The NBA starts the work week with six games on the schedule for Monday night. All six of those games are included on the DraftKings main slate, which gets underway at 7:00 p.m. ET. Of the 12 teams in the player pool, the Knicks and Wizards are the only ones in action for a second straight day, and no team in action Monday will also play Tuesday. The Wizards have been a great matchup to attack lately with up-tempo play and poor defense, so the Timberwolves get a boost from facing them, especially on the second night of a back-to-back. As we approach tip-off, be sure to stay up to date with the latest news and availability changes. Our NBA models will adjust and change throughout the day as news breaks, so be sure to update the projections and adjust your roster if needed.
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.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
No other point guard on Monday’s slate has a salary of $9,000 or more, but Cade Cunningham is worth considering even though his salary is elevated to $10,300. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at the position by a wide margin as he leads the Pistons into New York to face the Knicks in an Eastern Conference matchup.
Cunningham was in my picks on Saturday and delivered a massive triple-double against the Raptors. He had 69 DraftKings points on 22 points, 18 assists, and 10 rebounds while adding two blocks and a steal on the defensive end. Cunningham has at least 57 DraftKings points in four of his last five games and is averaging 50.7 DraftKings points per game and 1.43 DraftKings points per minute in a breakout season.
Against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden earlier this season, Cunningham had 29 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds, and 71.5 DraftKings points while leading the Knicks to a 120-111 victory. He has a similar ceiling on Monday and the highest ceiling projection at any position on the slate, along with the second-highest median projection and the third-highest floor projection.
Value
The Timberwolves are a great source of value in their matchup against the Wizards, providing five of the six players with the highest Projected Plus/Minus on Monday’s slate. At point guard, Mike Conley has the highest Projected Plus/Minus, with his teammate Donte DiVincenzo right behind him.
DiVincenzo also has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard. He moved into the starting lineup four games ago and has scored double-digit points and exceeded salary-based expectations in each of those four games.
The T-Wolves’ offseason acquisition had a season-high 27 points on Saturday in a two-point loss to the Grizzlies, knocking down six three-pointers and going 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the field. He also added 10 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals to finish with 57 DraftKings points. While that ceiling isn’t a realistic expectation for every game, DiVincenzo has had some very productive hot streaks in his career, and he seems to be in the midst of another one.
Since moving into the lineup, he has produced 1.07 DraftKings points per minute and 31.3 DraftKings points per game. No team in the NBA has been a better matchup for opposing point guards, so he should be in a great spot to stay hot this Monday.
Fast Break
Tyler Herro has the second-highest ceiling projection at the position behind only Cunningham and is coming off a strong 32-point performance against the Trail Blazers on Saturday. He had 48.75 fantasy points in that contest and exceeded salary-based expectations for the first time in seven games. He is being asked to carry more of the offense without Jimmy Butler (suspension) which gives him a high ceiling in every matchup, including Monday’s against the Clippers.
Raptors PG Immanuel Quickley is still setting back into his regular role and usage after missing more than six weeks with an elbow injury. He has scored double-digit points in each of his six games since returning, including two games with 20+ points in his last three games. He had 25 points and 33.5 fantasy points against the Pistons on Saturday, and he has the fifth-highest Projected Plus/Minus of point guards on Monday and the highest of options over $6,000. Quickley was added to the injury report as questionable with a hip injury for Monday, so be sure to check for updates on his status.
Conley is a high-risk play since he’s coming off the bench now in a limited role, but he had exceeded salary-based expectations in three straight games before posting just three points and two assists on Saturday. He’ll look to bounce back on Monday and should be able to return good value at his salary of just $3,400 if he plays around 20 minutes. He could get even more work if Monday’s matchup gets lopsided.
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
On Monday, Jalen Green stands out as an excellent play under $7,000 as the Rockets host the Grizzlies. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position and the third-highest median and ceiling projection. He offers a huge discount from Anthony Edwards and Tyler Herro, who are the only two players projected ahead of him.
Green has been on a great run to start 2025 and has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games. In those four games, he produced 45.2 DraftKings points per game at the impressive rate of 1.33 DraftKings points per minute. Green has scored at least 27 points in each of those four games, and he scored 27 points against the Grizzlies in Memphis on Thursday.
The Rockets got an unexpected day off on Saturday due to the weather in Atlanta, so they’ll end up facing the Grizzlies in back-to-back games. Green always gets plenty of usage, and he has been scoring plenty of points while chipping in a few non-scoring stats as well.
Value
One of the exciting new features this season on FantasyLabs is our partnership with ShotQuality. The ShotQuality projections also like Green as a great play on Monday, but they also point out another value at a lower price. Stephon Castle has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus in the ShotQuality Projections at shooting guard and the highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard.
Castle and the Spurs are expected to face the Lakers, who will return to action after missing two games due to the Los Angeles area wildfires. The Spurs were scheduled to play a two-game set against the Lakers, but Saturday’s game was postponed. They’ll play on Monday, though, barring any unexpected changes.
In his last game, Castle shot a forgettable 2-for-12 from the field but still had 12 fantasy points in 25 minutes against the Bucks. Before that, Castle had been putting up more points and production with at least eight points and at least 16 fantasy points in four straight. Since his salary is so low, that was enough for the rookie to exceed salary-based expectations in each of those four games.
On Monday, Castle could get more playing time if Jeremy Sochan (back, questionable) is ruled out for a second straight game as he continues to battle a recurring lower back issue.
Fast Break
As a chalky play on Saturday’s limited slate, Anthony Edwards was a letdown with just 15 points and 29.25 fantasy points against the Grizzlies. He will look to bounce back in a juicy matchup against the Wizards on Monday. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections of all shooting guards in both sets of projections.
Terry Rozier again brings good value potential as a midrange target as he steps into more work for the Heat. Rozier has scored at least eight points in 10 straight games, averaging 23.7 DraftKings points per contest with a 22.4% usage rate that ranks third on the team over that span. He had 11 points, four assists, and 22 DraftKings points on Saturday in Portland.
For the Pistons, Tim Hardaway Jr. returned from a one-game absence on Saturday with a monster game of 27 points and 39.25 fantasy points. He has a top-10 Projected Plus/Minus again at shooting guard in the FantasyLabs projections again on Monday as he continues to fill in for Jaden Ivey (leg). Hardaway has exceeded salary-based expectations in four of his last six games, averaging 23.1 DraftKings points per game and 0.74 DraftKings points per minute.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Even with Kawhi Leonard starting to work his way back into the Clippers’ rotation, Norman Powell continues to be a very solid fantasy contributor. Powell has the second-highest ceiling projection of all small forwards in the ShotQuality projections, and he also has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position.
Powell has scored 25+ points in eight of his last 11 games and has exceeded salary-based expectations in each of those eight games. He had 25 points and 35.5 DraftKings points against the Timberwolves last Monday and followed that with 30 points and 38.5 DraftKings points on Wednesday against the Nuggets.
On the season, Powell has averaged 34.9 DraftKings points per game in his 30 games, so getting him at a salary under $7,000 makes him a good spot to target for value. It does appear that Kawhi will play on Monday since he is not on the injury report, but Powell should stay involved enough to still be a solid fantasy play from what we’ve seen so far in the two games Leonard played this year.
Value
In both sets of projections, Timberwolves small forward Jaden McDaniels stands out once again as an excellent value at just over $4,000. McDaniels was in this same spot on Saturday, and he delivered 21 points, six rebounds, and an excellent total of 41 fantasy points.
For Minnesota this season, McDaniels has started all 38 games this season for Minnesota, averaging 22.6 DraftKings points in 29.6 minutes per game. His low usage rate typically keeps his ceiling low, but in this matchup with the Wizards, he has a chance to definitely out-produce his price point.
McDaniels has at least 20 DraftKings points in six of his last eight games and has three games over 30 DraftKings points. He brings plenty of upside since he gets so many minutes for Minnesota.
Fast Break
While the Raptors host the banged-up Warriors, Scottie Barnes has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at small forward in both the FantasyLabs and ShotQuality projections. He had a big 24-point, 10-rebound double-double while adding eight assists on Thursday against the Cavs on his way to 54.5 DraftKings points, and he followed that on Saturday with another double-double on his way to 45 fantasy points against the Pistons. The versatile guard and forward brings a very high ceiling in every matchup, and he makes sense at just under $9,000, especially if Quickley is unable to play.
Josh Hart continues to be a double-double machine for the Knicks, averaging 45.0 DraftKings points on 15.4 points and 12.5 rebounds with nine double-doubles in his last 11 games. He is playing over 39 minutes per game and thriving in his big workload. He brings a high floor with his big workload and should be a good forward option under $8,000 in Monday’s matchup with the Pistons.
In the ShotQuality projections, Max Christie has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward and has exceeded salary-based expectations in six of his last eight games. He had a 28-point outburst against the Trail Blazers just after the New Year, but he normally plays a more peripheral scoring role for the Lakers while chipping in strong non-scoring numbers and playing tough team defense.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Against the Spurs, LeBron James has the highest ceiling, median, and floor projections of all power forward in the ShotQuality projections. He was posting good numbers before the extended break and should return rested and ready to roll in a favorable matchup against the Spurs.
The Lakers listed LeBron as probable with his foot injury, but he has been able to play in each of the Lakers’ last five games, averaging 48 DraftKings points, 26.0 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.6 rebounds in 34.2 minutes per contest.
James faced the Spurs twice this season, producing 56.5 DraftKings points and 51 DraftKings points, with a triple-double in each matchup. He and the Lakers could have some extra motivation as they return to the court in an especially significant game for their city as they continue to deal with the tragic wildfire situation.
Value
In both sets of projections, Naz Reid has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards. Reid’s salary is under $5,000, but the sixth-year big man from LSU has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of his last eight games, including each of his last four.
Reid has averaged an impressive 29.9 DraftKings points over those eight games and has over 28 DraftKings points in four straight games.
In Monday’s smash spot against the Wizards, Reid could get extra playing time off the bench and has proven he can thrive off the bench for Minnesota. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is on track to contend for the award again this year.
Fast Break
Julius Randle is also a great option against the Wizards. He has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward in the FantasyLabs projections after posting 41.5 and 38.5 DraftKings points in his last two games. Randle doesn’t have quite the ceiling that LeBron brings, but he should be able to thrive against the Wizards and could be a good pivot if the Lakers are rusty after their layoff.
Santi Aldama returned from a six-game absence last Thursday for the Grizzlies and had 12 points, nine rebounds, and 25.25 fantasy points against the Rockets in 23 minutes. He played a reduced role with just 15.25 fantasy points in 16 minutes on Saturday, but he’s not on Monday’s injury report and brings good upside from his salary under $5,000 since he has averaged 29.5 DraftKings points per game in his 33 games this season.
Miami’s Nikola Jovic is another good option under $5,000 since he has stepped up with at least 11 points in five straight games while stepping into more work with Butler out. Jovic has averaged 32 DraftKings points per game during that five-game stretch and is coming off 44 fantasy points on Saturday when he posted 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the Heat’s win over Portland.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Watching Anthony Davis and Victor Wembanyama go head-to-head in Los Angeles will be a fun matchup with plenty of fantasy potential on both sides, but Alperen Sengun is significantly cheaper than both options, and he has the third-highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at center in the ShotQuality projections and the fourth-highest in the FantasyLabs projections. He has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at center in the ShotQuality projections as well, and the highest of all options over $6,000.
Sengun had 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 59.5 DraftKings points against the Grizzlies last Thursday and will hope for a similar stat line in the rematch Monday. He also had a double-double with over 50 DraftKings points in his previous game, which was last Wednesday against the Wizards.
Over his last seven games, Sengun has averaged 46.0 DraftKings points per game and 1.36 DraftKings points per minute. Since Sengun’s Rockets have the highest implied team total of the night, edging out the Timberwolves, it seems like a great spot to stack Sengun, Green and a few of the Rockets’ value options as a strong core to build around Monday night.
Value
No team in the NBA has allowed more fantasy points per game to opposing centers than the Wizards have, so Rudy Gobert has the highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate in both the ShotQuality and FantasyLabs projections.
On Saturday, Gobert had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and 25 DraftKings points as a popular play against the Grizzlies. While he fell just short of salary-based expectations in that matchup, he exceeded salary-based expectations in each of his three previous game,s with at least 12 boards in each contest.
He has over 40 DraftKings points during that span with a big game against the Pelicans last Wednesday. In that matchup, he had seven points, 14 rebounds, and six blocked shots, so he still brings a very nice ceiling from his price point under $6,000, even though he doesn’t typically score a ton of points in his current role in Minnesota’s rotation.
Fast Break
Anthony Davis has the highest ceiling projection at center in the ShotQuality projections. Like LeBron, he’s probable with a foot issue, but the extended layoff could help him be fresh and fired up to take on Wemby on Monday night. He averaged 57.8 DraftKings points in his two games against the Spurs earlier this season and had over 59 DraftKings points in four of his last five contests.
Victor Wembanyama is a pay-up play at over $11,000, but he has the top ceiling projection on the slate in the FantasyLabs projections. He had over 63 DraftKings points in three straight games before slowing down with just 35 DraftKings points in his most recent contest, which was on the road against Giannis Antetkounmpo and the Bucks last Wednesday. In his two games against AD and the Lakers earlier this season, he averaged 53.0 DraftKings points.
If you decide to ass up all the high-priced centers, Isaiah Stewart continues to be a good punt play while backing up Jalen Duren for the Pistons. Beef Stew has served up at least 13 DraftKings points in seven straight games, with 20+ DraftKings points in four of those contests. He had 18.75 DraftKings points on Saturday against the Raptors and should be lined up for enough minutes to be the best ultra-cheap play at center on Monday. In both projections, Stewart has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of centers under $5,000 aside from Reid and Jovic, who are discussed as good value plays above.
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