Welcome to the Monday NBA DFS slate. The All-Star break is in the rearview mirror, and the playoffs are on the horizon. We’re in the dog days now, with the NBA taking center stage with no baseball or football, and the Olympics being done. Hopefully, DraftKings and FanDuel will provide bigger slates for bigger opportunities.
If you’re going to play NBA DFS, you have to keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That is going to be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. We have a smaller three-game slate on Monday, so you will have to get creative with your lineups. In the end, 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
Welcome to the Monday NBA DFS slate. The All-Star break is in the rearview mirror, and the playoffs are on the horizon. We’re in the dog days now, with the NBA taking center stage with no baseball or football, and the Olympics being done. Hopefully, DraftKings and FanDuel will provide bigger slates for bigger opportunities.
If you’re going to play NBA DFS, you have to keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That is going to be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. We have a smaller three-game slate on Monday, so you will have to get creative with your lineups. In the end, 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
- DraftKings: $9,000
- FanDuel: $9,400
Starting the night, I’m fading Victor Wembanyama and rostering Alperen Sengun. As the cheaper option, he allows a bit more flexibility with the rest of your lineup construction and still offers a ceiling over 60 fantasy points.
Utah is one of the friendliest fantasy matchups right now. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers than the Jazz. Sengun has averaged only 43 fantasy points a game, but gets a significant bump when playing at home. He’s more of a GPP play, but his 28% usage rate in a pace-up spot also makes him a good cash game play.
Amen Thompson is a solid play as well, as are a lot of Houston players tonight.
- DraftKings: $10,500
- FanDuel: $11,300
With only two five-figure players on tonight’s small slate, you’ll likely have to decide between one of them. I’ll go with Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has really leveled up his play this year, averaging 51 fantasy points per game while scoring over 56 in four straight games, including a 79-point outing.
The Pistons have the home court advantage, where the mighty Spurs defense takes a bit of a hit. While San Antonio ranks in the top 10 in limiting opposing point guard scoring, Cunningham has been matchup-proof this season, handling tough opponents. He has the highest ceiling tonight, and while that may be a bold claim, it’s one I’ll stand on for GPPs. There’s a likelihood his pure point output will be necessary on tonight’s small slate.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
- DraftKings: $6,400
- FanDuel: $6,000
I’ll be covering Houston a lot, given their matchup, but it’s hard to argue against the matchup. No team has allowed more fantasy points than the Jazz. No team has allowed more fantasy points to shooting guards or small forwards than Utah over its last 30 games.
Tari Eason will likely be highly rostered because it’s a small slate, but he projects for around 33 fantasy points. I can’t say he’s the most consistent baller with a 20% usage rate, but against the Jazz in a massive pace-up spot as 16-point favorites, it’s easy to trust he’ll provide plenty of return on investment (ROI) across his 33 or so minutes tonight. Jabari Smith Jr. also falls into this category.
- DraftKings: $5,700
- FanDuel: $6,000
After returning from injury, Keegan Murray has scored 30 fantasy points in each of his two games back. That’s what he’s averaged the whole season, and even just setting that as his baseline tonight is a good starting point. Over their last 30 games, Memphis has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.
In their past 15 games, the Grizzlies’ defense has dropped to second-worst in the league while maintaining a top-10 pace of play. It’s underrated how friendly Memphis has been to opposing teams. Even though Sacramento’s offense has dropped to one of the worst units in the league, they line up well against the Grizzlies. This game features the highest total of the slate, and with his 35 or so expected minutes, Murray has a high floor for cash games.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
- DraftKings: $7,700
- FanDuel: $7,700
After dealing with an ankle injury for the past few weeks, Keyonte George is expected back tonight. Of course, monitor injury news. If he’s out, Isaiah Collier becomes a solid GPP play. Pick your poison from Utah tonight because their rostership is going to be remarkably low.
On a three-game slate, everyone is fair play, and the Jazz are falling through the cracks. For large-field GPPs, George is a solid play. He has a ceiling of over 50 fantasy points, which he’s accomplished a handful of times in his last healthy games, and he already averages over 40 a night. Houston is not a friendly matchup, but with George’s 27% usage rate and 33 minutes of play, there is a ceiling to be had for this leverage play.
- DraftKings: $7,100
- FanDuel: $7,100
With the Spurs on an eight-game winning streak, the one-possession spread makes tonight quite exciting as the marquee game of the night. Even on a three-game slate, this matchup is getting little rostership compared to tonight’s other friendly matchups. Of course, Victor Wembanyama is also a great GPP play.
De’Aaron Fox should play around 30 minutes and can get over 40 points, making him a great play at his $7,100 price tag. Not exactly slate-breaking, but enough to set your lineups up for success. Detroit’s defense ranks second in the league and allows the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing point guards. But that kind of matchup is exactly why early rostership projections appear off. Just like Keyonte George, Fox makes for a fine leverage play, in line for 35 points as his median outcome.
NBA DFS Value Plays
- DraftKings: $4,100
- FanDuel: $4,400
If you’re any team in the NBA right now, you probably want to face off against the Sacramento Kings. They’ve lost 16 straight games and rank dead last in the league defensively during that time. Full tank mode is on, and I don’t expect them to decide that playing Memphis is when they turn it up a notch.
For the Grizzlies, the injuries they’re facing in the frontcourt give Taylor Hendricks a bump. Santi Aldama, Kyle Anderson and Cedric Coward are out. Hendricks has started the last two games and put up 25 fantasy points last time out against Utah. That’s right about where I expect Hendricks to land tonight, if not higher. Memphis has a lot of value options — Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Walter Clayton, Javon Small and Gregory Jackson — who can all return at least 5X value tonight.
- DraftKings: $4,600
- FanDuel: $4,700
After putting up 32 fantasy points last time out against the Spurs, you can understand the kind of value Malik Monk has to offer any given game, going over 28 points in two of his last three healthy games.
Memphis is the 10th-fastest-paced team, and we’ve established their dwindling defense, allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards in their last seven games. That is a trend I expect to continue. Despite coming off the bench on a poor offense, Monk should play around 26 minutes tonight. That should be plenty against this Grizzlies defense.
