we dig into it, I thought it’d be helpful for us to highlight the Yahoo DFS format, how it may differ from some of the other sites, and some plays I’m looking at specifically on Yahoo tonight. Let’s dig in!
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What Is Roster Construction Like On Yahoo?
NBA rosters will consist of eight players within a $200 salary cap. The positions of PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, UTIL most mirrors what you’d find on a site like DraftKings. Unlike DraftKings, however, there is no multi-position eligibility.
How Is Yahoo NBA DFS Scoring Different From Other Sites?
The scoring on Yahoo is pretty straightforward. Let’s take a look:
The scoring closely resembles the scoring system of FanDuel, where blocks, steals and turnovers are more heavily weighted. On Yahoo and FanDuel, blocks and steals are worth +3 pts apiece, whereas those are just +2 pts apiece on DraftKings. And on Yahoo and FanDuel, turnovers are worth -1 pts, whereas they are just -0.5 pts on DraftKings.
The other big difference is that there is no three-point bonus, similar to what you’d see on FanDuel. DraftKings awards a +0.5 Pts bonus for a three-pointer, so it’s more advantageous to roster the sharp-shooters over there. The last minor difference is that Yahoo does not offer any double-double or triple-double bonuses.
In terms of how to use the scoring to your advantage, on Yahoo I’m more focused on taking players with block/steal upside (such as big men) as opposed to ball-handlers who are three-point shooters (such as point guards). This allows me to take advantage of the weighted scoring that skews towards blocks/steals while also limits my turnovers.
I decided to use an example from Wednesday’s slate to illustrate this point. I had mentioned the desire to focus more on players with block/steal upside. Myles Turner is 2nd in the NBA right now in blocks per game, so let’s use him as an example. In his last game, he scored 45.25 DraftKings points at a $7,200 salary. Since DraftKings uses a $50,000 salary cap, that’s saying you used 14.4% of your salary cap to get 45.25 DraftKings points. On Yahoo, Myles Turner finished with 45.4 Yahoo points at a $27 salary. Since Yahoo uses a $200 salary cap, that’s saying you used 13.5% of your salary cap to get 45.4 Yahoo points. In other words, you got slightly more fantasy points (45.4 vs 45.25) for a smaller percentage of your salary cap (13.5% vs 14.4%) on Yahoo due to the scoring system. Turner is an interesting case because he also shoots three-pointers so you’re missing out on the three-point bonus on Yahoo, but the additional points from blocks and steals made up for it.
Now let’s use one more example, this time Russell Westbrook. Westbrook seems like a tougher sell to pay up for on Yahoo because he’s 2nd in the NBA in turnovers, so there’s more of a penalty on Yahoo. In fact over his last three games, he’s averaging seven turnovers per game. Not good. In his last game, he finished with 47.5 DraftKings points at a $10,900 salary, which equates to 21.8% of your salary cap. On Yahoo, he finished with 48.7 Yahoo points at a $52 salary, which equates to 26% of your salary cap. So even though you got 1.2 more fantasy points on Yahoo, he cost you 4.2% more of your salary cap, which really isn’t worth it:
There will obviously be outliers over the course of the season so this is not a hard and fast rule, especially since blocks and steals are arguably not easy to predict. However, my general strategy remains to focus on players with a higher likelihood to accumulate them, and put less emphasis on three-point shooters or primary ball-handlers who struggle with turnovers.
Players on Friday’s Slate I’m Looking At
Let’s now dive in a few players I’m keying in on for tonight’s slate:
1. Myles Turner ($27) – I just used him as an example, and I did it for a reason. Turner has been on a tear lately, posting Yahoo scores of 45.4, 56.9 and 35.6 over his last three games. Victor Oladipo did return last game so Oladipo’s usage will hurt Turner, but there’s been a change in Turner’s game where he’s been more aggressive and his teammates have encouraged him to shoot more. Turner has averaged roughly 16 shot attempts per game in those three games, including 22 shots last game with Oladipo back. His price of $27 didn’t move on Yahoo either. His opponent, the 76ers, rank 7th in pace and are allowing opponents to average 112 points per game against them, 9th most in the NBA. The matchup with Joel Embiid isn’t great since there is a chance of foul trouble so Turner isn’t a lock button type of play, but the price and recent change in mindset make Turner very interesting to me tonight.
2. Larry Nance ($15) – Channing Frye started for the Cavs last game, and it’s possible the Cavs keep starting Frye and bring Nance off the bench, but I’m expecting Nance to see a boatload of minutes regardless. This assumes the Cavs coaching staff is trying to win and is intelligent to realize Nance gives them a better chance of winning, and I suppose we can’t be confident in that. But Nance is just $15, and like Turner, his price didn’t move from his last game despite the fact he dropped 43.7 Yahoo points in 33 minutes. With Tristan Thompson out, the Cavs are incredibly thin at the center position, so regardless of who starts, I’m expecting Nance to see a heavy workload on Friday against the Bucks.
3. Kevin Knox ($13) – The Knicks moved Knox (ooo, tongue twister!) into the starting lineup last game, and he responded with a massive 33.9 Yahoo points on a $13 salary. His salary remains at $13, and while I don’t love trusting rookies, this price is too cheap given his new role. The Knicks can be frustrating to predict their rotations, so there’s always reason to be cautious, but it seems like the Knicks realize they need to develop their younger players and it feels like the move of Knox into the starting lineup is just the start.
4. Furkan Korkmaz ($10) – This play is dependent on whether Jimmy Butler plays or not. If Butler plays, ignore this recommendation. If Butler is out once again, I’d expect Korkmaz to draw another start after he played 34 minutes last game. He’s scored 30+ Yahoo points in back-to-back games now and is getting an opportunity to shine. He may not be a household name right now (unless you live in Furkan Korkmaz’ house, in which case he would be a household name), but he’s not some scrub. Korkmaz is a former first-round pick, dropped 40 points in the Summer League this past summer and comes with some international accolades.
5. Spencer Dinwiddie ($20) – This is more of a GPP play, but I’m looking to pay down at guard and Spencer Dinwiddie seems like a value at $20. He’s played at least 28 minutes in seven straight games and even though he isn’t starting, he’s closing games in the final unit. He’s also coming off a three-year contract extension, so we have the #newcontract narrative. I know it feels weird to pay $20 for Spencer Dinwiddie off the bench, but he’s been as steady as they’ve come this season and he’s flashed massive upside. I like him a lot for tournaments.
Feel free to give me a follow on Twitter. Thanks for reading, and good luck today. May variance be on your side.
SPECIAL OFFER: Use promo code grinders30 on your first deposit to get $30 worth of free play on Yahoo.