Monday features a seven-game main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
The Detroit Pistons are leading the Eastern Conference with a 14-2 record, and Cade Cunningham is the main reason for their success. They have won 11 straight games, and during that stretch, Cunningham is averaging 30.6 points, 10.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 60.6 DraftKings points per game.
Cunningham has posted a points and assists double-double in six straight games and eight of his last nine. He is averaging a career high in both points and assists per game with a 31.2% usage rate.
The Pistons are double-digit road favorites against the Pacers, who rank ninth in pace and 23rd in defensive rating. Cunningham should thrive in this up-tempo matchup. He has the second-highest projected ceiling on this seven-game slate and is a strong pay-up option in all formats.
Value
The Toronto Raptors are another team that comes into this game on a hot streak. They have won seven straight and 11 of their last 12 games. Second-year pro Jamal Shead has been a consistent and valuable piece of this offense off the bench and remains incredibly cheap at $3,600 tonight.
Shead has the highest projected Plus/Minus at the point guard position and the second-highest on the entire slate. In his last two games, Shead has combined to score 18 points and 19 assists for 55.4 DraftKings points. That is more than enough of an average to pay off his cheap price tag.
The Cavaliers are still one of the best defensive teams in the league, but at $3,600, Shead does not have to do much to return value. He is a perfect option in a stars and scrubs lineup build.
Fast Break
Josh Giddey is coming off his fourth triple-double of the season with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, accumulating 62 DraftKings points. That was a matchup against the worst Eastern Conference team in the league. Now he will draw the 2-15 Pelicans, the worst team in the Western Conference. The Pelicans rank 27th in defensive rating while allowing opponents to shoot 50.1% from the field. Giddey’s ceiling is lower than Cunningham’s, but he is worth targeting in this elite matchup tonight.
Jalen Brunson captured 33 points and 11 assists in his last game against the Magic and will now draw a cupcake matchup against the Nets, who rank 29th in defensive rating. The point guard position is flooded with talent in great matchups, and Brunson is no different. He is cheaper than Cunningham and Giddey but has a respectable ceiling projection. That is the main reason why he is drawing the highest projected ownership of this trio of point guards at 17%.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
Donovan Mitchell is starting to cook offensively for the Cavaliers. He is averaging a career-high 30.8 points with four 3-pointers made per game and shooting 51.5% from the field and 29.3% from deep. Both of which rank in the top five of the league. Mitchell has scored 30+ points in five of his last six games.
The Raptors have been fantastic defending the 3-point line this season, but Mitchell is a three-level scorer. The best part about his recent games is Mitchell is contributing in peripherals. He has averaged 8.5 rebounds in back-to-back games and even had a 15-rebound game earlier this month.
Mitchell has the highest projected ceiling at the shooting guard position, but his price tag has also risen to $9,600. His projected ownership is under 10%, making him a contrarian pay-up option tonight.
Value
Rookie Caleb Love is being forced to play heavy minutes off the bench for the Trail Blazers recently. Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson are out, while Shaedon Sharpe is questionable and in danger of missing his fourth straight game. Keep an eye on Sharpe’s status because that would help Love out even more.
Love has yet to start a game this season, but in his last four games he is averaging 28.5 minutes per game. He has posted two duds and two ceiling games during that time. At $4,500 with point guard and shooting guard eligibility, Love is an incredible value play worth chasing another ceiling performance.
The Bucks’ matchup looks much better for Love with Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the lineup and unable to defend the paint. Our NBA Model has Love projected to play 26 minutes with a 22% usage rate and the highest ownership projection at the guard position at 24%.
Fast Break
Trey Murphy has a projected ceiling similar to Mitchell but costs $2,400 less, which is why he is tripling the projected ownership. The Pelicans can’t win a game recently and continue to deal with many injuries. Even with losing nine straight games, Murphy has been one of the most consistent fantasy producers this season. He has 35+ DraftKings points in 10 of his last 11 games, averaging 40.3 per game during that time. A Murphy and Giddey mini-stack looks very intriguing on this slate.
After missing 11 straight games with an injury, Bennedict Mathurin has returned and hasn’t missed a beat. Mathurin has scored over 20 points in each game since returning from injury and even posted a double-double with 12 rebounds in one of those three games. Priced in the mid-range, Mathurin is projected for over 15% ownership and is worth targeting in tournaments tonight.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
The small forward position is once again a landmine with limited stud options. Michael Porter leads the position with the highest projected ceiling by a comfortable margin. He has been surprisingly consistent for the Nets, scoring over 20 points in nine straight games and averaging 27.4 points and 44.8 DraftKings points per game during that time. He is also shooting 48.7% from the field with 18.2 field goals per game.
Cam Thomas continues to be out for the Nets, which puts even more pressure on Porter to deliver all of the Nets’ scoring. Our model has Porter projected for a 31% usage rate, which is the sixth highest on the slate and the highest at the small forward position. The Knicks have been a below-average defensive unit this season but are still 13.5-point favorites. The Nets are a tough team to target, but Porter has been balling.
Value
Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun remain out for the Nuggets, which provides more opportunity for young players like Peyton Watson. Over his last five games where Watson has started, he is averaging 14.6 points, seven rebounds, and 29.72 DraftKings points per game while shooting 59.1% from the field.
Watson is not just a low-salary value play, but he has displayed an upside that makes him even more intriguing. Against the Pelicans three games ago, Watson erupted for 32 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 13-for-19 from the field and 5-for-9 from behind the arc for 55.5 DraftKings points.
Watson has the highest projected Plus/Minus at the small forward position and is projected to start once again and play close to 35 minutes. That makes him one of the best values on this seven-game slate.
Fast Break
Rookie Cooper Flagg has been a boom-or-bust fantasy option recently but will continue to be the top option on the Mavericks with Anthony Davis doubtful to play tonight. Flagg has the second-highest projected ceiling at the small forward position behind Porter and gets a matchup against the Heat, who have the highest pace in the league at 106.41. With an enticing game environment, Flagg is worth targeting in tournaments with a projected ownership of only 10% tonight.
Jerami Grant is another option that has posted dud and ceiling games recently with rarely anything in between. The Trail Blazers forward has scored as high as 33 points and as low as five points in his last five games. The matchup against the Bucks is favorable, but keep Grant to tournament-only play. The Trail Blazers have a plethora of injuries, which makes this Grant spot look better. If he can get hot from the field, Grant could find his way onto an optimal tournament lineup build.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
With no Giannis on the slate, Deni Avdija is the highest projected power forward with a 30% projected usage rate. The Trail Blazers forward is similar to his teammate Jerami Grant with his boom-or-bust tendencies, but when Avdija hits his ceiling, he is breaking the slate.
Avdija can contribute fantasy points in a variety of ways. Not only does he lead the team in scoring, but he also has the ability to post massive fantasy results, like he did against the Bulls three games ago with a 32-point, 11-assist, 11-rebound triple-double for 72.8 DraftKings points.
Priced at $9,300, Avdija is drawing the third-highest projected ownership on the slate. This is projected to be the closest game of the night, which should bode well for these Trail Blazers options.
Value
Despite coming off the bench in back-to-back games, Pacers’ big man Jay Huff has averaged 26.5 minutes in those two contests. He has combined to contribute 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks, and four assists for 59.8 DraftKings points in his last two games and is still priced under $4,000.
Huff has power forward and center eligibility and is projected to play 25 minutes again tonight. He is a big man who can stretch the floor. 16 of his 22 field goal attempts in the last two games have come from behind the arc. Hitting a few 3-pointers tonight could go a long way to being a great value tonight.
Fast Break
PJ Washington is projected for the highest ownership on the slate at 35%. The Mavericks forward is averaging 15 points and a career-high 7.8 rebounds per game this season. He has been very consistent recently and is reasonably priced at $7,100. This game has a 240.5-point total, the second-highest on the slate, so there should be plenty of opportunity for Washington. He has a great chance at a double-double due to the high pace and the Heat’s rebounding rate of 48.3%, which ranks 23rd in the league.
Last game was the first time all season where Karl-Anthony Towns failed to record a points and rebounds double-double. The Nets are one of the best matchups for a bounceback game from Towns. They rank 27th in rebounding percentage and 25th in points allowed in the paint at 53.4 per game. Towns’ shooting percentage and scoring in general have dipped a little bit from last season, but this is a great matchup to get back on track. At 10% projected ownership tonight, Towns is an elite tournament play.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Nikola Jokic leads the slate by a wide margin in projected ceiling. His 85-point ceiling is nearly 20 points more than Cade Cunningham in second. The problem with Jokic is the salary hike. He is now an absurd $13,500, but at the same time he is averaging 70 DraftKings points per game.
Not only is Jokic averaging a career-high 30.8 points per game, but he is also leading the league in rebounds and assists this season. Jokic is shooting 62.8% from the field and 41.8% from downtown.
With a projected ownership under 5%, it is recommended to at least get overweight that number. There is enough value plays that we discussed above to make this work. Jokic is the best player in the league and will easily have the most raw fantasy points on the slate. Find a way to roster the three-time MVP.
Value
The best value play on the slate is once again rookie Derik Queen. Cash-game lineups should come preloaded with Queen, who is averaging 23.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, six assists, and 47.1 DraftKings points per game in his last three games. Queen still only costs $5,800, which is an absolute steal.
Queen will start and play around 32 minutes. This game has the highest total on the slate at 244.5 points, with the Pelicans only 5.5-point home underdogs. The Bulls are allowing the third-most points per game in the paint, which is where Queen has dominated to start his long NBA career.
It will be impossible to get away from Queen in both cash-game and tournament contests at his 35% projected ownership. Do not overthink it – plug and play Queen in a majority of lineups tonight.
Fast Break
Along with Cunningham, Jalen Duren has been one of the key pieces for the Pistons’ young core. Duren has increased his scoring this season by nearly double, averaging 20.5 points per game. He has paired that with 11.5 rebounds per game with eight double-doubles in his last 12 games. Duren will have a fantastic opportunity for another double-double in this matchup against the Pacers, who rank 29th in points allowed in the paint at 55.5 per game and 20th in rebounding percentage at 49%.
Bam Adebayo has returned from injury and gradually increased his playing time over his last three games. He is averaging nearly 40 DraftKings points per game during that time and is coming off an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double. Heat guard Tyler Herro is expected to make his season debut tonight, which should help create more space for the Heat offense and Adebayo. The Mavericks are also a great matchup for Adebayo since they are still playing without Anthony Davis.
Pictured: Cade Cunningham
Photo Credit: Imagn
