Monday was a great start to the week, but the injuries keep pouring in. We lost Joel Embiid and Collin Sexton on Sunday/Monday, and it feels like a nightly occurrence that we lose essential players. That can make things frustrating for season-long fantasy managers, but it’s a blessing in disguise for DFS. That means there’s a ton of value out there, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
After a big slate on Monday, we’re down to just three games here. That’s slightly disappointing, and it’ll likely lead to a smaller article. What it will do is help me to zone in on this player pool, though. There are only 40-50 fantasy-relevant players on a slate like this, and that always makes it a little easier to break down. With that in mind, lets’s start things off with the schedule and odds!
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Schedule and Odds
- MIL at PHI (MIL -6) O/U: 222.5
- ATL at UTA (UTA -7.5) O/U: 221.5
- POR at LAC (LAC -3) O/U: 220
Injury Report
Core Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF – MIL): $11,400 DraftKings, $11,300 FanDuel
On a three-game slate, it’s critical to get a guy like Giannis into your lineup. This is an MVP with a 40-point floor and a 55-point average. Getting those raw points into your lineup is critical with such a small player pool, and it really doesn’t matter what his salary looks like. Not to mention, he’s being asked to do even more with Middleton and Lopez out of the lineup.
Monday was a great start to the week, but the injuries keep pouring in. We lost Joel Embiid and Collin Sexton on Sunday/Monday, and it feels like a nightly occurrence that we lose essential players. That can make things frustrating for season-long fantasy managers, but it’s a blessing in disguise for DFS. That means there’s a ton of value out there, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
After a big slate on Monday, we’re down to just three games here. That’s slightly disappointing, and it’ll likely lead to a smaller article. What it will do is help me to zone in on this player pool, though. There are only 40-50 fantasy-relevant players on a slate like this, and that always makes it a little easier to break down. With that in mind, lets’s start things off with the schedule and odds!
Get a $5 bonus when you make your first deposit at FanDuel
Schedule and Odds
- MIL at PHI (MIL -6) O/U: 222.5
- ATL at UTA (UTA -7.5) O/U: 221.5
- POR at LAC (LAC -3) O/U: 220
Injury Report
Core Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF – MIL): $11,400 DraftKings, $11,300 FanDuel
On a three-game slate, it’s critical to get a guy like Giannis into your lineup. This is an MVP with a 40-point floor and a 55-point average. Getting those raw points into your lineup is critical with such a small player pool, and it really doesn’t matter what his salary looks like. Not to mention, he’s being asked to do even more with Middleton and Lopez out of the lineup.
Paul George (SF – LAC): $10,500 DraftKings, $10,800 FanDuel
PG13 is second on this slate with 52 DraftKings points per game, and he might be first if it weren’t for a couple of blowouts. What’s made him so unique this year is the fact that he’s the man in LA. With Leonard off the floor, PG is leading the team with a 35 percent usage rate. He’s also taking nearly 25 shots a game in this role while averaging about 1.4 DK points per minute. Not to mention, Portland surrenders the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.
Andre Drummond (C – PHI): $7,700 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel
This dude just grabbed 25 rebounds on Monday. Drummond has been a per-minute beast throughout his career, and he should be looking at 35-40 minutes with Embiid out for the next few games. In his two starts for Embiid this year, Drum is averaging 54.5 DK points per game. Good luck finding that from anyone else below $8,000.
Cash Game Considerations
Damian Lillard (PG – POR): $9,200 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel
Lillard hasn’t played like a cash game player this season, but this price makes him one. The superstar is in the worst shooting slump of his career but is averaging over 38 fantasy points per game. That means some 50-spots are right around the corner, and we think that can happen here with LA owning a 17th OPRK against opposing point guards.
Rudy Gobert (C – UTA): $8,900 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel
Gobert has been one of the best centers in the NBA this season. The Frenchman has at least 37 DraftKings points in all but one game, averaging 43 fantasy points per game. The 17 rebounds he grabs give him a fantastic floor, making him one of the best cash game options on the board.
Clint Capela (C – ATL): $7,100 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
Much like Gobert, Capela has a nice floor because of his rebounding ability. He has had some duds this year, but it’s all about minutes. That shouldn’t be an issue here, with Capela needing to play 30-plus to oppose Gobert. That makes him an excellent bet for a double-double, and that alone would make him a huge value, around $7,000.
GPP Targets
Tyrese Maxey (PG – PHI): $6,200 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel
The Sixers are missing Harris, Embiid, and Simmons. That has forced Maxey into a monster role, playing at least 37 minutes in four straight games. The former Wildcat is averaging over 41 minutes a game in that span and nearly 35 DK points per outing. That makes him nearly impossible to avoid in this price range.
Bobby Portis (PF/C – MIL): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
Portis has been slow to get going because of his recovery from an injury, but this is an excellent spot for him. BP got the start for Middleton in Milwaukee’s most recent game, dropping 45 DK points across 31 minutes of action. That’s all you can ask for from a sub-$6K player, especially when you see that Portis is averaging over 1.2 DK points per minute for his career.
Robert Covington (PF/C – POR): $4,300 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
RoCo has been horrible this season, but these price tags are getting crazy. This dude averaged nearly 30 DK points per game for the final three months of last season and has shown glimpses of that recently. In fact, Covington has at least 27 fantasy points in each of his last three games.
Value Plays
Shake Milton (PG/SG – PHI): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
Milton has been playing much more with all of the Philly players missing. He’s got at least 36 fantasy points in two of his last three games, making him a great option in this price range, despite a down night on Monday.
De’Andre Hunter (SF – ATL): $4,300 DraftKings, $4,300 FanDuel
Hunter has been horrid at times this year, but this dude has had month-long stretches with a 30-point average. That would be quite the total from a guy sitting at $4,300, and we certainly don’t mind that he’s playing over 30 minutes a night over the last three games. As long as he does that, Hunter will inevitably see his price get north of $5K.
Pat Connaughton (SF – MIL): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
We’ve already mentioned how much Milwaukee is missing Middleton, but it’s been a big boost for Connaughton. The wingman is averaging 21.4 DK points per game this season in nearly 30 minutes a night. That’d be a huge boost in this price range, especially on DK at $4,200.
Advantageous Pricing
- Clint Capela (C – ATL): $7,100 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
- Shake Milton (PG/SG – PHI): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
- Pat Connaughton (SF – MIL): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
- C.J. McCollum (SG – POR): $7,200 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
- Seth Curry (SG – PHI): $5,900 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
- Nicolas Batum (SF – LAC) $5,200 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
- Damian Lillard (PG – POR): $9,200 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
