Monday’s nine-game NBA slate seems to be fairly injury free which is good for the players and teams but is bad for building DFS lineups. Of course, this is the NBA so things can change in a hurry as we approach tipoff, but for now, we are likely forced into a more balanced approach for our lineup construction to get players with a solid floor and some upside.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom defense versus position (DvP) calculations that combines data from the season and last five games along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
Check out today’s NBA Sharpshooter from DraftKings
One Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns (C- MIN): $9,300 @ PHO
After the majority of this season with a salary in five-figures, Towns has seen his salary dip down to $9,300 for Monday’s tussle with the Suns, but I’m not really sure why. The Suns are a neutral matchup by my metrics for opposing big men and Towns put up 31 points and 17 rebounds on his way to 62.3 DraftKings points in a previous meeting with the Suns this year. Value could be hard to come by on this slate, so let’s start off with a value stud.
Core Plays
Paul George (SF/PF – LAC): $7,800 @ IND
There is talk that either Kawhi Leonard or George will sit out Monday’s matchup with the Pacers as the Clippers play the second game of a back-to-back. The early indication is that Leonard will sit which should open up some extra usage for George in a return to Indiana to face one of his former clubs. The Pacers have been good defending forward this season, but that is not going to deter me from rostering George at a very reasonable salary if Leonard gets a day off.
Monday’s nine-game NBA slate seems to be fairly injury free which is good for the players and teams but is bad for building DFS lineups. Of course, this is the NBA so things can change in a hurry as we approach tipoff, but for now, we are likely forced into a more balanced approach for our lineup construction to get players with a solid floor and some upside.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom defense versus position (DvP) calculations that combines data from the season and last five games along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
Check out today’s NBA Sharpshooter from DraftKings
One Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns (C- MIN): $9,300 @ PHO
After the majority of this season with a salary in five-figures, Towns has seen his salary dip down to $9,300 for Monday’s tussle with the Suns, but I’m not really sure why. The Suns are a neutral matchup by my metrics for opposing big men and Towns put up 31 points and 17 rebounds on his way to 62.3 DraftKings points in a previous meeting with the Suns this year. Value could be hard to come by on this slate, so let’s start off with a value stud.
Core Plays
Paul George (SF/PF – LAC): $7,800 @ IND
There is talk that either Kawhi Leonard or George will sit out Monday’s matchup with the Pacers as the Clippers play the second game of a back-to-back. The early indication is that Leonard will sit which should open up some extra usage for George in a return to Indiana to face one of his former clubs. The Pacers have been good defending forward this season, but that is not going to deter me from rostering George at a very reasonable salary if Leonard gets a day off.
Buddy Hield (SG/SF – SAC): $7,100 @ HOU
Hield hasn’t been shy about jacking up shots recently with over 20 attempts in six of his last seven games. That has resulted in Hield scoring at least 21 points in seven straight games. He should have plenty of chances to shot in an up-tempo matchup against the Rockets on Monday. The Rockets have allowed the second-most field goal attempts and most three-point tries to shooting guards this season which has resulted in an increase in points (+9.3%). Bombs away!
Ricky Rubio (PG – PHO): $7,000 vs. MIN
Rubio has been dropping dimes like crazy lately with 13 or more in three of his last four games. In those four games, Rubio is averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 12.5 assists, and 2.3 steals for 38.8 DK points per game. The assists numbers should continue to be there for Rubio against the Timberwolves, but he could also see an uptick in his scoring and rebounding opportunities with increases of 16.7% in points and 14.0% in rebounds to point guards by the Wolves.
Draymond Green (PG/SF – GSW): $5,800 vs. MEM
Green should continue to have a solid floor projection when he plays with the way he can fill up a box score on a nightly basis. I’m expecting a spike in production across the board for Green in Monday’s matchup at home against the Grizzlies. Green had eight points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for 42 DK points in an earlier meeting with the Grizzlies this season. The Grizzlies have allowed increased production in points (+7.6%), rebounds (+1.8%), and assists (30.5%) to forwards this year.
Value Plays
Lonzo Ball (PG – NO): $5,200 vs. DET
You never really know what you are going to get from Ball on a night-to-night basis. We have seen the high (54 DK points) and low (10 DK points) from him over the last two games. While Monday’s result will likely fall somewhere in between those numbers as he has averaged 28 DK points per game this season. On a night where we are searching for value with some upside, Ball definitely has that upside potential if you are willing to take on the risk.
Serge Ibaka (PF/C – TOR): $4,700 @ CHI
I’m always interested in playing big men against the Bulls. The Bulls have allowed significantly increased production to opposing big men in points (+8.5%), rebounds (+14.3%), and blocks (+54.3%). Ibaka has reached double-digit points in four straight games. He had 18 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks for 32.3 DK points in an earlier meeting with the Bulls this season. Look for a similar line from the Raptors big man on Monday.
OG Anunoby (SF/PF – TOR): $4,700 @ CHI
Anunoby is coming off one of his best games of the season putting up a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Sixers on Sunday for 47 DraftKings points. He’ll look to carry the momentum into Monday’s tilt with the Bulls. Anunoby had one of his other most productive nights this season the first time he faced the Bulls when he went for 17 points and six rebounds on his way to 38.5 DK points.
Gordon Hayward (SF/PF – BOS): $3,000 vs. CLE
Hayward is a wildcard on the Monday night slate as there are some indications that he might return from his hand injury to play against the Cavaliers. While Hayward likely won’t play too many minutes if he does indeed suit up, he is min-priced on DraftKings and probably only needs about 15 minutes of action to reach at least 5x his salary. Watch the injury reports leading up to tipoff for this one.
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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.