Monday features an eight-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET. We’ll be breaking it all down using the FantasyLabs NBA Player Models.
Point Guard
Stud
I’m not sure why Russell Westbrook isn’t like $12,000 at this point. He has been a fantasy machine recently, posting an average Plus/Minus of +6.59 over his past 10 games while averaging 1.66 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. Overall, he’s scored at least 55.75 DraftKings points in 14 of his past 16 games, so he is the safest investment in fantasy at the moment.
He’s in a fantastic spot vs. the Pacers on Monday. They’ve struggled mightily on the defensive end of late, and the Wizards’ implied team total of 124.75 ranks first on the slate. He leads the position in Pro Trends on both DraftKings and FanDuel, so just lock him into your cash game lineups and move on.
Value
Killian Hayes has missed most of his rookie season with an injury, but he’s had the opportunity to shine for the Pistons recently. He’s increased his fantasy production to 0.91 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, and he should carry a heavy workload for the team on Monday. They’ve already ruled out seven players – including Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee, and Cory Joseph – and Hamidou Diallo is also listed as questionable. He’s currently projected for 30.3 minutes in our NBA Models, and Hayes has averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.91 with a comparable minute projection this season (per the Trends tool). His $4,400 salary also comes with a Bargain Rating of 85%.
Fast Break
Paying up at both point guard spots on FanDuel is definitely a viable strategy on Monday. Westbrook is the safest option, but Steph Curry is arguably a better value at $9,700. It results in a Bargain Rating of 87%, and he owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.45 vs. the Pelicans. Curry could also be asked to carry a monster workload in this matchup. Kelly Oubre and Damion Lee remain out of the lineup, while Andrew Wiggins is questionable with a knee injury. Curry has increased his usage rate by +7.2% with Oubre and Wiggins off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.65 FanDuel points per minute.
Facundo Campazzo should continue to handle most of the PG minutes in Denver with Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Monte Morris sidelined indefinitely. He’s projected for 33.5 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged 0.77 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. That makes him a viable option on DraftKings, where his $4,400 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 88%.
Shooting Guard
Stud
Jordan Clarkson stands out as a nice option to pay up for on FanDuel. He’s served as one of the Jazz’s offensive focal points with Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley sidelined, and both players will be out of the lineup again on Monday. He leads the team with a usage rate of 30.8% with both players off the court this season, resulting in an average of 0.96 FanDuel points per minute.
Value
The Pistons rolled the dice on Josh Jackson during the offseason, and he’s been a nice player for them this year. He leads the team with a usage rate of 29.0% in six games without Grant and Plumlee this season, and he’s averaged 1.02 DraftKings points per minute in those contests. He should see more than 30 minutes in a nice matchup vs. the Magic, which makes him a strong value across the industry.
Fast Break
On the other side of that matchup, Gary Harris is going to be asked to carry a large workload for the Magic. They’re playing without Terrence Ross, Michael Carter-Williams, James Ennis, and Otto Porter Jr., and the team was already shorthanded after trading away their three best players before the deadline. He’s scored at least 21.75 DraftKings points in three of his past four games, and his $4,300 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 99%.
C.J. McCollum leads the position with 10 Pro Trends on FanDuel, and he’s coming off a monster 48.5 FanDuel points in his last outing. He also leads the position with 37 projected minutes on today’s slate, and he’s averaged 1.14 FanDuel points per minute this season.
Small Forward
Stud
Small forward is not a particularly exciting position on Monday, but Brandon Ingram is worth some consideration on FanDuel. He’s priced at just $7,400, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 85%, and Ingram has averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.48 with a comparable salary this season. Ingram owns a nice matchup vs. the Warriors, and the Pelicans’ implied team total of 120.0 points is the third-highest mark on the slate.
Value
Rui Hachimura has posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of his past four games, yet his salary continues to decrease. He’s priced at just $3,900 for tonight’s matchup vs. the Pacers, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 86%. He’s also projected for 32.5 minutes in our NBA Models, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.55.
Fast Break
Kent Bazemore should continue to start in place of Oubre, and he’s always an appealing option when he’s expected to get minutes. He’s scored at least 28.25 DraftKings points in each of his past three games, which makes him very reasonable at $5,200 in an elite matchup.
Saddiq Bey is coming off more than 40 minutes in his last game, and he’s a good bet to lead the team in minutes again on Friday. He’s currently projected for 35.9 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged 0.90 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
Power Forward
Stud
Zion Williamson is coming off a monster performance in his last game, finishing with 58.8 FanDuel points over 41.9 minutes vs. the Timberwolves. Overall, he’s increased his production to 1.32 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, yet his salary has actually decreased by -$700 over that time frame. He’s priced at $9,000 on FanDuel for tonight’s matchup vs. the Warriors, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 87%. There aren’t a ton of studs to pay up for outside of point guard and center, and Williamson is one of the best options.
Value
Robert Covington is another nice value on FanDuel. He’s currently projected for 35.0 minutes on Monday, which is the second-highest mark at the position. He’s also very affordable at $4,700, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 80%, and Covington has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.38 with a comparable salary and minute projection. This game between the Blazers and Hawks is another excellent one to target in fantasy given the 236-point total and the two-point spread.
Fast Break
Taj Gibson is dirt-cheap at $3,100 on DraftKings, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 97%. He’s increased his production to 0.84 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s coming off nearly 32 minutes yesterday vs. the Rockets. He shouldn’t be asked to play that much on Monday, but he doesn’t need to at his current salary.
The Pacers are once against dealing with a bunch of injuries headed into today’s slate. They did get Domantas Sabonis back in their last matchup, but Malcolm Brogdon, Goga Bitadze, and Jeremy Lamb are all questionable. Doug McDermott should see a nice boost if any of those players are inactive, and he’s averaged 0.99 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. That makes him a viable target at just $4,000.
Make sure to monitor the Pacers’ injury report using the Labs Insiders tool.
Center
Stud
The only thing that has been able to stop Nikola Jokic recently has been a lack of playing time. He’s been just as effective as ever when on the court – he’s averaged 1.69 DraftKings points per minute over the past month – but blowouts have limited him to 29.7 minutes or fewer in three of his past five games. That has capped his production, but he has scored at least 62.5 DraftKings points in the two games where he wasn’t limited. That makes him a clear bounce-back target vs. the Lakers in what should be a competitive contest.
Value
Alex Len has been excellent on a per-minute basis recently, averaging 1.02 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He remains extremely affordable at $3,300 on DraftKings, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 99%, and he owns an excellent matchup vs. the Pacers. They’ve struggled against opposing big men all season, giving Len an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.35. He’s one of the stronger punt plays on the slate.
Fast Break
Moe Wagner is another potential value option. He’s averaged 0.95 DraftKings points per minute this season, and he’s coming off 34.1 minutes in his last outing. He should command another large workload on today given Orlando’s current injury situation, but his salary has come up a bit across the industry. That said, he still looks like a nice value.
Joel Embiid has the upside to matchup Jokic at the center position on Monday, and he stands out as arguably a better value on FanDuel. His $9,600 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 87%, and he also owns a nice matchup vs. the Bulls. It results in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.68, which is the second-highest mark at the position.
