The NBA gets the work week off to a busy start with 11 games throughout the day with nine games on the DraftKings main slate that tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The two 10:00 p.m. ET tipoffs are on a different slate, so all the games on the slate begin between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. ET. With nine games and 18 teams to pick from, there are lots of matchups to break down and plenty of solid fantasy options to choose from.
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 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.
Stud
The top median, ceiling, and floor projection on the entire slate and the top ceiling projection at point guard by a wide margin belongs to Luka Doncic as his Mavericks host the Jazz, who are still looking for their first win. The Jazz have allowed the second-most DraftKings points per game to opposing point guards, so this should be a great matchup for Luka, who has started the season on fire.
In his two games, Doncic has an astronomical 35.3% usage rate. He has posted 58 and 63.5 DraftKings points in his two games at the rate of 1.61 DraftKings points per minute. Last year, he averaged 1.76 DraftKings points per minute during the regular season and especially smashed Utah with a 40-point triple-double, a 29-point triple-double, and a 34-9-8 performance in three of his four matchups with them.
The Mavs have the second-highest implied team total and the top Pace Differential on the slate, and Luka is perfectly positioned for another monster performance. He’s an expensive building block at over $11,000, but his ceiling makes him worth grabbing if you can find value plays at other positions to make the salary available.
Value
One affordable play at point guard is Miles McBride of the Knicks. His salary is still barely over $4,000, and he has been very involved off the bench. There’s a chance McBride could move into the starting lineup in place of Josh Hart (ankle, questionable), which would make him an even stronger play, but even if he stays in his role as the sixth man, he’ll be a solid value to consider at either guard spot.
McBride played 26 minutes in the Knicks’ season-opener and had 22 points and 26.5 DraftKings points. On Friday, he played just 21 minutes before leaving with a left knee hyperextension. He looked sharp before the injury, knocking down both his three-pointers and producing 13.5 DraftKings points.
He’s probable to play Monday with the knee issue, and even with Hart in the projections, he has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards and all shooting guards on Monday night. He brings a high ceiling if he gets hot, and as a favorite of coach Tom Thibodeau, he usually gets a heavy workload.
Fast Break
Trae Young has the second-highest ceiling projection at the position after his fast start to the year. He is looking to bounce back from a tough game on Sunday in Oklahoma City, where the Hawks took their first loss of the season. In his three games, Young has averaged 1.42 DraftKings points per minute and posted a 32.2% usage rate. Without Dejounte Murray alongside him in the backcourt, Trae looks like he’ll get even more work and post massive numbers. He gets a cushy matchup at home on Monday vs. the Wizards.
The Heat have started the season 1-1 as they come home to host the Pistons, and Tyler Herro looks like a very solid play in our projections. He is coming off a strong game in Charlotte, where he had 22 points and 37.75 DraftKings points in 33 minutes while turning in a balanced line of 22 points, five boards, and five assists. He has produced 1.06 DraftKings points per minute and seems to be blending nicely with Terry Rozier in their first full season together.
Aside from McBride, T.J. McConnell has one of the best Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards under $5,000. He contributes across the box score as a key part of the Pacers’ second unit, giving him both a high ceiling and a high floor at his $4,500 salary. He has produced 1.18 DraftKings points per minute in his three games this season and played a season-high 21 minutes on Sunday, finishing with 23.25 DraftKings points on 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists against the Sixers.
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
One of the exciting new features this year on FantasyLabs this season is our partnership with ShotQuality for NBA Projections. In both the FantasyLabs projections and the ShotQuality projections, Jamal Murray has the highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate. He leads his Nuggets to his native country of Canada to face the banged-up Raptors in Toronto in what should be a smash spot. Since he can fit at either guard spot, I’ll highlight him as my stud shooting guard on this slate.
Murray had just 29 DraftKings points in the Nuggets season-opening loss to the Thunder, struggling from the field and hitting just 4-of-13 shots. He bounced back with a much better performance on Saturday, scoring 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting and finishing with 36.5 DraftKings points in 37 minutes.
With Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) doubtful, RJ Barrett (shoulder) questionable, and Kelly Olynyk (back) out, the Raptors are having to go very young at multiple positions. The Nuggets are still looking for their first win of the season, and Murray should be in a great spot to deliver it to them with a big game Monday.
Value
Spurs rookie Stephon Castle has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate in both the ShotQuality projections and the FantasyLabs projections. He is now eligible at shooting guard and small forward on DraftKings, which gives him even more flexibility to fit in different roster constructions. His salary increased a little from $3,500 to $4,000, but he still brings elite value.
Castle played 18 minutes in his NBA debut and produced 18.25 DraftKings points. He matched that number in his second game on Saturday against Houston but played 26 minutes with the Spurs second unit. While that performance lowered his per-minute production rate, it could be a good sign of things to come that coach Gregg Popovich is ready to give the former Huskie extra run.
The Spurs face the Rockets again on Monday night, and Castle has a minutes projection of 26. If he does get around that number, he should easily return excellent value at $4,000 and brings good upside since he has already showcased the ability to produce in multiple categories.
Fast Break
Jalen Brown has been very consistent for the Celtics in their dominant 3-0 start to the season. He has at least 23 points and at least seven rebounds for at least 37 DraftKings points in each of his three games. On Thursday against the Wizards, he had 50 DraftKings points and followed that up with his first double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 boards on his way to 48 DraftKings points against the Pistons. He has averaged 1.37 DraftKings points per minute coming into Monday’s home matchup with Milwaukee.
The Pistons have gotten good production from Jaden Ivey in their first three games of the season. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in each of his three contests by producing 36.25 DraftKings points per game at a rate of 1.10 DraftKings points per minute. He’s a solid midrange option at shooting guard as he takes his talents to South Beach this Monday.
The Spurs have started Julian Champagnie in each of their first two games of the season alongside Chris Paul. Champagnie has exceeded salary-based expectations in each of those two games with 37.75 DraftKings points in the season opener and 19.5 DraftKings points against the Rockets on Saturday. He has a good ceiling for a play under $5,000 and, like Castle, can flex to forward if that works better for your roster construction. Castle is cheaper with slightly higher projections, but Champagnie is another value to consider alongside his teammate.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
While Murray has the highest ceiling projection of all shooting guards, and Jayson Tatum has the highest at small forward, Zach LaVine is not far behind either of them. LaVine is over $2,300 cheaper than Tatum and is a good way to get an elite ceiling without paying all the way up.
He has over 36 DraftKings points in each of his first three games of the season and has averaged 1.10 DraftKings points per minute with a team-high 26.0% usage rate and 34.7 minutes per game. He fell just one rebound short of his first double-double of the season on Saturday against the Thunder but still exceeded salary-based expectations with 42.25 DraftKings points.
With DeMar DeRozan now in Sacramento, LaVine is the clear focus of the Bulls’ offense and is putting up strong numbers in the early season. As long as he can stay healthy, LaVine looks poised for a big season. He’ll try to continue his big production as the Bulls roll into Memphis for Monday night’s matchup.
Value
On Saturday, I highlighted Bilal Coulibaly in this spot, and the 20-year-old wing delivered a huge game with 23 points and 32.5 DraftKings points in the Wizards’ loss to the Cavs. I’m going back to the well on Monday when Washington visits the Hawks since Coulibaly has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward in the FantasyLabs projections.
He has shown plenty of promise as a stat-sheet stuffer and should continue to feature in a prominent role during Washington’s rebuild. In the season opener, Coulibaly only took two shots from the field but still produced 25 DraftKings points against Boston. He was much more aggressive with 16 shot attempts on Saturday and showed his ability to pour in points.
He still may be inconsistent as his role fluctuates and he settles in, but he brings a ton of upside and a good minutes projection on Monday.
Fast Break
The ShotQuality projections give Lauri Markkanen the second-highest ceiling projection at small forward on this slate. He opened the year with a massive 35-point game that earned him over 50 DraftKings points, but the Jazz were blown out by 40 by the Warriors in their second game of the season. If they can keep things closer against the Mavs in Dallas, Markkanen brings a lot of upside and has the potential to post another big night.
The Nuggets have inserted Christian Braun into their starting five this season, and the third-year wing has scored double-digit points in each game while also grabbing seven rebounds in each contest. He is averaging exactly 30 DraftKings points per game, which makes him a very solid option under $5,000.
As an ultra-cheap play, Kyshawn George has potential from his salary of only $3,500. He played 20 and 27 minutes in the first two games of the year for the Wizards, and even though he is shooting just 2-for-13, he has shown good upside. He finished with 20 DraftKings points on Saturday with four blocked shots, four assists, and four rebounds. If he makes a few buckets, he’ll be a great play at this price while getting 20+ minutes off the bench.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Jayson Tatum has been outstanding in the Celtics’ first three games of their title defense. He has produced 1.77 DraftKings points per minute and exceeded even his lofty salary-based expectations in each of his three games with over 50 DraftKings points in each matchup.
Tatum has scored at least 25 points in each of his three games with exactly 37 points in two games and a 25-point double-double in his other matchup.
The Celtics have the highest implied team total on the board this Monday, and they will look to continue to establish themselves as the team to beat this season in a marquee matchup at home against the Bucks. Tatum has the highest ceiling projection at both small forward and power forward in the FantasyLabs projections, and he has the third-highest Pts/Sal despite his salary near $10,000.
Value
Let’s go back to the Spurs one more time for a value play since Harrison Barnes has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward and the second-highest at small forward in the FantasyLabs projections. He shows very well in the ShotQuality projections as well with the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position.
Barnes opened the year with 28 DraftKings points in his Spurs’ debut against the Mavs but cooled off a bit with 19.25 DraftKings points on Saturday against Houston. It doesn’t look like the veteran will have a ton of usage with so many young players getting their shots around him, but his steady production and good floor spacing should help the team overall. He is a solid play under $5,000 with a high floor in this rematch with the Rockets.
Fast Break
Tobias Harris has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position in the ShotQuality projections. He hasn’t exceeded 30 DraftKings points in any of his three games with the Pistons this year but the opportunities have been there, and ShotQuality is pointing us to expect a bounceback for Harris in this matchup with the Heat.
It hasn’t been a great start to the season for Michael Porter Jr. yet, but he will look to turn that around in Toronto. He is just 9-for-30 (30%) from the field in his two games, with an average of 29.6 DraftKings points per game and 0.85 DraftKings points per minute. However, his shot has usually been much more reliable than that and his salary is very attractive under $6,000.
Haywood Highsmith has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards under $5,000 besides Harrison Barnes in both the FantasyLabs and ShotQuality projections. He played 30 minutes in the season opener and had 24.25 DraftKings points but was not in the rotation on Saturday vs. the Hornets. He could be a great value if he’s back in the mix Monday.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Even though the Nuggets are 0-2, Nikola Jokic has had 60 DraftKings points in each game. He has the highest ceiling projection at center and the second-highest on the slate in both the FantasyLabs and ShotQuality projections in what should be a good spot to get right against the Raptors.
Jokic had a triple-double in the season opener against the Thunder and finished with an even 60 DraftKings points. He was even better on Saturday in the loss to the Clippers, scoring 41 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists for 65.25 DraftKings points in 37 minutes. He has produced 1.74 DraftKings points per minute, and as long as Monday’s game doesn’t turn into a blowout, he should be ready for another big game.
His projections are elite, as usual, and all signs point to him as a great stud to build around once again on Monday’s slate. He is expensive at $11,100 but not quite as pricey as Luka. Which of the two stars to build around depends on what other value plays you’re most comfortable fitting around them.
Value
Walker Kessler of the Jazz has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers on Monday’s slate in the FantasyLabs projections and offers a good ceiling if the Jazz can keep their game with the Mavs competitive.
Kessler had a massive double-double with five blocks and 47.5 DraftKings points in the Jazz’s first game of the season, which was a narrow loss to the Grizzlies. He has that kind of potential against Dallas, but he also comes with a low floor, as he showed last Friday when he only played 20 minutes and managed 17.25 DraftKings points in a blowout loss to the Warriors.
Since everything went wrong in that game, I think he’ll bounce back as a good midrange value in this game in Dallas as the Jazz look to get their first win of the season.
Fast Break
Victor Wembanyama hasn’t started the year as hot as his fantasy champions would have hoped. He had only 30.25 DraftKings points in the first game of the year and followed that with 29 points and 44.75 DraftKings points in the Spurs’ win on Saturday. His salary is so high that even that game fell short of salary-based expectations, though, and he’s still over $10,000 on Monday. The good news is that if you grab Wemby and he goes off, you’ll have awesome leverage since the public is flocking to Luka and Jokic after their hot starts. Wembanyama has a 99% leverage rating since his ownership projection is under 4%.
If you have to spend under $5,000 at center, Mavs center Daniel Gafford has the highest Projected Plus/Minus in the FantasyLabs projections and the second-highest in the ShotQuality projections in that price range. Gafford has exceeded salary-based expectations in each of his two games for Dallas this season, with over 22 fantasy points against both the Spurs and Suns. His limited minutes cap his ceiling, but his high motor and good points, rebounds, and blocks make him a value still worth considering.
