The NBA starts a huge hoops week with 10 games lined up for Monday’s slate. The action starts a little later at 7:30 p.m. ET with most of the action coming late from the West, including four games that tip off at 10:00 p.m. ET. It could be a late-developing slate as a result of all the late games, especially the Lakers, Timberwolves, 76ers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Raptors, and Jazz all finishing back-to-back sets of games. With so many unknowns, be sure to keep a close eye on the team’s injury reports and adjust your strategy as needed, but coming into the day, here are the players standing out in our models.
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 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
While Luka Doncic has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at point guard, he also is uncertain for the back-to-back, and his salary is $12,000. Cade Cunningham is a great play to consider under $10,000 who has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards over $6,500.
Cade got ejected on Saturday against the Thunder, finishing with just 31.75 DraftKings points in 29 minutes. He was rolling before that abbreviated game, though, including two big games against the Wizards last week with 54.5 and 64.25 DraftKings points.
Over his last six games before Saturday, he averaged 31.7 points, 8.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 52.7 DraftKings points. He gets a great matchup for a bounce-back performance on Monday as his Pistons head to New Orleans to face the Pelicans, who have allowed the fifth-most DraftKings points per game this season to point guards.
Value
One major absence we know about early on Monday is Ja Morant (hamstring), who is out against the Kings. Scotty Pippen Jr. (wrist, questionable) is questionable as well, but he has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard. Luke Kennard started in Morant’s place on Saturday when Ja sat with shoulder soreness, and both guards have shown huge upside when given a bigger role.
Pippen had 11 points, 11 assists, and 43 DraftKings points against the Heat on Saturday and has at least 29 DraftKings points in four of his last five games, regardless of Morant’s status. If he is cleared to play, he’ll be an awesome value at under $5,000.
Kennard played 29 minutes on Saturday and finished with 29 DraftKings points on 11 points, four boards, and four assists. He showed an even higher ceiling with a season-high 30 points and hit seven three-pointers on his way to 42.5 DraftKings points last week against Utah. If Pippen is out along with Morant, Kennard is a great value to pivot to instead.
Fast Break
Tyrese Haliburton missed three games with a left hip strain but has been scorching hot in his three games since returning. He finished with 66.75 DraftKings points on 24 points and 15 assists on Saturday and has averaged 52.5 DraftKings points per game in his 10 contests since the All-Star break. He is questionable with a sore back on Monday, but if he plays through the injury, he’ll be an awesome option against the Timberwolves.
As a midrange option, Stephon Castle has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all point guards over $6,000 and the highest ceiling projection under $7,000. He looks ready to step into a huge role since De’Aaron Fox (finger) was lost for the season. In the first game without Fox, Castle had 26 points and 34.75 DraftKings points in 29 minutes. On Saturday, he was even busier, playing 36 minutes against the Pelicans. He only made five of his 15 field goal attempts in that contest but added seven assists to his 17 points to still end up with 29.25 DraftKings points.
The Bulls won’t have Lonzo Ball (wrist), and will also likely be without Josh Giddey (ankle), who is doubtful. Tre Jones should be in a great spot against the Jazz as a result. He has over 30 DraftKings points in five of his last six games, highlighted by 40.5 DraftKings points against the Nets on Thursday.
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
Without Ja Morant (hamstring) for a second straight game, Desmond Bane has the highest ceiling projection and the second-highest median and floor projection at shooting guard on Monday. The Grizzlies lead the NBA in pace, and their matchup with the Kings has the highest point total on the slate.
On Saturday without Morant, Bane had 22 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and 53 DraftKings points to carry Memphis to a comfortable win over the Heat. He is averaging 42.5 DraftKings points per game in his 19 games this season without Morant, and he has been even better lately with an average of 48.3 DraftKings points in his nine games without Ja since the calendar turned to 2025.
Bane has shown a very high ceiling lately with over 45 DraftKings points in six of his last 10 games and should be in a good spot to go off against the Kings. He faced them in Sacramento on January 3 without Morant and finished with 22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and 46.25 DraftKings points in a five-point loss for the Grizzlies.
Value
Bulls wing Kevin Huerter has the second highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard on Monday. His Bulls have the highest implied team total on the slate as they visit the Jazz, who have been an excellent matchup to attack over the last few weeks.
Huerter averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 25.9 DraftKings points per game over his last nine and has moved into the starting lineup for each of the last two games. He only had nine points on Saturday in Houston but should be set for a bounce-back performance in this contest against the Jazz.
Huerter had a season-high 26 points and 45.25 DraftKings points when he faced the Jazz with the Kings in December. He actually faced them three times with Sacrament, averaging 34.3 DraftKings points and scoring at least 14 points in each matchup.
Fast Break
Devin Booker and the Suns have a favorable matchup Monday night against the Raptors, and he’s the only one that outpaces Bane at the top of the median and floor projections. He is coming off of back-to-back double-doubles against the Kings and Lakers and has at least 45 DraftKings points in three of his last four.
Depending on what the Lakers do with Luka Doncic on the second game of their back-to-back, Jordan Goodwin could be an excellent value play. He had a rough outing against his former team, the Suns, on Sunday, but he had 25.5 DraftKings points while stepping up with Doncic out on Friday in Denver. Goodwin should get minutes either way but will be asked to be more active if Luka is out.
The highest Projected Plus/Minus at shooting guard and small forward comes from Johnny Juzang, who has stepped up in the last few games for the Jazz. He has at least 12 points and over 20 DraftKings points in four of his last six games dating back to a huge game against the Wizards in which he had 27 points and 42.75 DraftKings points. It depends on who the Jazz sit, but if Juzang gets minutes, he’s a great bargain play under $4,000.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
One of the exciting new features this season on FantasyLabs is our partnership with ShotQuality. In the ShotQuality projections for Monday, Coby White has the highest ceiling, median, and floor projections at small forward and the highest median and ceiling projections at shooting guard as well.
White has been carrying the load for the Bulls since Zach LaVine was traded and Ayo Dosunmu (shoulder) was lost for the season. Now with Giddey out as well, White has really gotten a chance to shine.
He showed his ceiling with a 44-point stunner against the Magic earlier this month, finishing with 58.75 DraftKings points. He has chipped in exactly seven rebounds and exactly four assists in each of his last three games, resulting in 43.75, 47.75, and 37.25 DraftKings points.
With such a juicy matchup on Monday night, White has one of the highest ceilings on the board, so getting him under $8,000 makes him one of the strongest plays on the board.
Value
In both sets of projections, Spurs forward Keldon Johnson has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward. He also has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward in the ShotQuality projections.
Johnson has stepped up for the Spurs since they lost Victory Wembanyama (blood clot) at the All-Star break. He has reached double-digit points in 13 of his 14 games since the break while averaging 16.6 points in 25.4 minutes per game and also adding 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest.
On Saturday, he had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals for 35.25 DraftKings points in 30 minutes. He has 25+ DraftKings points in four straight and over 35 DraftKings points in two of those contests. Especially now that De’Aaron Fox (finger) is also out, look for Johnson to keep getting plenty of run off the bench for San Antonio.
Fast Break
Zion Williamson is questionable Monday after missing Saturday’s game for a personal matter. If he does return, he has the second-highest median, ceiling, and floor projection at small forward in the ShotQuality projections. He has 55+ DraftKings points in three of his last seven games and ha averaged 44.8 DraftKings points per game over that stretch.
The Trail Blazers got 21 points and 44.25 DraftKings points from Toumani Camara on Sunday in their win over the Raptors. He is very volatile but has a multi-category upside that makes him a very intriguing play at just over $5,000 in a great spot against the Wizards
Aside from Juzang, both sets of projections point to Patrick Williams as the second-best play under $4,000 at forward. He has been on a minutes limit but still scored double-digit points in each of the last two games for Chicago, producing 17 and 19.75 DraftKings points. As his workload increases, he should be a strong option Monday.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
As the Trail Blazers welcome the Wizards, Deni Avdija gets a juicy revenge-game narrative. Avdija has a top-five median, ceiling, and floor projection at power forward in both sets of projections and the highest Projected Plus/Minus of any power forward with a salary over $6,000.
Avdija had 19 points, six assists, six rebounds, and 37.5 DraftKings points on Sunday but was even better in the Blazers two previous contests, posting 68 DraftKings points against the Warriors and 53.25 DraftKings points against the Knicks while logging over 40 minutes in each contest.
He only played five minutes against the Wizards in Washington before leaving with a quad contusion, so he should be extra fired up to face them in Portland on Monday night in what should be a very favorable matchup.
Value
He may be old, but he’s definitely proven to be reliable, so I’m back for more Draymond Green value this Monday as the Warriors host the Nuggets. Green has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward in the FantasyLabs projections and the second highest in the ShotQuality projections at the position, behind only Johnson.
Green has exceeded salary-based expectations in eight of his last 11 games and had 23 points against the Kings last Thursday. On Saturday, he cooled off with only 21.5 DraftKings points, but before that he had over 29 DraftKings points in 12 of 13 games.
He will have a tough matchup against the Nuggets frontcourt, but Nikola Jokic (elbow/ankle) and Aaron Gordon (calf/ankle) are both questionable and battling injuries coming into this big Western Conference matchup.
Fast Break
If you have the salary available, it’s hard to argue against Kevin Durant, who has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections at power forward in both sets of projections. Durant has had some up-and-down games lately but always brings a high ceiling, especially in a favorable matchup like Monday’s against Toronto. He did have 52.75 DraftKings points last Monday against the Grizz but has been held under 35 DraftKings points in two of his three games since.
For the Wizards, Justin Champagnie has posted back-to-back big games. He had 17 points, nine rebounds, and 37.25 DraftKings points on Thursday in Detroit and then had an even better showing on Saturday in Denver when he finished with 16 points, 13 boards, and 41.25 DraftKings points to help the Wizards steal a win from the Nuggets.
With Pascal Siakam (personal) out on Monday and Myles Turner (hip) and Aaron Nesmith (injury management) questionable, Obi Toppin could end up with a heavy workload for the Pacers. Toppin has 18+ DraftKings points in three of his last four games and will be a great play under $4,000 if he gets 25+ minutes against the Timberwolves.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Nikola Jokic always brings an extremely high ceiling whenever he’s on the slate. On Monday, even though he’s questionable and taking on the Warriors, he has the highest ceiling, median, and floor projection of any player on the entire slate in both sets of projections. Even though he also has the highest salary, he has a positive Projected Plus/Minus, meaning he still shapes up to be a good value if he plays through his questionable tag.
Jokic and the Nuggets will look to bounce back from their loss to Washington on Saturday. In that game, The Joker had 40 points and 76.25 DraftKings points, falling just one assist short of another triple-double. He has over 50 fantasy points in six straight games dating back to his monster game against the Suns that resulted in 100.25 DraftKings points.
If he plays, Jokic brings the potential to smash any slate, so if you can find enough cheap plays at other spots in your lineup, he hardly ever disappoints.
Value
In the ShotQuality projections, Jalen Duren has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at center on this slate, and he’s in a great spot as he takes on the Pelicans, who could be short-handed in the frontcourt and have been a great matchup for centers all season long.
Duren had a down game on Saturday when Cade was ejected against the Thunder, but before that, he had posted six double-doubles in seven games, including monster totals against the Nets (50.75 DraftKings points), Jazz (46.0 DraftKings points), and Trail Blazers (41 DraftKings points).
In a similar soft matchup on Monday night, he should be ready to crush the Pelicans and team up with Cade to get the Pistons back to firing on all cylinders after Saturday night’s setback.
Fast Break
Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points, 12 boards, and 52.5 DraftKings points against the Warriors in the Knicks’ loss on Friday. Now that he’s back at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks will need him to step up and carry the load while Jalen Brunson (ankle) is out for the next few weeks. In the four road games since Brunson’s injury, KAT averaged 45.8 DraftKings points in 32.8 minutes per game.
The Raptors have gotten very strong production from Orlando Robinson while they were without Jonathan Mogbo (nose) and were trying to limit the workload of Jakob Poeltl. How the rotation will shake out with Mogbo available is uncertain, but Robinson has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at center in the FantasyLabs projections and the fourth-highest at the position in the ShotQuality projections, showing there’s still plenty of potential for him to contribute.
If Turner is ruled out or even if he plays, Thomas Bryant is a very interesting option at the minimum salary. Bryant has played very limited minutes lately but showed the potential to step up and produce when given a larger workload. Just before the All-Star break, he had four straight games of at least 29 DraftKings points while getting extra minutes. He has at least 16 DraftKings points in three of his last five, so even with just Siakam’s absence, he’s worth a flier play at only $3,000.
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