After a monster slate on Monday, we have just six games here. The good news is that we don’t have all of the chaos that ensued on Monday. It felt like every important player was sitting and like every team was on a back-to-back, but those aren’t really huge issues here. There is a lot to talk about, though, so let’s get into it!

If you have any comments or questions, reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel

Check out today’s NBA Tip-Off from DraftKings

Most Value Per Dollar 

This is one of the rare slates where we don’t have many center recommendations in this section. One of the big reasons for that is that three of the highest-priced players on the slate are at center. One of them is injured while another is in the stud section. That means the guard and forward positions are stacked, making lineup construction a little easier to configure. With that said, our best per-dollar play on the board happens to be a center!

If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros.

Below is a list of the top players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.

Montrezl Harrell (LAL) $6,800
With LeBron James and Anthony Davis out for the foreseeable future, there’s going to be a ton of value in Los Angeles. We believe Harrell is the best of the bunch, leading the team with a 28 percent usage rate with those guys off the floor. He’s also averaging 1.34 DK points per minute and has at least 23 points and 10 rebounds in the two games without those two. The matchup is brilliant as well, and we’ll go over that more later.

Andrew Wiggins (GSW) $6,600
Stepping in for injured stars will be a major theme here, and Wiggins is certainly one of those guys. He’s taking over with Stephen Curry out of the lineup, averaging 51.2 DK points per game in the last two games without the former MVP. That’s obviously absurd, and it’s no surprise when you see that Wig has a 31 percent usage rate in those games too.

Tobias Harris (PHI) $8,500
Joel Embiid is the one injured for the Sixers, and it’s forced Toby into a role as their go-to guy. With Joel off the floor this year, Harris has a 28 percent usage rate. That’s led to him posting a 48-point average over his last five fixtures, and he should be able to duplicate that in this sort of matchup. Golden State ranks 21st in points allowed while playing at the second-fastest pace in the NBA.

Talen Horton-Tucker (LAL) $5,500
This guy can be a star player when given the opportunity, and one has to believe he’ll see a much bigger role with those superstars out of the lineup. He actually ranks second on the team with a 27.6 percent usage rate with James and Davis off the floor, providing 1.2 DK points per minute. With THT averaging 27 fantasy points per game across 24 minutes a night over his last five outings, that looks even better.

R.J. Barrett (NYK) $6,600
Barrett has been a volume monster all year, and it’s been particularly absurd recently. He’s played at least 39 minutes in three-straight games, averaging 35.2 DK points per game across his last seven outings in total. Anyone who plays 40 minutes and takes 15-20 shots is always in play this price range, especially with Washington playing at the fastest pace in the NBA.

Jordan Poole (GSW) $5,600
Poole has been the biggest beneficiary of Curry’s injury, proving he’s one of the most underrated scorers in the NBA. He’s actually averaging 24.7 raw points over his last three games, taking at least 15 shots in each of those. That’s led to a 36-point average in that span, and he’s going to continue to huck up shots as long as Curry remains out.

Ben Simmons (PHI) $8,800
We already talked about how Embiid will miss this game, and that’s made Simmons a monster once again. The Australian has scored at least 31 fantasy points in each of his last 17 games, posting a 42-point average in that span. That’s huge with the increase in usage with Embiid out and facing the second-fastest-paced team in the NBA only adds to Simmons’ intrigue because of his scary athleticism.

Dennis Schroder (LAL) $6,600
Schroder will probably be the best player in LA with Davis and LeBron out, but he’s also seen the biggest price bump. It’s simply not enough, though, because Schroder will be running things for the Lakers. He’s got a 27 percent usage rate with those guys off the floor, and he’s got the highest average of any of the remaining players. We love the matchup for all of these guys, too, with New Orleans ranked 28th in defensive efficiency while surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.

Robert Covington (POR) $5,700
Roco has been awesome for over a month now, and it’s a wonder why his price remains below $6K. Covington is averaging 31 DraftKings points per game across his last 17 outings and has an even higher average over his last 10 fixtures. We love the matchup with Brooklyn, too, considering Roco will play huge minutes to oppose James Harden. Not to mention, the Nets also rank 27th in defensive efficiency.

Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day

Studs Worth Their Salary

• James Harden (BKN) $11,000: Portland currently ranks 29th in defensive efficiency and has been allowing monster performances to the opponent’s best player night after night. That’s horrifying against a beast like Harden, with The Beard posting a 58-point average over his last 16 games played. Not to mention, Kyrie Irving is out as well, putting even more Trail Blazer meat on Harden’s plate.
• Nikola Jokic (DEN) $10,700: Jokic is simply the best option in fantasy. He’s leading the NBA with over 59 DK points per game. He’s been even more ridiculous recently, scoring at least 64 fantasy points in six of his last nine games.
• Julius Randle (NYK) $9,900: Randle earned his All-Star appearance despite what some people might say, and he’s been showing why. The big man has now scored at least 47 fantasy points in 11 of his last 13 games, averaging 54.4 fantasy points per game across his last five fixtures. We love that against a Washington team that surrenders the fourth-most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing PFs while playing at the blistering pace we mentioned before. In their last meeting, Julius dropped a 55-spot on them.
• Jimmy Butler (MIA) $9,300: This guy is not getting enough credit for what he’s doing, flirting with triple-doubles on a nightly basis. Since returning from injury, Jimmy Buckets is averaging 23.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.0 steals over his last 23 games played.

Notable Players to Fade

• C.J. McCollum (POR) $7,400: It’s been a slow start in McCollum’s return, and I don’t want to use him until he’s rolling again. He’s failed to crack 20 fantasy points in three of his four games since returning and we can’t trust that at this lofty price.
• Deandre Ayton (PHO) $5,900: Ayton finally had a decent game on Sunday, but he’s been terrible aside from that. Despite that blow-up on Sunday, Ayton is averaging just 29 DK points per game across 25 minutes in his previous eight games. We hate that with Miami ranked Top-5 in points allowed and defensive efficiency.
• Eric Bledsoe (NOR) $4,600:  I love Bledsoe, but things aren’t right for him. Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram are swallowing up too much usage for Bled to be effective, scoring 21 or fewer fantasy points in seven-straight games. He’s also got a 15-point average in that span, making him impossible to use right now.

Create DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. Our Lineup Optimizer allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players. We’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.

Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.