The NBA has five games scheduled for Monday to start another busy work week of interesting matchups. Without a league-wide day off in the middle of the week it’s a more balanced cadence of games this week, starting with Monday’s five matchups. Of the 10 teams taking the floor, only the Nuggets and Trail Blazers are on the second day of back-to-back games, while none of these teams is scheduled to play tomorrow.
With five games to consider, there are plenty of potential players to use in your lineup construction for Monday. 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.
Note: Projections and Leverages 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.
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NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
The Pacers have the top implied team total on our Vegas Dashboard in what should be a great matchup for them against the visiting Trail Blazers. Partly due to the matchup and partly because he has been outstanding this season, Tyrese Haliburton has the top median, ceiling, and floor projection of all point guards on Monday’s slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
On FanDuel, he also brings the highest Projected Plus/Minus and the highest Pts/Sal at the position, along with a 91% Bargain Rating. While he seems especially under-priced on that site, he can be a very viable pay-up option in any format since he has been so great this season.
In his 14 games this season, he has a 25.16% Usage rate and has produced 1.61 DraftKings points and 1.52 FanDuel points per minute. He has posted a double-double in seven of his last eight games and has scored at least 25 points in six of his last seven.
After posting back-to-back games with 35+ points and 15+ assists last week, he cooled off a bit with “just” 26 points and 10 assists in a comfortable win over the Pistons last Friday before getting the weekend off. He should be well-rested and ready to smash the Blazers, who have been playing short-handed in the backcourt most of the season without Anfernee Simons (thumb).
Value
While C.J. McCollum (lung) appears to be nearing a return, he’ll be out again on Monday, leaving extra minutes for Dyson Daniels, who has stepped up for the Pelicans over the past few weeks without McCollum. Daniels has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards under $6K on FanDuel for Monday’s slate. He also ranks in the top eight at the position on DraftKings and the top six at small forward due to his added positional eligibility, making him fit into even more lineups.
For the most part, Daniels doesn’t usually bring high-volume usage or scoring but stuffs the box score in almost every category and is a huge disruptor on the defensive end. He has exceeded salary-based expectations on FanDuel in eight of his last 10 games with an Average Plus/Minus of 5.84 FanDuel points over that span.
He and the Pelicans will be out to avenge their Saturday night loss to the Jazz in this matchup as they face Utah in Salt Lake City for the second game in a row. Daniels had six points, six rebounds, five assists, and six steals in 34 minutes Saturday night, exceeding salary-based expectations on both DraftKings and FanDuel even though he didn’t shoot the ball well (3-of-14).
With Zion Williamson back in the mix, he’ll probably take fewer shots on Monday but still brings great value potential due to his multi-category contributions. If you can’t afford an elite point guard, Daniels is a very solid midrange play to get the ceiling options you want in other spots.
Fast Break
Tyrese Maxey has the second-highest ceiling, median, and floor projections on both DraftKings and FanDuel at point guard. While he doesn’t match Haliburton’s ceiling or projected value, he has had an outstanding start to the year and has taken his game to another level. His last few games have been a little uneven, and his salary seems to have caught up and maybe even outpaced his production at this point.
Facing his former team in Indiana, Malcolm Brogdon is another strong option to consider. He has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard on both DraftKings and FanDuel even though his salary has been priced up so that he’s one of the most expensive plays on the board. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard on both DraftKings and FanDuel as well.
D’Angelo Russell actually brings the highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard on DraftKings, but he has been struggling in his last few games. Our projections think he’ll be able to post a nice bounce-back game in Philadelphia.
Tyus Jones had a few good games for the Wizards before playing just 24 minutes on Saturday in a blowout loss to the Hawks. He’ll be in a good matchup against the Pistons in a matchup of teams with identical 2-14 records that someone has to win. Both teams don’t play much defense, so the potential for a big game is there for Jones and his counterpart Cade Cunningham, who has looked much better in his last two games after a rough patch. If Cunningham were just a little cheaper, I’d be much more interested in buying into his recent surge. He does get plenty of volume, though, so his ceiling is undeniable.
On Sunday, Reggie Jackson had 20 points to help the Nuggets get past the Spurs, and he’s in a good spot against his former squad, the Clippers. He has filled in well for Jamal Murray while the star PG has been sidelined with a hamstring issue, and he’ll be a solid midrange option if Murray remains out again on Monday.
If you have to go ultra-cheap at point guard on Monday, there aren’t a ton of great options. Alec Burks and Andrew Nembhard bring the top two projected Plus/Minus at FanDuel under $5K. On DraftKings, Jose Alvarado climbs into the top 10 in Projected Plus/Minus at the position with his $4K salary and 86% Bargain Rating. Landry Shamet is also still point guard eligible on DraftKings and projects to be the top play at the position under $4K.
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
The Clippers have a chance to improve to .500 with a win on Monday night, but they’ll have a tough task against the defending champs. Paul George has the top median, ceiling, and floor projections of all shooting guards on FanDuel and the second-highest ceiling and median projections of shooting guards on DraftKings. He’s also in the top six in Projected Plus/Minus at both shooting guard and small forward on both sites.
George has exceeded salary-based expectations on FanDuel in seven straight games and on DraftKings in five of those contests. He has been very consistent over that span and has produced 1.25 DraftKings points and 1.20 FanDuel points per minute. During those games, he averaged 27.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while making 3.6 three-pointers per game.
PG should be in a good spot to continue his production in what should be a very competitive late game on Monday’s slate. George is a relatively safe pay-up play in his current role, but he also brings a high ceiling against the Nuggets.
Value
The Pistons have dropped 13 straight games after starting the season 2-1, but they have looked much better in their last two games. Jaden Ivey moved into the starting lineup three games ago and has been a big reason for that recent improvement. He projects to be a good value in Monday’s game against Washington.
Ivey has the third-highest projected Plus-Minus at shooting guard on DraftKings and the fifth-highest on FanDuel. He is also eligible at point guard on DraftKings and also projects well as a good value at that position. Ivey has averaged 0.94 DraftKings points and 0.91 FanDuel points per minute so far this season. He has scored at least nine points in five straight games and is coming off a season-high 25 points in a season-high 32 minutes last Friday.
The Pistons look ready to give the No. 5 overall pick from last year’s draft more playing time and usage, and as a result, he should be in a great spot to put together a big game against the Wizards’ generous defense Monday night. Washington’s backcourt defense has them ranked in the bottom third of the NBA in just about every category vs. opposing guards like Ivey.
Fast Break
After a delayed start and an early-season trade, James Harden is back to being a productive fantasy option as he settles in with the Clippers. He had exceeded salary-based expectations on FanDuel in four straight games before a down night on Saturday. He still has an 86% Bargain Rating on FanDuel, and he seems to be adjusting to his role that doesn’t include quite as many shots. He doesn’t seem to have the elite ceiling he used to have on a nightly basis, but he still has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard on FanDuel and the fourth-highest on DraftKings.
Brandon Ingram couldn’t carry the Pelicans to a win without Zion in Utah, but he has one of the highest ceilings of all shooting guards in this rematch, with his running mate expected to return. Ingram is just small forward eligible on FanDuel and just shooting guard eligible on DraftKings, but he brings one of the highest ceilings at each position.
De’Anthony Melton is a strong midrange option after exceeding salary-based expectations in seven straight games on FanDuel and six of those games on DraftKings. Melton has an Average Plus/Minus of 8.50 FanDuel points and 5.1 DraftKings points while producing 0.99 DraftKings points and 0.97 FanDuel points per minute. He’s a very strong midrange play at both point guard and shooting guard.
Although he has been much less consistent than Melton, Buddy Hield is another midrange shooting guard option with a high ceiling. His teammate Bennedict Mathurin has also had some big games but has fallen short in a few of his recent games. In their good matchup against the Blazers, they do offer good upside but come with significant risk as well.
On Saturday, Collin Sexton led the depleted Jazz past the Pelicans, and he has now exceeded salary-based expectations on both DraftKings and FanDuel in six of his past seven games. He will be a good option on Monday night, especially if Jordan Clarkson (illness, questionable) or Lauri Markkanen (hamstring, questionable) are ruled out. Keyonte George is also a good play to consider if Clarkson is out since the rookie has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of his past nine games.
Another rookie to keep an eye on is Scoot Henderson, who has played two games since being out for three weeks with an ankle injury. He has good potential in this pace-up spot against Indiana but hasn’t shown much form since returning. He’s a question mark but brings significant upside.
Corey Kispert got a spot start against the Hawks, while Jordan Poole (ankle, questionable) was a late scratch. Despite the promotion to the starting lineup, he ended up playing fewer minutes since the game was a blowout. He was playing well before that game, though, so he remains a viable value play, especially if Poole is out again.
Max Christie started the last two games for the Lakers in place of Cam Reddish (adductor, questionable). Whichever low-usage player starts alongside the Lakers’ stars will have punt-play potential since the minutes will be available. Another solid value option to consider is Landry Shamet, who takes plenty of shots but gets inconsistent playing time.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
On both DraftKings and FanDuel, LeBron James has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at small forward. James is questionable for the seventh straight game but has played in each of the last six. During that span, he has averaged 27.5 points, 8.5 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 34.3 minutes per game.
He had an off shooting night against the Cavs in Cleveland, but he still salvaged a decent fantasy night with six points and six assists to go with two blocks and two steals. On the season, James is producing 1.47 DraftKings points and 1.41 FanDuel points per minute, which is the highest of all small forwards on Monday’s slate and the fourth-highest of all players on the slate behind just Haliburton (discussed above), Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, who he’ll take on head-to-head on Monday night.
Value
While LeBron brings the highest Projected Plus/Minus and Pts/Sal of all small forwards on DraftKings, his teammate Austin Reaves is second in those categories at the position while also bringing the second-highest Pts/Sal and Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard. He’s in the top 10 in Projected Plus/Minus at both shooting guard and small forward on FanDuel as well.
While Reaves continues to come off the bench for the Lakers, he is playing all the critical minutes down the stretch and has been contributing in multiple categories. Reaves has exceeded salary-based expectations in six of his past seven games on DraftKings and eight of his last nine on FanDuel.
Reaves has been especially effective in his last four games, producing an Average Plus/Minus of 8.6 DraftKings points and 10.1 FanDuel points. He has produced 1.26 DraftKings points and 1.23 FanDuel points per minute during that span. He has at least 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds in each of those games and had an impressive double-double on Saturday night in Cleveland. He is proving to be a great fit next to the Lakers’ stars, and he’s a very solid midrange play at shooting guard and small forward with a high ceiling against the Sixers.
Fast Break
Alongside LeBron James, Brandon Ingram (on FanDuel) and Paul George bring high ceilings at this position. Lauri Markkanen will also be in the mix with the other elite options if he’s able to return.
Ausar Thompson has fallen short of salary-based expectations in four straight games, but the rookie has shown a lot of potential for the Pistons.
In the midrange, Reaves is the top option, but if you want other options near that price range, you can consider Buddy Hield, Deni Avdija, Herbert Jones, and Dyson Daniels (on DraftKings).
Bruce Brown has fit in nicely with the Pacers. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward on FanDuel and the fifth-highest at the position on DraftKings. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in five of his past seven games and has the potential to go off for a huge game, depending on how exactly the minutes and usage get divided out against the Blazers.
If you’re going cheap at small forward, Kispert or Bilal Coulibaly make sense for the Wizards in their matchup with the Pistons. Taurean Prince has also been very productive for the Lakers in the last two games, while Reddish has been sidelined and can be a good value play.
Matisse Thybulle still doesn’t score many points, as has been the case throughout his career, but he can put up enough non-scoring production to still be worth a play as a low-cost option in an environment like is expected tonight in Indiana.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
The Pelicans have been giving Zion Williamson the second half of back-to-back games off all season, but when he has played, he has been very productive. Zion sat on Saturday, but in his previous game, he had a season-high 32 points to help the Pelicans upset the Clippers as part of the in-season tournament on Friday night.
Zion has now posted four straight 25-plus-point performances and outperformed salary-based expectations on FanDuel in five straight and eight of his last 10. In his last four games, he has averaged 27.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals for 1.34 DraftKings points and 1.34 FanDuel points per minute in those games.
The Jazz have been a good matchup for power forwards this season, and Zion should help the Pelicans bounce back with a win on Monday. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus on the whole slate on FanDuel and the highest at power forward on DraftKings.
Value
While there are several elite options, there aren’t a lot of value plays available. The best mid-range value, according to our projections, is Tobias Harris, although he’s a big step down from Zion, LeBron, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis (on FanDuel) and even potentially Kyle Kuzma (discussed below). Harris has been consistent this season, even though he doesn’t usually go off. With Embiid and Maxey carrying most of the load, he has an 18.1% Usage rate and has produced 0.93 DraftKings points and 0.92 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
Harris has scored at least 15 points in 15 of his 16 games, including each of his last three games. He added a season-high six assists on Saturday in a win over the Thunder and could boost his fantasy stock to the next level if he gets more involved like that as a playmaker.
Fast Break
Kyle Kuzma can be among the best options at power forward on this slate, but he comes with almost no floor since his minutes can disappear in a hurry like they did on Saturday in a blowout. He’s a boom-or-bust play in this matchup with the Pistons, but his ceiling projection isn’t far behind Zion, LeBron, and Kawhi, who make up the top tier of power forwards on this slate.
Kawhi Leonard has been giving work to PG and Harden and hasn’t lived up to salary-based expectations lately. He’s always got the potential to go off but hasn’t done so very often this season.
Aaron Gordon was on a nice roll until his heel injury caused him to go 0-for-12 from the field on Friday in Houston and sit out Sunday’s game. If he returns, he’ll have boom-or-bust upside against Kawhi and the Clips.
For Portland, Jerami Grant helped carry the load on offense while they were extremely short-handed, but with Brogdon’s return, his usage has settled down. He has still exceeded salary-based expectations on FanDuel in eight of his last 10 games, but his role is less certain now that Brogdon and Henderson are back.
If you want to go cheap at power forward, the options are limited. On FanDuel, Aaron Nesmith and Danilo Gallinari have the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position under $5K, with Tuarean Prince not far behind. On DraftKings, Robert Covington has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus since he is only $3,800. He has an 85% Bargain Rating and can work as a punt play. Isaiah Livers is also back in the mix for the Pistons and has played over 20 minutes in each of his two games since returning. He hasn’t had a big game yet, but his minutes make him worth at least monitoring.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
The two elite centers on Monday’s slate are Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. Both have been outstanding this season. Embiid is averaging 1.76 DraftKings points and 1.73 FanDuel points per minute, while Jokic is averaging 1.91 DraftKings points and 1.81 FanDuel points per minute. Jokic is on a back-to-back in a tougher matchup, and Embiid costs less. You really can’t go wrong with either option on most nights, but on Monday’s slate, I give the slight advantage to Embiid.
He has the higher ceiling projection on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and the median projections are extremely close on both sites. Jokic has a slightly higher floor projection on both sites, making him a safer play but giving Embiid the better upside. Since they’re so close, Embiid gets the advantage because he’s more affordable, especially on DraftKings, where he saves almost $1K.
Embiid has scored 30+ points in seven of his last eight games, and he fell just one assist short of a triple-double in Saturday’s win over the Thunder. He has actually finished with a double-double and nine assists twice in his last three games. He should be hyped to welcome The King and the Lakers to Philly, so look for him to put together another monster game on Monday.
Value
After missing two weeks, Jalen Duren has returned for the Pistons. The second-year big man is still just 20 years old but has shown major improvement in his nine games this season. Duren did come off the bench in his first game back but played 28.6 minutes, showing he’s healthy enough to take on his full load. He’s averaging 28.5 minutes per game and producing 1.19 DraftKings points and 1.15 FanDuel points per minute.
Duren had 13 points and 13 rebounds in his first game back and gets a great matchup in this game against the Wizards, who have been the most generous team in the NBA to opposing centers. Duren has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position on both DraftKings and FanDuel and is in a great game environment to put together a solid stat line. He’s not on the level of Jokic and Embiid, for sure, but he is a great value that is available for a much more palatable price.
Fast Break
If you can’t quite get Embiid or Jokic under your salary cap, Anthony Davis is a high-ceiling alternative. He offers the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at center on DraftKings and the fourth-highest on FanDuel. Davis has an 88% Bargain Rating on DraftKings, where his salary is still under $10K even after his 32-point, 13-rebound double-double on Saturday in Cleveland.
Myles Turner is a boom-or-bust play at center, as he has been all season. When he’s on his game, he can produce at an elite level, but he also disappears way too often to be reliable. His teammate Jalen Smith has been turning in good numbers off the Indiana bench lately, and he makes a decent punt play if you want to go extra cheap at center.
The Jazz just got Walker Kessler back from a seven-game absence due to an elbow injury, and the young big man had 11 points and 11 boards off the bench on Saturday in just 21 minutes. If he’s back to full strength and in the lineup, he’s my favorite midrange option on the slate, even though he’ll have to deal with Zion in the Pelicans’ frontcourt this time around.
Ivica Zubac and Daniel Gafford are mid-range plays with solid potential, but they don’t bring quite the upside that Kessler and Duren bring.
In addition to Smith, Daniel Theis, Robert Covington, and Duop Reath are punt plays that project to return decent value.
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