The NBA has a nice six-game slate lined up to tip off the work week, setting up a solid Monday night of DFS fantasy basketball action. The Cavaliers are the only team on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Spurs and Celtics start the week with games on both Monday and Tuesday.
Several key injuries will be major factors on this Monday night slate and will help determine both studs and value plays. As news breaks throughout the day, be sure to refresh the NBA Models for the latest updates and adjustments to see how rotations will look with or without certain players.
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.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
Luka Doncic continues to dominate and post ridiculous numbers in every game. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections on the entire slate and the highest salary on the whole slate. Even though he’s always expensive, he has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven straight games coming into Monday’s matchup with the Bulls in Chicago.
Doncic was questionable for Saturday’s game with an elbow sprain but played through the issue and had 39 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. He has a triple-double with at least 35 points in each of his last five games and has a usage rate of at least 34.0% in 10 straight contests.
Over his last seven games, he has produced 1.95 DraftKings points and 1.77 FanDuel points per minute. Even though he’s so expensive, he has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards on DraftKings and the fifth-highest at the position on FanDuel. If you can make his salary work, he’s a great pay-up play to build around Monday night.
Value
Since joining the injury-riddled Hornets at the trade deadline, Vasilije Micic has stepped into a substantial role with his new team. He has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards on the slate and the highest of all the options with salaries under $6,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Micic has exceeded salary-based expectations in four of his last five games. He played over 28 minutes in each of those games and produced 0.91 DraftKings points and 0.86 FanDuel points per minute. Micic has scored at least 12 points in each of those games and is coming off his first career double-double. He had 12 points and 10 assists in the Hornets’ win on Saturday.
Fast Break
The Nuggets have the highest implied team total on the slate, and Jamal Murray should be a great play at point guard against the Raptors. He has scored 24+ points and exceeded salary-based expectations in each of his last four games. He lit up the Jazz for 37 points while adding seven assists on Saturday in one of his best games of the year. He has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard on FanDuel and the third-highest on DraftKings.
Darius Garland has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard on FanDuel and also ranks in the top five at the position on DraftKings. He will likely have to carry more work with Donovan Mitchell (knee) expected to miss another game. Garland is also dealing with a wrist issue, which limited him to 27 minutes on Sunday. As long as he’s ready to roll for the second game of the back-to-back, though, he should be in a good spot to produce at home against the Suns.
If you have to go cheaper than Micic, Dalano Banton is a good option to consider, as he continues to play a significant role for the Trail Blazers. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in six straight games, averaging 1.20 DraftKings points and 1.17 FanDuel points per minute in 29.2 minutes per game. He’ll get a chance to take on his former team, the Celtics, in the late game.
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
The Celtics made it tricky for everyone by listing basically their entire team as questionable. They did rule out Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) but left the rest of their lineup questionable—Jayson Tatum (ankle), Jaylen Brown (pelvis), Jrue Holiday (knee), and Derrick White (hand). If any of that group sits, the other options will be strong plays carrying the load against the Trail Blazers. If they all sit, the Celtics backups would all be excellent value plays.
Brown has been playing through his questionable tag lately, and if he continues to do that on Monday, he’ll be a great option in Portland. Brown has scored 25+ points in six of his last seven games, including a 41-point outburst against the Nuggets. He also had a strong showing with 27 points on Saturday in the Celtics’ bounce-back win over the Suns.
In seven of his last eight games, Brown has exceeded salary-based expectations, producing 1.33 DraftKings points and 1.29 FanDuel points per minute in 33.4 minutes per game with a team-high 32.4% usage rate. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus, along with a top-four ceiling projection at shooting guard on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Value
With both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland ailing, Caris LeVert has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
LeVert missed two games with an elbow sprain, but when available, he played over 28 minutes in each of his last seven games. He exceeded salary-based expectations in five of those seven games by producing 1.12 DraftKings points and 1.11 FanDuel points per minute in 31.9 minutes per game.
Cleveland’s injury report will be key to watch for on Monday, but if he is ready to roll while his teammates continue to be sidelined, LeVert should be a great value option at shooting guard or small forward.
Fast Break
Even with Victor Wembanyama set to return for the Spurs, Devin Vassell stands out as a good play. Vassell has exceeded salary-based expectations on FanDuel in six straight games, producing an impressive 1.23 DraftKings points and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in 37.7 minutes per game. He had 30 points and nine assists against the Kings on Thursday and is probable for Monday’s game after missing Saturday’s game with a hip injury.
Derrick White has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards and shooting guards on DraftKings and the highest of all shooting guards on FanDuel as well. He could end up very busy if other Celtics sit out, and he plays through his hand issue. Watch for injury news, but definitely keep an eye on White vs. the Trail Blazers as a potential great value.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all shooting guards under $5,000 on DraftKings, and Sam Merrill has that distinction on FanDuel. However, another great bargain value to consider is the Spurs’ Blake Wesley. The 20-year-old from Notre Dame has regularly played double-digit minutes off the bench, and he has been more productive lately, scoring 11 points against the Kings on Thursday, followed by a nine-assist game against the Warriors on Saturday.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
The Bulls host the Mavericks, and DeMar DeRozan is in a good spot to return elite value for Chicago. He has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all small forwards on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He also has the second-highest ceiling and median projection at the position.
DeRozan’s Bulls enter the day in the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference and seem locked into a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Recently, DeRozan has been surging and has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games and five of his last six. Over that span, he produced 1.20 DraftKings points and 1.17 FanDuel points per minute in a heavy workload of 39.7 minutes per game.
Value
Micic isn’t the only player whose role and production have spiked since being traded to the Hornets. Davis Bertans has suddenly emerged as a good value option. On FanDuel, he has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all small forwards priced under $5,000 and the fourth-highest at the position overall. On DraftKings, he is power forward eligible and has the fifth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position, and the second-highest of the options with salaries under $5,000.
He only played 15 games for the Thunder, averaging 6.1 minutes per game, but he has played at least 20 minutes in five straight games coming off the bench for the Hornets. He scored 11+ points in each of those five games, averaging 12.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. Over those five games, he produced a solid 0.96 DraftKings points and 0.93 FanDuel points per minute in 26.2 minutes per contest, which is enough to make him a top value option.
Fast Break
Jayson Tatum has the highest Projected Plus/Minus and the top ceiling projection of all small forwards on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He bounced back with a solid 29 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in Phoenix on Saturday, and he’ll be a strong pay-up play at small forward if he’s able to play through his questionable tag on Monday night.
Two more value options for the Cavs are Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang who have stepped into more active roles with so many teammates battling injuries. Okoro has exceeded salary-based expectations in 12 of his 14 games over the last month on DraftKings and 10 of those 14 games on FanDuel.
If RJ Barrett (illness) or Bruce Brown (knee) is out on Monday, it would continue to open up opportunities for Raptors’ rookie Gradey Dick. Dick started on Saturday and played 39 minutes. The rookie has a lot of upside as a value play, and the Raptors will give him a chance to develop over the next few weeks as they play out their lost season.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
With Steph Curry (ankle) sidelined again on Monday, Jonathan Kuminga is a good option for the Warriors. He ranks in the top seven in Projected Plus/Minus at power forward and the top six in ceiling projection on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Without Steph, Kuminga dropped 26 points on Saturday in the Warriors’ loss to the Spurs.
Kuminga has exceeded salary-based expectations in eight of his last nine games on FanDuel and five of his last seven on DraftKings. He scored 19+ points in seven of his last eight games, producing 1.23 DraftKings points and 1.23 FanDuel points per minute in 27.1 minutes per game.
With Curry off the floor during that eight-game span, Kuminga has a 30.7% usage rate, which is the second-highest mark on the team behind only Klay Thompson. In a favorable matchup against the Spurs, Kuminga is a strong stud to play again on Monday.
Value
With so many injuries depleting their roster, the Cavs are again the place to shop for value at power forward. Dean Wade has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards on DraftKings and the second-highest on FanDuel behind only his teammate Jarrett Allen. Wade missed Sunday’s game due to a personal matter, but if he’s back in action on Monday, he’ll be a good option.
Wade showed his upside with a dominant performance against the Celtics, scoring 23 points in 21 minutes. He cooled back off in his two games since then, but as a cheap option, he still brings a high ceiling. If Wade misses this game as well, LeVert, Niang, and Okoro (discussed above) will get even more work and be even stronger plays.
Fast Break
Michael Porter Jr. has scored 19+ points in four of his last five games for the Nuggets, including two big double-doubles against the Heat and Lakers. He has four double-doubles in his nine games since the All-Star Break, producing 1.14 DraftKings points and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute in 32.0 minutes per game.
With Porzingis out, Al Horford is one of the few Celtics we’re sure will be able to play on Monday. He had 12 points and nine boards in a strong game on Friday against the Suns while playing 32 minutes. Depending on who exactly is available for Boston, he could be lined up for a big enough workload to be a solid value again.
As cheap plays at power forward, Simone Fontecchio and Isaiah Stewart have good Projected Plus/Minus for the Pistons against the Hornets. Fontecchio had 27 points against the Mavs on Saturday and has exceeded salary-based expectations in four of the past six contests.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Nikola Jokic has the second-highest median, ceiling, and floor projection on the entire slate, behind only Luka. He matches 11 Pro Trends on FanDuel, the most of any player on the slate, and he matches 10 on DraftKings, behind only Luka, who has 11. Jokic has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers on this slate and makes a good option in this favorable home matchup against the Raptors.
Jokic posted a double-double in his first eight games after the All-Star Break and fell just short of another double-double on Saturday against the Jazz. He has 25+ points in four straight games, including a big triple-double against the Celtics on Thursday. Since the All-Star Break, he averaged 1.79 DraftKings points and 1.70 FanDuel points per minute while playing 36.2 minutes per game.
Value
The Warriors have been giving more minutes to Trayce Jackson-Davis, who has exceeded salary-based expectations on FanDuel in five straight games with at least eight points in at least 16 minutes per game. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all players on the entire slate on DraftKings, where he has a 94% Bargain Rating and a salary of just $4,400. On FanDuel, his salary is over $5,000, but he also has extra power forward eligibility on that site.
Jackson-Davis moved into the starting lineup on Saturday against the Spurs and is projected for 23.7 minutes in Monday’s rematch in San Antonio, along with an 18.1% usage projection. Draymond Green (back) is probable, but even alongside Dray, Jackson-Davis has shown he can be a solid value producer at center. He has multiple blocks in three of his last four contests.
Fast Break
On the other side of that rematch, Victor Wembanyama is ready to return for San Antonio. He missed the last two games with an ankle injury, but in his last nine games, he produced an elite 2.02 DraftKings points and 2.1 FanDuel points per minute while playing 30.3 minutes per game. He’s an expensive option with his uncertain workload, but he has proven he can produce at an elite level.
Jalen Duren has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all centers on DraftKings and the sixth-highest at the position on FanDuel. He had a down game against the Mavs on Saturday with just six points and eight rebounds, but he had double-doubles in eight of his previous nine games and should be in a good matchup Monday against the Hornets. Daniel Gafford has also been good as a mid-range option while starting for the Mavs, exceeding salary-based expectations in three straight contests.
As a bargain play, Luke Kornet stands out on both DraftKings and FanDuel with his salary under $4,000.
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