Monday features a six-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
Leading the Eastern Conference with a 16-4 record, the Pistons are the largest favorite on this six-game slate. They are favored by 9.5 points over the Hawks and implied for 122 points, which is the second-highest on the slate. This game has a 233-point total, making it a great game environment to target.
Cade Cunningham is having a phenomenal year, averaging a career high in points, rebounds, and assists per game. He has posted a 31.9% usage rate and has the second-highest projected ceiling on this slate.
The last game Cunningham played against the Hawks, he recorded a double-double with 25 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and two steals, accumulating 52 DraftKings points, while shooting 10-for-23 from the field. The volume is what makes Cunningham stand out. In his last three games, he has attempted at least 25 field goals in each game. He is a triple-double threat and is a strong pay-up option tonight.
Value
With a 3-16 record, the Nets are looking at another lost season. However, one major positive is rookie point guard Egor Demin, who is coming off his best game of the season. Demin stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and one steal, accumulating 48.8 DraftKings points.
Demin’s price tag remains an incredible value at $4,400. He has the highest projected Plus/Minus on the slate and is arguably the best value play available. The Nets are still playing without volume shooter Cam Thomas, which will provide more opportunity and usage for the rookie point guard.
The Nets are tied for the lowest implied team total on the slate but still have a great matchup against the Hornets, who rank 24th in defensive rating this season. Demin is projected to start and play around 30 minutes in this spot. He will be one of the first clicks in cash-game contests and is a perfect value play in tournaments for a stars and scrubs lineup build with his 36% projected ownership.
Fast Break
Jalen Suggs is the perfect mixture of ceiling and value on this slate. He has the third-highest projected ceiling and the second-highest projected Plus/Minus at his mid-range $7,000 price tag. Suggs has been consistent recently with 30+ DraftKings points in each of his last six games, while averaging 34.9 points per game during that time. The Magic are playing without Paolo Banchero tonight, which will provide more scoring opportunities for Suggs, who has a slate-high 42% projected ownership.
James Harden is having a throwback season and getting back to his old ways in the league. He is averaging 27.7 points per game, which is his highest average since the 2019-’20 season with the Rockets. Harden is shooting nearly double-digit free throw attempts per game and has posted back-to-back points and assists double-doubles. The Clippers play on the road against the Heat, who have the highest pace in the league at 106.1 per game, making this an enticing game environment to get exposure to.
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 by far the stud shooting guard to target on this six-game slate. His ceiling projection is 10 points more than the next closest shooting guard. The Cavaliers have lost three straight games but are 6.5-point road favorites against the 4-16 Pacers to try and get back on track.
Mitchell has been a boom-or-bust fantasy option recently and continues to rely on his pure scoring to deliver DraftKings points. He has scored 32 or more points in four of his last seven games, and in those contests, Mitchell is averaging 55.7 DraftKings points per game. In the other three games where Mitchell is scoring 18.7 points, he is averaging only 35.9 DraftKings points per game.
The Pacers are allowing 118.6 points per game, which is the 10th-highest in the league. Both teams also rank inside the top 10 in pace. The volume will be there, but this comes down to whether Mitchell can hit his shots or not. For him in DFS, it is a make or miss league.
Value
Tyrese Martin is another Nets value guard that is worth getting exposure to tonight. Not only is Cam Thomas out, but Terance Mann is questionable to play with a rib injury. Keep an eye on his status throughout the day, but if Mann is unable to play, that would make Martin look even better.
Martin has excelled recently, averaging 13.3 points and 25.3 DraftKings points per game in his last seven games. During that stretch, he is shooting exactly 50% from the field and 41.2% from behind the arc.
Priced at $4,200, Martin has the highest projected Plus/Minus at the shooting guard position. His point guard and shooting guard eligibility makes it easy to fit him into multiple lineup builds. He is another cheap way to get exposure to this game environment, which will not feature much defense.
Fast Break
Bennedict Mathurin has only played in nine games this season but is averaging a career-high 22.2 points per game with a 26.7% usage rate. Mathurin is projected for the highest ownership at this position and is averaging a strong 34.8 DraftKings points per game. He has displayed a ceiling worth targeting and will get every opportunity possible with a depleted Pacers team. Mathurin’s salary has jumped over $7,000 for the first time all season, but he is still a good mid-range option on this six-game slate.
It was a relatively slow start for Desmond Bane on his new team, but he is coming off a season-high 37 points where he shot 13-for-25 from the field. He scored nearly 40 points without making a single 3-pointer, which is normally his bread and butter. Bane will benefit with the absence of Banchero, and the Magic still have the highest team total on the slate at 124.5 points. The Bulls rank second in pace and 23rd in defensive rating, making this an exceptional matchup for everyone on the Magic.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Another Magic player popping in our NBA Models is small forward Franz Wagner, who leads the position in ceiling projection. Wagner benefits the most without Banchero in the lineup. When Banchero is off the floor, Wagner has a team-high 2.84% usage rate. Wagner continues to lead the team in scoring, and his shooting percentages are much better this year than last season.
Wagner can provide fantasy points in a variety of ways, especially when a valuable piece of the offense is unable to play. His peripherals rise, making him an even stronger option despite his $8,700 price tag.
There are several Magic players worth targeting on this six-game slate. Averaging nearly 40 DraftKings points per game, Wagner has been consistent with his fantasy production. He is projected for 20% ownership, but that is the third-lowest on his own team, which makes him intriguing for tournaments.
Value
The small forward position is lacking options in general, but especially value plays. Pistons’ Caris LeVert leads the position in projected Plus/Minus but he is averaging less than double-digit points for the first time since his rookie season. However, he has averaged 12 points per game in his last three games.
LeVert did sit out the last game because it was the second leg of a back-to-back, but he is probable to play tonight. He will continue to come off the bench, but he is projected to play 23 minutes, which is more than enough to pay off his cheap $4,500 salary with shooting guard and small forward eligibility.
LeVert is a cheap way to get exposure to a Pistons team that has the second-highest implied total on the slate. He has played well recently, and the matchup is great, making LeVert the best value small forward.
Fast Break
Brandon Miller has no injury designation after taking a hard fall in his last game playing only 25 minutes and having a weak stat line. In his three previous games after returning from injury, Miller averaged 22 points and 35.4 DraftKings points per game. Miller averaged a career-high 21 points per game last season and has a career-best 29.7% usage rate this season. He has only played in six games, but he is one of the top options on the Hornets and is a strong mid-range option against the Nets tonight.
In his third year in the league, Ausar Thompson is averaging career highs in points, assists, and rebounds per game. He is still shooting 50.3% from the field and is averaging nearly 30 DraftKings points per game. Priced at $5,600, Thompson can provide value at a weak small forward position. The Hawks have been a poor rebounding team this season, and Thompson has had at least seven rebounds in each of his last three games. He has an outside chance at a double-double in this matchup.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Leading this six-game slate in projected ceiling is superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. He once again ranks in the top five in scoring and rebounding, averaging 30.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. His shooting numbers are a career-best 64.3% from the field and 45.5% from distance.
Giannis has displayed an unusual floor this season, but that is mainly due to his lack of playing time. Giannis played under 20 minutes in two of his last three games. We do have Giannis projected for a modest 29 minutes, but he is still popping to be one of the best pay-up options tonight.
Giannis is projected for less than 10% ownership, which makes him a great contrarian play in this elite matchup. The Wizards rank dead last in points allowed in the paint at 55.8 per game and rank 29th in rebounding percentage at 46.5%. If Giannis gets a normal workload, he will dominate this matchup.
Value
After coming out of last game due a hip injury, Noah Clowney has been upgraded to available to play tonight. In his previous four games, Clowney has been an elite value play averaging 22 points and 35.2 DraftKings points per game. He has the highest projected Plus/Minus at this position.
Despite being a power forward, most of Clowney’s scoring production comes from the perimeter. Over 70% of his field goal attempts come from behind the arc, and he has made at least two 3-pointers in 11 of his last 13 games. That bodes well for this matchup against the Hornets, who are allowing opponents to shoot 40.1% from downtown this season, which is the highest in the league.
Clowney is projected for a little over 15% ownership and 33 minutes. At $5,500, that is making him a strong value play in all formats with the anticipation that he is fully healthy.
Fast Break
With Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis sidelined, Jalen Johnson has stepped up in a big way to lead the Hawks. Johnson has recorded back-to-back games with over 70 DraftKings points. He posted a 29-point, 12-assist, 12-rebound triple-double against the Cavaliers and followed that up with 41 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists against the 76ers. The Pistons have been a difficult matchup, but Johnson is playing so well recently that he needs to be considered in all formats.
Evan Mobley leads all power forwards in projected ownership at his favorable $8,500 salary. The Cavaliers are playing without both Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance, making Mobley the premier big man. The Pacers are also a great matchup for Mobley since they rank 25th in points allowed in the paint and 22nd in rebounding percentage. This is an incredible spot for Mobley, who has a double-double in four of his last five games, averaging 20.2 points and 11 rebounds per game during that time.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
After a career year last season, Ivica Zubac is on track to have another successful season for the Clippers. He is averaging a double-double with 16.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.2% from the field. Zubac leads the centers in projected ceiling and draws a great matchup tonight.
Despite having Bam Adebayo, one of the best defensive centers in the league, the Heat rank 23rd in points allowed in the paint and 24th in rebounding percentage. Due to their fast play, they are allowing 49.2 rebounds per game, which is the second-highest in the league.
Zubac has posted a double-double in seven of his last nine games. He has a great chance to continue that trend tonight. His fantasy production has been consistent, making him a strong cash-game option.
Value
Goga Bitadze ranks third in projected Plus/Minus on the slate, with his salary dipping to $3,700. He did struggle in a matchup against the Pistons, but before that Bitadze posted three straight games with over 22 DraftKings points, averaging 25.3 DraftKings points per game during that time.
The Bulls are another fantastic matchup for opposing centers. They are allowing 55.6 points per game in the paint, which is the second-highest in the league. Despite coming off the bench, Bitadze will have plenty of opportunity to dominate the paint. He is shooting a career-best 71.9% from the field this year.
Bitadze is the best value Magic player on this six-game slate, so he deserves consideration in all formats. He has a 36.2% optimal lineup rate in our NBA Sims, which is the second-highest on the slate.
Fast Break
Nic Claxton is a perfect boom-or-bust fantasy option for tournaments tonight. He has displayed the capability to record over 50 DraftKings points but also has the downside of putting up a dud performance. Claxton will play over 30 minutes if this game against the Hornets is competitive, which it should be. He will have plenty of opportunity to pay off his $6,400 price tag against the Hornets tonight.
Opposite of Claxton is center Moussa Diabate, who played 30 minutes for the Hornets off the bench last game. Diabate contributed seven points, nine rebounds, two assists, and one steal, accumulating 23.2 DraftKings points. He is averaging nearly 25 DraftKings points per game, which makes him a phenomenal value play at $4,200. The Nets rank 29th in defensive rating and 27th in rebounding percentage, so Diabate should have no trouble reaching value even off the bench.
Pictured: Donovan Mitchell
Photo Credit: Imagn
