Welcome to the Monday NBA DFS slate. The NBA playoffs are on the horizon. The NBA is in full focus right now, with no football or baseball. Hopefully, you are taking advantage of softer slates. 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 solid eight-game slate tonight, so you shouldn’t have to get too crazy when differentiating 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
Paolo Banchero (PF – ORL)
- DraftKings: $9,100
- FanDuel: $9,400
To start the night, I’m going with Paolo Banchero and his sub-$10,000 price tag. After coming off two 37-point outings, his pricing is at one of its lowest levels of the season, and I’m buying stock now. Luckily, the matchup is friendly enough that it’s easy to see a ceiling game out of the Duke product.
In their last 15 games, the Indiana Pacers have allowed the second-most fantasy points and the third-most to opposing power forwards. Half of their starting lineup is questionable, and they’ve been a bottom-of-the-barrel defense since the All-Star break. Banchero gets this game at home and has seen a usage rate near 28% over the last two months of play.
Banchero may have had two subpar outings, but he also had 55 fantasy points in the game before against Oklahoma City. I’m buying the bounce back tonight and trust he will see significant rostership.
Victor Wembanyama (C – SAS)
- DraftKings: $11,000
- FanDuel: $12,200
With a 241-point total, I imagine the Spurs and Heat both end up garnering significant rostership tonight. No team has played at a faster clip this year than Miami. They rank first in possession rate. Over their last 15 games, their defense has dropped from sixth to 14th overall.
Victor Wembanyama has gone over 50 fantasy points in eight of the last nine games. The Spurs big man has shown he can get to 70+ fantasy points in close games when he’s on the court for over 30 minutes, and I expect that to be the case here. Miami can keep this game close, forcing more usage to Wembanyama, where it feels like 50 should be his floor.
Scottie Barnes (PF, SF – TOR)
- DraftKings: $8,200
- FanDuel: $8,900
You’ve heard it once, you’ll hear it again. Any player going up against the Utah Jazz gets a big bump for the day. The Jazz have allowed the third-most fantasy points across the board in their last 30 games and the second-most to opposing forwards. The Raptors are in the thick of things during this seeding race, with only two games between fifth and ninth place.
They may be playing the second leg of a back-to-back, but I can’t imagine the Raptors changing things up much in Utah. Scottie Barnes’ usage has stayed steady at 24%, while his minutes have hovered around 34 per game over the last two weeks of play. Toronto is a double-digit favorite, but I still expect Barnes to play significant minutes, or at least play well enough to get over 45 fantasy points, as he has done in three of his last four games.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
Desmond Bane (SG, SF – ORL)
- DraftKings: $7,400
- FanDuel: $7,500
For the same reason I like Paolo Banchero tonight, I’m in on Desmond Bane. It’s a healthy 235-point total against the current worst defense in the league.
Bane’s guard/forward eligibility offers you flexibility across your rosters, and he’s been consistent, scoring over 30 fantasy points in eight of his last nine outings. At $7,400, that’s not a bad floor, but I project him closer to 40 tonight in the friendly matchup.
Reed Sheppard (PG, SG – HOU)
- DraftKings: $6,400
- FanDuel: $6,700
Coming off a 59 fantasy point effort against Miami on Saturday, it’s easy to see what the Houston guard is capable of accomplishing. Against Chicago, it’s his floor I’m after. The Bulls have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing guards in their last 30 games and have consistently been a bottom-third defensive unit.
The Kentucky product played nearly 37 minutes against Miami, and while I expect that to be the ceiling for his playing time, he should see over 30 minutes tonight as he returns to the starting lineup. With his pricing and the friendly matchup, Sheppard should set up your lineups well to double your winnings.
Kevin Durant lines up as another solid Rockets option, who has guard/forward eligibility. I lean Sheppard because of his price.
CJ McCollum (PG, SG – ATL)
- DraftKings: $6,600
- FanDuel: $6,600
There is still a lot up in the air for Atlanta, as Jalen Johnson is questionable tonight after missing the last game with left shoulder inflammation. Johnson’s status impacts Atlanta’s rostership. They will likely be chalky options considering their opponent.
Since the All-Star break, Memphis ranks 27th in defensive efficiency with a top-10 pace of play. In their last 15 games, the Grizzlies have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards. CJ McCollum has gone over 30 fantasy points in nine of his last 11 games, and today lines up for another such performance in a game with a 240-point total.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
Luka Doncic (PG – LAL)
- DraftKings: $12,200
- FanDuel: $12,800
Listen, there’s never a bad time to roster Luka Doncic. He’s Luka Doncic. Doncic has scored over 50 fantasy points in 15 straight games. Not to mention he’s gone over 70 fantasy points in six of his last nine outings. On any night, Doncic is capable of breaking the slate.
I don’t expect that to be the case tonight, though. Detroit has been the best defensive team against opposing guards this season. Even without Cade Cunningham, this will be a tough battle on the road. Of course, that means Doncic might not be as highly rostered as his optimal percentage in case he goes nuclear.
Don’t be afraid of that big “1st” under the opponent rank on DraftKings, but I advise caution because. With a bigger slate, there can be points from a lot of different avenues tonight. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in the same boat here.
Alperen Sengun (C – HOU)
- DraftKings: $8,600
- FanDuel: $9,500
It’s still early in the day to lock in rostership projections, but right now, it looks like Alperen Sengun is falling through the cracks a bit. Chicago has been the fastest-paced team in the league since the All-Star break, and their defense isn’t exactly scary.
We haven’t seen many ceiling performances out of the Houston center; there’s a reason he’s $8,600. He’s gone over 70 before and has his fair share of 60+ outings. There’s no reason to believe he’s not capable of the same tonight, and he offers decent leverage off the other bigger names at center on this slate.
Brandin Podziemski (PG, SG – GSW)
- DraftKings: $6,900
- FanDuel: $6,700
It’s been tough going for the Warriors, who are 4-12 in their last 16 games. Their offense ranks 20th, and they have plenty of injuries outside of Steph Curry. That’s exactly why it doesn’t seem like many are going to the game between the Warriors and Mavericks.
This total still sits at 231, and with the late tip, many late-swap opportunities give your lineup more flexibility. After a very weird game on Saturday, Brandin Podziemski will be under-rostered against Dallas but is due for a bounce-back.
NBA DFS Value Plays
Wendell Carter Jr. (C – ORL)
- DraftKings: $5,200
- FanDuel: $5,200
I didn’t expect to be talking about Orlando this much, but here we are. The Magic big man has been consistently putting up numbers of late, giving you a floor of 23 fantasy points since early February.
Wendell Carter Jr. has averaged 27 fantasy points per game, and against the Pacers, I imagine he’s in line more to the tune of 30 DraftKings points if all goes well. He’s an easy punt play at center, along with Nick Richards and Daniel Gafford.
Elijah Harkless (PG, SG – UTA)
- DraftKings: $5,100
- FanDuel: $5,700
How can you be so Harkless? With no Isaiah Collier or Keyonte George in the fold for Utah tonight, next up is Elijah Harkless. He’s scored 43 and 39 fantasy points in his last two games, and his pricing still hasn’t come up much on DraftKings, keeping him as an interesting value play.
It’s not the best matchup, but the minutes alone give Harkless a solid enough floor to keep him trustworthy enough at a relatively low price point.
Walter Clayton Jr. (PG – MEM)
- DraftKings: $4,200
- FanDuel: $5,100
After his alma mater lost to Iowa in the NCAA Tournament, maybe Walter Clayton Jr. will be motivated to represent his school with a breakout performance tonight. Besides repping Florida, Memphis is littered with injuries right now, and the Memphis guard should find his way into the starting lineup tonight.
Last time out, he managed 24 fantasy points, and he can do the same, if not better, tonight in a high total affair with Atlanta. The price discrepancy shows that DraftKings might be behind the eight ball on this one.