Welcome to the Monday NBA DFS slate. I hope you’ve had a profitable weekend and a wonderful season so far as we get closer to springtime and a playoff push. It’s been a solid and profitable season so far, and I’m here to continue on that. If you’re going to do NBA DFS, you must keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That will be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. We have a 10-game slate tonight, which is a lot but means plenty of opportunity to get creative with your lineup building. Ultimately, it’s about making the right choices and picking your spots, which is why I’m here. Let’s break down the top plays for this slate.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC)
- DraftKings: $11,000
- FanDuel: $11,600
SGA is usually a near lock for a core play when he gets on the court but now so more than ever. The Thunder guard has averaged 60 FPPG in his last five matchups, and while it’s boosted by a 73-point effort, he hasn’t gone below 40 DK points once in 2025. His consistency is unmatched. It’s a double back-to-back for both squads here, but it’s one of the highest totals on the slate with two top-six-paced teams and potentially some bigger names sitting that hurts both team’s defensive units. Denver ranks 23rd in defensive efficiency since the break, so it’s not like Shai will be limited much at all. Even with 20 teams playing on this slate tonight, SGA is a toss-up for the highest ceiling potential among any player, and with his price staying at $11k, I’m going to find ways to roster him.
Jayson Tatum (PF/SF – BOS)
- DraftKings: $10,300
- FanDuel: $10,800
I don’t love throwing a questionable Jayson Tatum out there, but assuming he plays, Tatum should eat against a Utah Jazz team that has an entire team facing injuries. The Boston forward will play 38 minutes with a 35 percent usage rate – his average since the break – and no team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing forwards in their last 15 games than the Utah Jazz. Tatum scored Los Angeles this weekend for 76 FP to remind everyone what he is capable of, but even with recency bias aside, it’s clear how Tatum can get you to some big cashes at home against the Jazz tonight, even with the big slate.
RJ Barrett (SG/SF/PF – TOR)
- DraftKings: $7,400
- FanDuel: $7,800
Barrett has been as consistent as ever recently, tallying 34-plus FP in 15 of his last 18 games with a 51 burger thrown in there. He recorded 42 DK points last time out against Washington, and that was across just 28 minutes of play. You can project that more as a floor tonight. I’d put him closer to 45-46 points tonight, and with his positional versatility on DK and his guard-forward status, there are a lot of places you can put him without a high price and a 5.5X value multiplier. Washington is one of my favorite DFS matchups to roster players against, with their 28th-ranked defense and fourth-fastest league pace of play. I love me some Toronto players tonight, as we will get to, but there isn’t anyone I like more than Mr. Barrett.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
Max Christie (SG/SF – DAL)
- DraftKings: $5,400
- FanDuel: $5,800
Given that Dallas might only field eight real basketball players tonight, you can pick and choose who you might play in your cash lineups. Monitor Dallas closely, as they will be a high owned squad with the usage condensed and are still playing in a respectful 231 total. I’m going with Christie because I’d expect the most minutes from him, around 37. He’s the best value-ceiling option among Dallas ballers but if you’re going for Spencer Dinwiddie or Naji Marshall, I fully support that play.
Onyeka Okongwu (C – ATL)
- DraftKings: $6,800
- FanDuel: $7,500
The Atlanta big man has been dominant of late, with 39-plus FP in four of his last five games. When it comes to pace, Philly isn’t exactly breakneck speed, but defensively, you couldn’t ask for a better matchup. The 76ers defense has been abysmal since the break and I don’t expect them to get better anytime soon. They’ve allowed 56 FPPG to opposing centers in their last 15 games, with that number jumping up in the last seven matchups. Okongwu has shown his 50-plus DK point ceiling multiple times this year, but his floor feels safe tonight, too, with 30-plus minutes against the current worst defense in the league.
Russell Westbrook (PG – DEN)
- DraftKings: $5,500
- FanDuel: $6,200
It feels a little weird throwing Westbrook on this list against the league’s best defense over the course of the season, but when Russ starts, he gets minutes with a boost in usage rate, and I’m buying into some investment on this near 240 total. Both team’s possession rate ranks in the top six this year and of late, Oklahoma City has actually allowed the 12th most DK points to opposing point guards. That may not seem that high, but considering they’ve allowed the fewest over the entire season, it’s quite the jump in favor of Westbrook. The veteran guard averaged 37 fantasy points in his two most recent starts and played well across 31 minutes against the Thunder just yesterday. Tonight, I’m going to project him to do the same.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN)
- DraftKings: $12,900
- FanDuel: $12,900
It’s weird keeping Jokic out of my core plays but I wanted to show how I’m capable of change. Jokic’s status is up in the air as we currently wait on an injury report for this game. But if he plays, it’s hard to go against the pure ceiling of the Denver center. His average is 68 FPPG, and despite OKC’s solid defense, Chet Holmgren is likely to be out on the back-to-back, this is one of the fastest-paced games on the slate with one of the highest totals. Jokic’s price has gotten a little out of hand, but if dominoes fall correctly, his ownership should be limited with a Q-tag and 20-team slate, and if you can afford him in your GPP lineups, he offers a ceiling that is second to none.
Devin Vassell (SG/SF – SAS)
- DraftKings: $6,100
- FanDuel: $6,400
I’m surprised that Vassell’s ownership is coming in below 10%, given his potential ceiling and his positional versatility. That makes him an easy GPP play. I’d project him around 35 fantasy points, and he showed his pure ceiling of 76 FP last week against Brooklyn. Dallas is struggling with depth, to say it nicely, and has allowed the second most fantasy points a game across the board over their last seven games. Since the All-Star break, Dallas is still playing at a top-10 pace with a bottom-10 defense. Even if they slow down the pace a bit, the Spurs are still running at a higher pace of their own, and Vassell has a lot of avenues for a ceiling output. If his ownership stays below double-digits, he’s a great GPP option.
Desmond Bane (SG/SF – MEM)
- DraftKings: $7,900
- FanDuel: $8,400
This is more of your single-entry, smaller field GPP options as Bane projects around 15-17% ownership, but his ceiling is too high to pass up on including him in this article. Phoenix-Memphis is the highest total on the slate, around 244, and Bane is in line to project even better than he is now with potential injury implications. The Memphis shooting guard is averaging 53 FPPG over his last five games. He’s had two 60-plus point outings, and his usage rate has gotten a nice bump to 27 percent in the last two weeks of play across 37 minutes played a night. He went off in his first matchup against Phoenix, and the Suns defense has ranked second to last since the All-Star break. No matter how injuries line up tonight, Bane makes for an excellent option.
NBA DFS Value Plays
Orlando Robinson (C – TOR)
- DraftKings: $3,700
- FanDuel: $4,100
Anytime you get a starter playing over 20 minutes, it’s already setting up for a solid fantasy ROI with a price tag so low. Against the Washington Wizards, it’s a fantasy. Robinson has averaged 12 FPPG on the season, but he’s tallied 24 in consecutive games, including Saturday against Washington. Now, he’s slotted to start, and his usage rate has been at 16 percent, with additional scoring and rebounding to go with it. I’d project him around 24 minutes – as he has played for the last three games – and against the fourth fastest team with the third worst defense this season, he’s going to be a high-owned value play that will be tough to pass up on if you need a punt option at center.
I also want to say Toronto has some other great value options, like Jamison Battle and AJ Lawson, depending on injury status, so don’t be afraid to roster your Raptors tonight.
Tre Jones (PG/SG – CHI)
- DraftKings: $4,800
- FanDuel: $5,300
It’s taken Jones a bit to get up to speed with the Bulls, but over his last three games starting, he’s scored 30+ points a night. In each of those games, he’s played 30+ minutes and tallied a nearly 16 percent usage rate. With those numbers, in a game that features a 243 total, I’m heavily buying into Jones as a value option tonight. The Pacers are a top-10 ranked team when it comes to pace of play and their defense has been just fine recently and throughout the season. As mentioned, the Duke product has averaged over 30 fantasy points per game recently, and I think that’s a safe floor around where I’d project him tonight.
Lonnie Walker (SG – PHI)
- DraftKings: $3,600
- FanDuel: $4,400
Even without starting in his last four games, he’s averaged 28 minutes a night with a 21 percent usage rate and 28 FPPG. That average is highly bumped by his 50 DK point outing against Utah yesterday, but that is a big reason why he has such a value potential in this back-to-back. We’re still waiting on injury reports but there’s a chance Walker starts tonight and gets closer to 34 minutes as he did last night. I’m not saying he exactly breaks the slate, but he will be another high-owned value option with a short memory and in a big pace-up spot against Atlanta.
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