Monday features a large 10-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
Jalen Brunson has been a model of consistency this season with a splash of upside. Despite being $900 cheaper than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, our NBA Model shows Brunson to be the much better pay-up option. He is slightly lower in projected points but leads Gilgeous-Alexander in projected Plus/Minus and doubles him in projected ownership. Brunson is the priority stud to target on this slate.
A big reason why Brunson looks like such a good play is his elite matchup against the Pelicans, who rank 27th in defensive rating and 10th in pace. The Knicks are 8.5-point road favorites, implied for a slate-high 127.5 points. Brunson has recorded at least 40+ DraftKings points in 11 straight games, while averaging 31.9 points and 48.5 DraftKings points per game during that time.
Brunson also has a slate-high 36.1% optimal lineup rate in our NBA Sims tonight.
Value
Leading this slate in projected ownership is combo guard Collin Gillespie. With point guard and shooting guard eligibility, Gillespie is easy to fit in all lineup builds tonight. Priced in the mid-range at $6,700, Gillespie provides a fantastic mix of value and projected ceiling with a 20% usage rate.
Gillespie has started 12 games for the Suns and during those games has averaged 34.4 DraftKings points per game. He has scored 16+ points in nine of those 12 games. He has also contributed 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 43.5% from behind the arc in that time.
The Suns get a superb matchup against the Wizards, who rank dead last in defensive rating while allowing 125.4 points per game. They are allowing a league-high 95.3 field goal attempts per game, which will provide plenty of opportunity for Gillespie to provide value at his price point.
Fast Break
Previously mentioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads this position in projected ceiling, but it is not enough for him to be a priority. The main reason for that is the Thunder are slate-high 16.5-point favorites against the Hawks, who have lost six straight games. In a likely blowout, it is difficult to get a ton of exposure to Gilgeous-Alexander, who is one of the first players off the floor when Thunder games get out of hand. He is a strong contrarian tournament option, but stay away in cash-game contests.
Jamal Murray has been on a great run recently and is always a phenomenal option to get exposure to the Nuggets’ offense when not paying up for Nikola Jokic. Murray has been on a scoring frenzy this season, averaging a career-high 25.4 points per game while shooting a remarkable 45.7% from distance. Playing against the Heat, who lead the league in pace and are allowing 41.1 3-point attempts per game, this is an incredible matchup for Murray to post another ceiling performance tonight.
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
Similar to Gillespie, shooting guard Devin Booker will draw an elite matchup against the worst defensive team in the league. He is the fourth-most expensive shooting guard on this slate but leads this position in projected ceiling. Booker is drawing slightly over 25% projected ownership in this spot.
Booker leads the Suns in scoring and assists per game. He also is projected for a 33.7% usage rate tonight, which is the second-highest on the slate. Booker has a chance for his fourth points and assists double-double of the season. The Wizards are allowing the second-most assists in the league at 29.4 per game, with opponents shooting 47.3% from the field. The Suns will be run through Booker.
Playing Booker and Gillespie is reasonable on this slate mainly due to the matchup against the Pelicans. The Suns are double-digit road favorites, implied for 122 points tonight.
Value
Playing opposite of the Suns is Wizards’ rookie guard Tre Johnson. Projected to draw his fifth start of the season tonight, Johnson has averaged 13 points and 22.9 DraftKings points per game in his last seven contests. He has at least 20 DraftKings points in six of those seven games, proving his consistency.
Priced at $4,200 with point guard and shooting guard eligibility, Johnson is one of the best salary-savers on the slate. The rookie provides most of his fantasy output from scoring the ball. Over half of his field goal attempts come from behind the arc, where Johnson is shooting a solid 37.8%.
Despite only being projected to draw 13% ownership, Johnson is in the optimal lineup nearly 18% in our NBA sims. He is a cheap way to get exposure to this game environment.
Fast Break
In his first season with the Heat, Norman Powell continues to be their top scoring option. Powell leads the Heat, averaging a career-high 23.7 points per game. He is also averaging a career-best four rebounds per game. This matchup against the Nuggets has the second-highest total on the slate at 244.5 points. Due to this projected high-scoring game environment, Powell has a near 25% optimal lineup rate. He has a 28% usage rate and is still favorably priced at $7,000 with shooting guard and small forward eligibility.
Looking to dumpster dive, Bryce McGowens is the perfect boom-or-bust tournament play to fit in all the studs on this 10-game slate. Priced at $3,200 with shooting guard and small forward eligibility, McGowens is projected to start and play 28 minutes. That should be a recipe for many fantasy points, but McGowens has played 46 total minutes in the last two games with 7.5 DraftKings points. However, he has shown the ability to reach a ceiling with several 20+ DraftKings points and 40+ point games in the past month.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Playing for the Nets has been one of the best things that could’ve happened for Michael Porter Jr.’s fantasy upside. In his first season with his new team, Porter Jr. is averaging a career high across the board with 25.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 49.4% from the field.
Porter Jr. has had a points and rebounds double-double in two of his last three games and has averaged a career-best 43.1 DraftKings points per game this season. He has been consistent with 40 DraftKings points in 13 of his last 15 games. Despite Cam Thomas returning Saturday night and scoring 30 points in 20 minutes, Porter Jr. still provided 27 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists for the Nets.
The matchup against the Warriors is not ideal, but Porter Jr. has such a massive role and is projected for a 28.8% usage rate that he is worth getting exposure to regardless of his opponent.
Value
It has been a disappointing last two games for Zaccharie Risacher, but the Hawks are dealing with injuries that will make Risacher look much better tonight. Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis are both already ruled out, while Trae Young is questionable. The Hawks are 16.5-point home underdogs playing against the best team in the league, but Risacher is only $3,800, which makes him intriguing in this spot.
With Johnson and Porzingis off the floor this season, Risacher has a 21.4% usage rate, and that number increases if Young is also out tonight. Risacher at $3,800 will not have to do much to provide value despite this being a potential blowout. He is averaging 20 DraftKings points per game and has a 20.8% optimal lineup rate in our NBA sims tonight. Risacher is a strong value option in all formats.
Fast Break
Arguably the biggest news on the slate is the status of Rockets’ center Alperen Sengun. If he is ruled out, that will make Kevin Durant one of the better pay-up options available. With Sengun off the floor this season, Durant has a team-high +5.65% usage rate boost, and his fantasy production increases drastically. Over his last seven games, Durant is averaging 27 points and 47.3 DraftKings points per game. Still priced under $9,000, Durant is currently drawing less than 5% ownership, making him a contrarian option.
Jimmy Butler is a strong cash-game play given his consistency and reasonable price tag at $8,000. Butler can provide fantasy scoring in a variety of ways and should have no trouble reaching value once again against the Nets. He is the second option to Stephen Curry but is averaging 19.6 points and 37.1 DraftKings points per game while shooting an impressive 51.5% from the field and 41.7% from behind the arc. His efficiency has even come with an increase in volume, which proves how well he has played.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Saturday night was the first game for Giannis Antetokounmpo since December 3rd. He played 25 minutes in his return and recorded 29 points and eight rebounds , while shooting 10-for-15 from the field in a nine-point victory over the Bulls. We have Giannis projected to play 28 minutes in this game against the Hornets, which makes his $11,000 price tag difficult to pay up for.
The Hornets are a fantastic matchup for Giannis if he is playing at full strength. In his last meeting against them, Giannis had 25 points, 18 assists, and seven assists for 64.8 DraftKings points. The Hornets rank 24th in defensive rating and 27th in points allowed in the paint at 54.3 per game. We have seen Giannis erupt in limited playing time, and he will need to do so again tonight to make him worth paying up for.
Value
The best power forward value on the slate is Bulls’ Jalen Smith. He has put together back-to-back games, averaging nine points, nine rebounds, and 26.3 DraftKings points per game. Smith has scored nearly all of his points from downtown recently. In his last three games, 13 of his 18 field goal attempts have come from behind the arc. He has made five of those 13 3-pointers, shooting nearly 40%.
Smith leads the power forward position in projected Plus/Minus and ranks second on the slate. Priced at $3,800 with power forward and center eligibility, it makes it easy to get Smith exposure. Our NBA Model has Smith projected to play 24 minutes off the bench, which is more than enough time to pay off his salary against the Timberwolves’ large frontcourt. His size will be needed in this matchup.
Fast Break
The Magic continue to play without Franz Wagner, while Jalen Suggs remains doubtful with a hip injury. Despite both Wagner and Suggs being off the floor recently, Paolo Banchero has been a boom-or-bust fantasy asset. He has recorded under 30 DraftKings points in three straight games, but in his three games before that, he averaged a remarkable 54.6 DraftKings points per game. Which Banchero shows up is anyone’s guess, but he is worth getting exposure to in tournaments for his potential ceiling.
Another team dealing with plenty of injuries is the Suns, who are playing without Jalen Green, Grayson Allen, and center Mark Williams. Not only do Devin Booker and Collin Gillespie look great, but so does forward Royce O’Neale. Priced at $5,000 with dual forward eligibility, O’Neale stuffed the stat sheet last game with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block for 29.8 DraftKings points. O’Neale is simply too cheap for this matchup with so many players unable to suit up.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
After scoring an insane 106.5 DraftKings points on Christmas Day, Nikola Jokic followed that up with another triple-double against the Magic. In fact, Jokic has five triple-doubles in his last seven games. He is averaging 68.6 DraftKings points per game this season but has averaged 94.7 DraftKings points in his last two games. In back-to-back games, Jokic is averaging 45 points, 18.5 rebounds, and 13.5 assists per game.
Despite a $13,000 salary, Jokic is worth paying every penny for given his recent production. He is putting up video game numbers and will now get a matchup against a Heat team that leads the league in pace. The Nuggets are 2.5-point road favorites in a game with a 245.5-point total. There is so much value on this slate, which makes it much easier to stomach paying for this absurd Jokic price tag.
Value
One of the best ways to fit in Jokic tonight, is playing two centers with the Suns’ Oso Ighodaro. In his 29 minutes last game, Ighodaro recorded a near double-double with 10 rebounds, eight points, and four assists, accumulating 27.5 DraftKings points. He is projected for a slate-high 35% ownership.
Projected to play 28 minutes, Ighodaro should have no trouble dominating the paint against the Wizards. Opposing big men have torched the Wizards this season, who rank 28th in rebounding percentage at 47.7% and 25th in points allowed per game in the paint. It is difficult to not prioritize Ighodaro in cash games and tournaments tonight. At $4,000 and given his projected Plus/Minus, Ighodaro is an elite play.
Fast Break
Victor Wembanyama is starting to get back to his normal playing time, and now may be the time to target one of the best fantasy centers in the league. Projected for less than 5% ownership tonight, Wembanyama scored 32 points with seven rebounds and five blocks last game in 28 minutes. He is projected to play 28 minutes but has a difficult matchup against the Cavaliers’ twin towers, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, which is keeping his ownership in check. He is still a strong contrarian option.
Karl-Anthony Towns is coming off a ceiling performance against the Hawks, where he recorded a massive 36-point, 15-rebound double-double, accumulating 58.2 DraftKings points. Towns will now get a chance to repeat his last game against a Pelicans frontcourt that has allowed 54.8 points per game in the paint, which is the third-highest in the league. Still priced under $9,000, Towns is drawing 20% projected ownership. He is another great way to get exposure to the Knicks’ high team total tonight.
Pictured: Collin Gillespie
Photo Credit: Imagn
