Monday features a seven-game main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
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 Thunder are coming off a historic season, winning 68 regular-season games and an NBA championship, and they look even stronger to start 2025-26. They’re 13-1 and could easily be undefeated, and they’re first in the league with a massive +15.1 Net Rating. The fact that they’ve done that without having Jalen Williams for a single contest should officially terrify the rest of the league.
Of course, the Thunder start with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Last year’s league MVP is off to another fantastic start, and he’s averaged 1.62 DraftKings points per minute for fantasy purposes. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in three of his past four games, despite playing less than 30 minutes in two of them.
The Thunder might not need a ton from SGA on Monday. They’re taking on the Pelicans in one of the biggest possible mismatches, and they’re listed as ridiculous 17.5-point road favorites. However, SGA should be extremely effective when he is on the floor. The Pelicans rank 28th in the league in defensive efficiency, and OKC is implied for a healthy 121 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also priced at a discount on DraftKings, where his $10,800 salary comes with a 91% Bargain Rating. He’s also projected for less than 10% ownership, making him an interesting contrarian pay-up option.
Value
The Knicks are going to be without two of their usual starters on Monday. They’ve already ruled out Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, while Miles McBride is questionable for personal reasons.
That said, McBride would be a tremendous option if he’s able to play. He saw just under 30 minutes in his first game without Brunson, and he’s currently projected for 32 minutes in our NBA Models. He’s also averaged 0.80 DraftKings points per minute, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +3.01 (per the Trends tool).
If McBride can’t go, guys like Jordan Clarkson ($5,200), Landry Shamet ($4,400), and possibly even Tyler Kolek ($3,000) would become appealing values. Clarkson and Shamet are even viable with McBride in the lineup: they had 36.25 and 45.5 DraftKings points, respectively, in their last outing.
Fast Break
The Heat have gone from being one of the slowest teams in the league to one of the fastest. They’re first in pace so far this season, which has resulted in better fantasy production for their players. Davion Mitchell has been one of their best recent values, posting a positive Plus/Minus in five of his past seven games. He just narrowly missed in the two exceptions, and he had 36.5 DraftKings points vs. the Knicks in his last outing. He’ll square off with the Knicks again on Monday, and the Heat rank second on the slate with a 123 implied team total.
The Raptors have won seven of their past eight games, and Immanuel Quickley has been a big part of their recent success. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five of his past six games, with his most recent contest the lone exception. Overall, he’s averaged 1.06 DraftKings points per minute for the year, and he draws a fantastic matchup Monday vs. the Hornets. The Raptors lead the slate with a 124 implied team total, with Charlotte ranking 24th in defensive efficiency.
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
Anthony Edwards missed some time for the Timberwolves earlier this season, but he’s back to being a big-time fantasy producer. He’s scored at least 44.0 DraftKings points in five straight games, and he’s eclipsed 50 DraftKings points in three of them. He’s averaged 1.40 DraftKings points per minute for the year, which ranks second among Monday’s shooting guards.
The Timberwolves are another team expected to do plenty of scoring on Monday. They big favorites vs. the lowly Mavericks, and they’re currently implied for 122.75 points. Edwards ultimately has the fourth-best optimal lineup rate at the position, and he has the best mark overall for players priced above $8,000.
Value
The Clippers are absolutely reeling. They’ve lost seven of their past eight games, and things don’t look good from an injury standpoint. Bradley Beal will miss the rest of the season, while Kawhi Leonard is currently sidelined with foot and ankle injuries.
That’s opened the door for Bogdan Bogdanovic to take on a larger role. He’s played at least 28.3 minutes in four of his past five games, including more than 34 minutes in two straight. He’s projected for 30 minutes Monday vs. the 76ers, making him an elite option at just $4,100.
Bodganovic is projected for just under 34% ownership on this slate, but that still stands out as too low. His optimal lineup rate is more than 44% in Sim Labs, which is a pretty massive discrepancy.
Fast Break
Mikal Bridges could be the biggest beneficiary of the Knicks’ current injury situation. He’s coming off more than 42 minutes in the team’s last outing, and he’s no stranger to a huge workload. He’s scored more than 47 DraftKings points in two of his past three outings, so he’s been extremely productive as well. He remains underpriced at $7,200, especially for another up-tempo showdown vs. the Heat.
Donovan Mitchell is another potential stud target at the position. He’s been remarkably consistent of late, posting a positive Plus/Minus in seven straight games. He’s also still playing without Darius Garland, so he has to carry a larger offensive burden than usual. Mitchell isn’t projected for nearly as much ownership as Edwards and Bridges, making him an interesting pivot.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Small forward stands out as one of the weaker positions to pay up at on Monday. However, Josh Hart has some appeal at $6,900. Hart’s workload has been down a bit to start the year, but that shouldn’t be the case with Anunoby out of the lineup. He racked up 33.6 minutes in his last outing, and he responded with a season-high 47.5 DraftKings points.
Hart has always been a fantastic per-minute producer, and he’s projected for another 32 minutes on Monday’s slate. He’s also increased his production to 1.11 DraftKings points per minute with Anunoby and Brunson off the floor this season.
Value
De’Andre Hunter stands out as an elite source of value for the Cavaliers on this slate. His $4,500 salary comes with a 99% Bargain Rating, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in seven of his past 10 outings. Hunter is currently projected for 30 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged an elite 1.11 DraftKings points per minute for the year. That’s a really tough combination to pass up, and he leads the entire slate in projected Plus/Minus.
Fast Break
If you need to go even cheaper at SF, Kobe Sanders could be worth some consideration for the Clippers. He’s priced at just $3,300, and he’s projected for 22 minutes on this slate. He had 24.0 DraftKings points in a comparable workload on Sunday, resulting in a +9.54 Plus/Minus.
Hunter, Hart, and Sanders soak up the majority of the optimal lineup rate at the position in Sim Labs, but Jaime Jacquez could be an undervalued option. He’s displayed a pretty massive ceiling for the Heat this season, racking up at least 42.5 DraftKings points in four of his past five games. He’s averaged 1.20 DraftKings points per minute for the year, and he logged more than 34 minutes vs. the Knicks in his last outing.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
It’s always tough to pick against Giannis Antetokounmpo at power forward whenever he’s available. That said, Karl-Anthony Towns stands out as the better pure value. He’s coming off a monster game in his last outing, finishing with 39 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and one steal. It resulted in 65.25 DraftKings points, his third performance with more than 50 in his past four games.
Towns’ usage rate eclipsed 30% in that contest, and he should be looking at another expanded workload on Monday. He’s seen a +5.65% usage bump with Brunson and Anunoby off the floor this season, resulting in an average of 1.66 DraftKings points per minute. Towns was also an elite producer sans Brunson last year, so expect another big performance in an elite matchup.
Value
Naz Reid has always been an elite per-minute producer. The question is, how many minutes will he play on a nightly basis? His minutes per game are slightly down to start the year, and he’s behind both Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert in the pecking order.
However, Reid’s minutes have ticked up a bit recently. He’s coming off more than 31 minutes in his last outing, and he saw more than 28 minutes three games ago. If he’s going to continue to play that much, he has the potential to be an excellent value at $5,100. Reid is projected for a slightly more modest 25.5 minutes in our NBA Models, but that’s still enough for him to potentially return value: Reid has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +1.48 with a comparable salary and minute projection.
Fast Break
Speaking of Randle, he has been absolutely balling for the Timberwolves recently. He’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +6.18 over his past 10 games, and he’s averaging a phenomenal 1.41 DraftKings points per minute for the year. Despite that production, has salary has actually decreased from $9,000 to $8,100 over the past few weeks. That doesn’t make a ton of sense.
The John Collins experiment has not gone well for the Clippers. They brought him in after a strong season with the Jazz, but he has struggled to produce at the same level in Los Angeles. That’s caused his price tag to dip to just $5,300 for Monday’s matchup vs. the 76ers, and he has some buy-low appeal at that figure. Collins is the type of player who can average better than a fantasy point per minute, and only Towns has a better optimal lineup rate at the position.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
The Pistons have been the hottest team in basketball recently, despite dealing with some injuries. Tobias Harris remains out of the lineup for Monday’s matchup vs. the Pacers, while Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson are both listed as questionable.
The good news is that Jalen Duren is probable to return to the lineup. He’s missed the team’s past two games, but he’s been an absolute monster when available this season. He’s averaging 1.41 DraftKings points per minute, and he’s had the opportunity to play a bit more than usual in his past few outings. He logged at least 34.4 minutes in four of his past five games, and he’s scored at least 50.5 DraftKings points in four of his past six.
Duren should be able to have his way with a decimated Pacers’ roster. He owns a +3.78 Opponent Plus/Minus, and he has the second-best optimal lineup rate at the position.
Value
Joel Embiid remains out of the lineup for the 76ers, which means Andre Drummond should continue to serve as their starting center. That’s a role he’s thrived in. He’s played at least 28.2 minutes in four of his past five games, and he’s scored at least 31.75 DraftKings points in all of them. He’s not quite as dominant as he was in his prime, but his average of 1.12 DraftKings points per minute is still more than good enough at his current salary.
Drummond doesn’t stand out as the best pure value in our projections – he has the fourth-highest projected Plus/Minus at the position – but no one has a better combination of value and upside. It’s why he leads all centers in optimal lineup rate.
Fast Break
Moussa Diabate has been ridiculously consistent this season. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in nine straight games, and he’s shown off a slightly elevated ceiling of late. He’s gone for at least 33.25 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, yet his salary has barely budged. His current $4,400 salary comes with a 99% Bargain Rating, and he leads the position in projected Plus/Minus.
With Leonard and Beal sidelined, the Clippers are going back to the two-man game with James Harden and Ivica Zubac far more frequently. Zubac thrived in that role last season, and he’s coming off 39+ DraftKings points in back-to-back games. His ceiling projection is only slightly lower than Duren’s, and he’s available at a decent discount.
Pictured: Karl-Anthony Towns
Photo Credit: Imagn
