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We’re set for the NBA’s annual Christmas Day extravaganza, which, as customary, consists of five games. We do have some noteworthy names on the injury report, and one star in Devin Booker has already been ruled out, but we’re still dealing with a solid player pool that offers us plenty of options across the salary cap.

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

Jalen Brunson, NYK vs. SAN ($40): Brunson offers a nice combination of a discount off the elite options and plenty of upside, considering he’s averaging 39.4 Yahoo points per game and has exceeded 50 Yahoo points on six occasions already this season. The veteran guard faces a Spurs team allowing the 11th-highest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (26.9) and the third-most Yahoo points to the position in the last seven games (55.4). San Antonio is also conceding 37.1% 3-point shooting on the road, furthering Brunson’s case.

Payton Pritchard, BOS vs. PHI ($23): Pritchard may be rostered at a lower rate than usual Wednesday despite the modestly sized slate due to the couple of duds he’s turned in over the last pair of contests. However, the fifth-year pro has undeniable upside and can heat up in a hurry, already having scored 30 or more Yahoo points in 10 games this season. Pritchard is shooting 44.3% from distance over the last 12 games, and the Sixers are surrendering the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players (44.3).

ALSO CONSIDER: Luka Dončić, DAL vs. MIN ($56)

Guard to Avoid

Dennis Schröder, GSW vs. LAL ($26): Schröder should be a good fit with the Warriors over time, but he’s still in the acclimation process, yet remains salaried as if he had the same role and production as during his time with the Nets. The veteran guard has scored just 10.9 to 18.9 Yahoo points in his first three games with Golden State, and although his talent could emerge in any given game, this is a hefty investment to make based on faith alone.

Forwards 

Kevin Durant, PHO vs. DEN ($48): KD is always a strong ceiling play, but especially when he’s projected for a bump in usage due to the absence of a fellow star. That’s the case Wednesday, as Devin Booker is already ruled out due to a groin injury. Durant has a team-high 39.1% usage rate and averages of 33.0 points, 7.3 assists, 4.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per 36 minutes without Booker on the floor this season, and he just scored 42.8 Yahoo points across 31 minutes against these same Nuggets on Monday. The superstar forward is also averaging 28.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 blocks over 12 home games, and Denver comes into the holiday clash allowing the sixth-most Yahoo points per game to power forwards (50.6) in the last 15 games.

Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK vs. SAN ($43): KAT requires a hefty investment, but more often than not, he’s been worth it during his first season in New York. The versatile big man is averaging 49.6 Yahoo points per game, and he’s scored at least 52.9 Yahoo points in six of the last seven games, including three tallies of 60 or more. That’s excellent upside for his salary, and the Spurs come into the day allowing 54.4 Yahoo points per game to centers, along with the aforementioned vulnerability to 3-point shooting when on the road.

ALSO CONSIDER: LeBron James, LAL at GSW ($49)

Forward to Avoid

Keldon Johnson, SAN at NYK ($22): Johnson is too inconsistent to be carrying a salary north of $20, with the fact he’s scored 7.2 to 18.4 Yahoo points in three of his last four games serving as the latest example. Dating back to Nov. 26, Johnson has scored under 20 Yahoo points on six occasions overall, further making the case there are likely better ways to allocate salary on the five-game ledger.

Centers

Joel Embiid, PHI at BOS ($52): Embiid caused plenty of headlines with his ejection Monday, but given he only played 14 minutes before getting the hook, he should be raring to go Wednesday both mentally and physically. The big man has been a bit erratic in every sense thus far this season, but he’s still offered clear glimpses of his upside with three tallies of more than 51 Yahoo points, including a season-high 61.5 Yahoo points two games ago against the Hornets. Embiid has traditionally dominated the Celtics, averaging 27.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 blocks per game over 24 career meetings. Kristaps Porzingis will certainly offer some resistance, but Embiid has proven capable of thriving in tough matchups on countless occasions.

Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford, MIN at DAL ($24): I’m going with the rare strategy of offering a dual suggestion here when it comes to Dallas’ big men, considering the two players have identical salaries and fill very similar roles. Lively II and Gafford are averaging 26.0 and 27.1 Yahoo points, respectively, this season, and each has flashed a ceiling north of 40 Yahoo points. They’ve also produced respective tallies of 28.3 and 26.3 Yahoo points against the Timberwolves this season, and Minnesota has allowed 56.6 Yahoo points per game to centers over the last seven contests. With each of them regularly seeing minutes in the 20s on average in the same game, either one is a solid mid-salary play Wednesday, or you can roll with both while deploying one in the utility spot.

ALSO CONSIDER: Nikola Jokić, DEN at PHO ($60); Trayce Jackson-Davis, GSW vs. LAL ($17)

Center to Avoid

Kevon Looney, GSW vs. LAL ($15): Looney just doesn’t have any reliable upside when the rest of the Warriors’ starting five is healthy, most recently corroborated by his scores of 16.6 Yahoo points or fewer in five straight games. The veteran big man is mostly in a second-unit role these days, and he’s scored in double digits just once all season. Looney’s position mate Trayce Jackson-Davis (highlighted above in the Also Consider section) carries a salary of just $2 more and has scored 23.4 to 36.8 Yahoo points in three straight, making him a much better way to go if you want exposure to the matchup.