Monday night’s NBA slate features nine games of action on the hardwood. The slate is void of any players with five-figure salaries with Russell Westbrook suspended one game after receiving his 16th technical foul. So, building a fairly balanced roster is in order with a couple of value options sprinkled in. There are also likely plenty more players that will get ruled out before the ball tips on Monday night, so be sure to pivot accordingly.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom defense versus position (DvP) calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
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One Stud
Paul George (SF/PF – OKC): $9,700 vs. MIA
No Russell Westbrook puts George in position to take on the bulk of the offensive load for the Thunder on Monday against the Heat. In a previous meeting this season, George hung a 43-point outing on the Heat and should get an opportunity to duplicate that effort on Monday at home in what should be a close game.
Monday night’s NBA slate features nine games of action on the hardwood. The slate is void of any players with five-figure salaries with Russell Westbrook suspended one game after receiving his 16th technical foul. So, building a fairly balanced roster is in order with a couple of value options sprinkled in. There are also likely plenty more players that will get ruled out before the ball tips on Monday night, so be sure to pivot accordingly.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom defense versus position (DvP) calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
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One Stud
Paul George (SF/PF – OKC): $9,700 vs. MIA
No Russell Westbrook puts George in position to take on the bulk of the offensive load for the Thunder on Monday against the Heat. In a previous meeting this season, George hung a 43-point outing on the Heat and should get an opportunity to duplicate that effort on Monday at home in what should be a close game.
Core Plays
Elfrid Payton (PG – NO): $7,500 @ DAL
Elfrid has compiled four straight triple-doubles averaging 14.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 13.3 assists in those outings with Jrue Holiday out for the Pelicans. Holiday remains out on Monday for their matchup with the Mavericks which should allow Payton to continue to play big minutes and pile up the stats despite a below average matchup. Payton’s salary just hasn’t caught up to his recent production on DraftKings.
Blake Griffin (PF/C – DET): $7,200 @ CLE
Griffin continues to see is salary fall due to his recent play. However, he performed better in his last outing with 25 points and eight rebounds against the Raptors. Next up for Griffin and his decreasing salary is a favorable matchup against the Cavaliers. Griffin has averaged 20.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists for 44.3 DraftKings points in three previous meeting this season. Take advantage of his low salary while you can.
Marc Gasol (C – TOR): $6,200 vs. NY
The Raptors will rest Kawhi Leonard on Monday, Serge Ibaka is still serving his suspension and Kyle Lowry is considered questionable which should open up plenty of minutes and usage for Gasol. Gasol flirted with a triple-double in the Raptors last game while playing 37 minutes against the Pistons. His salary remains reasonable for a plus matchup against the Knicks who have allowed increased production in points (+7.2%) and rebounds (+1.3%) to centers this season. Pascal Siakam ($6,800) also deserves consideration along with the PG fill-ins or Lowry himself depending on who plays in the backcourt.
DeAndre Jordan (C – NYK): $5,800 @ TOR
I also have interest on the other side of the ball in the Raptors matchup with the Knicks. The Knicks have several underpriced options which could benefit from a depleted Raptors lineup. Jordan has strung together three straight double-doubles with 12.7 points and 15.3 rebounds per game along with a bonus 7.0 assists. He also double-doubled against the Raptors in an earlier meeting this season with 10 points and 18 rebounds in just over 25 minutes of action. It could be the battle of the bigs in Toronto on Monday night.
Value Plays
Dennis Schroder (PG/SG – OKC): $5,100 vs. MIA
The other Thunder player that gets a big bump with Westbrook out is Schroder. In eight games this season without Westbrook, Schroder has averaged 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists for 37.4 DraftKings points. The matchup against the Heat isn’t ideal but with a $5,100 salary and increased usage, he should have no problem exceeding five times value.
Emmanuel Mudiay (PG – NYK): $4,800 @ TOR
A second Knicks value option on the slate is Mudiay assuming that Dennis Smith Jr. misses another contest. He draws a neutral matchup against the Raptors but should be in line for 30-plus minutes. He poured in 28 points in 33 minutes in his last outing and has averaged 21.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for 34.0 DK points per game during that stretch.
Rodney Hood (SG/SF – POR): $3,700 vs. IND
The Trail Blazers will be without C.J. McCollum on Monday and beyond which should thrust Hood into more minutes and a bigger role in the offense. He needs a low salary to be viable since scoring is his primary source of fantasy production and he has that going for him on Monday against the Pacers. Watch the starting lineup for the Blazers and pounce on whoever takes over for McCollum.
Mario Hezonja (SF/PF – NYK): $3,400 @ TOR
Hezonja returned from a 12-game absence to start and play 36 minutes on Sunday against the Lakers. He responded with 17 points and eight rebounds for 34 DK points. He could draw another start on the second game of a back-to-back if Noah Vonleh misses another contest. With Kawhi Leonard out, the Raptors defense take a little bit of a hit which should help Hezonja come close to repeating Sunday’s line if he starts.
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Brad Richter is a Featured Writer and Correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.
