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Here are some plays that jump out on DraftKings at each position for Monday’s seven-game NBA slate, along with some strategy unique to this slate. This was an eight-gamer, but Mavericks vs. Pelicans was canceled due to health protocols.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Excellent 8’s [$100K to 1st]
Point Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns at Washington Wizards ($7,200)
There are plenty of PG studs you can pay up for on this slate, all in solid spots. But the Wizards have been the ultimate spot, giving up nearly 123 points per game. Already with the worst defense in the league, Washington will be without both Russell Westbrook (quad) and Thomas Bryant (knee). Expect Phoenix to crank it up a bit offensively in this game. Paul has a safe 30-DKFP type of floor, but their ceiling against the Wiz makes him an intriguing play. Washington is allowing the second-most DKFP to PG.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks ($4,700)
The 76ers ran with just seven players on Saturday against the Nuggets, but the rookie stepped in and filled it up, despite the 12-point loss. Maxey shot 18-of-33 from the field for 39 points in 44 minutes — yes, 33 shots! The Sixers will get some bodies back for this one, but they’ll still be thin, and Ben Simmons (knee) has been ruled out. The Hawks allow the most DKFP to PG, so Maxey’s in another terrific spot, although we expect some regression from his 61.25 DKFP performance on Saturday.
Shooting Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards vs. Phoenix Suns ($9,900)
We’ll be on this matchup a lot with the pace Washington plays at, but regardless, anytime Westbrook is out, Beal’s going to be a strong play. The Suns play very solid defensively, but Beal is good enough to get his, and he should see a ton of volume here. Beal’s been spectacular recently, even aside from his 60-point game against the Sixers, scoring over 50 DKFP in each of his past three contests.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Danny Green, Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks ($4,700)
Outside of Simmons, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Shake Milton are all notable names the Sixers won’t have available in Atlanta. Green played 36 minutes on Saturday, and while the 27.75 DKFP were fine, he shot just 4-of-17. Knock down some shots in this game, and a much larger fantasy outcome is realistic.
Small Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings ($6,900)
Initially, I wrote up Brandon Ingram here, but that game is now off. But this makes more sense, as SF wasn’t a position you want to be paying up at to begin with. ‘Dipo’s been a solid 30-40 DKFP each night and gets a favorable matchup against a poor Sacramento defense.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns at Washington Wizards ($4,200)
There’s some good value on the wing, and I think getting some cheap exposure against Washington makes sense. There are a lot of expensive guard plays in that game, but Johnson gets us some discounted scoring. Johnson’s averaging 26 DKFP over his past three games, and the paced up matchup against an awful defense leaves room for improvements. It wouldn’t take much to get 7X value here. Danny Green ($4,700) is also a viable SF play if you pay up for multiple guards. Cam Reddish ($5,100) is also coming off a massive game for the Hawks and might be thrown back into the starting five for injury purposes.
Power Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings ($9,300)
Sabonis is having a tremendous season, finally getting All-Star minutes for the Pacers. He put up a 28-point, 22-rebound double-double on Saturday, good for his fourth 50-DKFP game of the season, and it came against a highly-ranked Phoenix defense. The Kings have been on a skid recently and struggle to defend bigs.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Mike Scott, Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks ($3,000)
More Sixers. Scott got a DNP on Saturday, as he suited up, but was just being used to give Philly eight active players. The intention was never for him to play. It looks like he’ll return to this shorthanded rotation on Monday, and we get him for minimum salary. Tough to pass up on regardless, but the matchup against Atlanta make him only a more intriguing play.
Center
Worth Paying Up For: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks ($9,800)
It looks like Embiid is set to return, and while we can sprinkle in the value plays, this is where we should get the bulk of the points from. Assuming he plays, Embiid is where you’ll start cash lineups and is a tough fade in GPPs. If Embiid is ruled out, we get even more ridiculous value on Philly and can go an extreme stars and scrubs route.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Moritz Wagner, Washington Wizards vs. Phoenix Suns ($3,600)
Thomas Bryant suffered a torn ACL over the weekend, which leaves Washington’s frontcourt in an unfortunate spot. But from a fantasy perspective, this will be a stretch for Wagner to have the potential to step up. After not playing much to begin the season, Wagner saw 20 minutes against the Heat on Saturday, finishing with 26.25 DKFP. Let’s see what he can do in a full game’s work.
Overall Lineup Strategy
The bubble-less NBA is turning into the wild west ... just like NFL and MLB were. So first and foremost, following the news is always a must in the NBA, but now it’s even more important. Make sure to follow @dklive on Twitter and download the DK Live app to stay up-to-date with all the latest news. Getting exposure to Washington’s games is almost a must, but the Portland and Toronto game is right behind it in terms of a total, and maybe worth a contrarian game stack. It’s almost only worth noting this on slates where I will be playing up at forward, but per usual, I’ll look to pay up at guard and center, and fill in with value between.
Injury Report
OUT
Russell Westbrook (quad)
Ben Simmons (knee)
Tobias Harris (protocols)
Thomas Bryant (ACL)
Alec Burks (ankle)
Seth Curry (COVID)
Darius Garland (shoulder)
Shake Milton (protocols)
Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee)
QUESTIONABLE
Collin Sexton (ankle)
Buddy Hield (ankle)
Richaun Holmes (ankle)
Evan Fournier (back)
DOUBTFUL
Cameron Payne (ankle)
PROBABLE
Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) EDITOR’S NOTE: Antetokounmpo (back) is listed as available to play tonight
Joel Embiid (back) EDITOR’S NOTE: Embiid (back) is listed as available to play tonight
Trae Young (wrist)
Kevin Huerter (ankle)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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