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Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, everyone! For Monday night, we get a four-game main slate to attack, barring any postponements, and DraftKings continues to offer huge tournaments for DFS players. Below are some of my favorite targets at each position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $450K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Point Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks at Toronto Raptors, $11,000
Doncic was incredible yesterday vs. the Bulls in recording a triple-double with 87.5 DKFP, setting a new season-high for the 21-year-old superstar. This marks his third triple-double of the season and Doncic is now amassing a ridiculous 71.8 DKFP per game in his past six.
The Mavs have been shorthanded during this stretch and they will continue to be on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell all remaining out due to the NBA’s health protocols. Tim Hardaway ($6,800; groin) is also questionable and Kristaps Porzingis ($8,200) is a potential rest candidate after playing Sunday. Nevertheless, Doncic’s rates will be huge on Monday against a Raptors defense that ranks 20th in efficiency this season, after ranking second a year ago. Opposing point guards have exposed them for the second-most DKFP per game this season and Doncic easily holds the top projection of this four-game slate.
Other Option: Kyrie Irving ($9,100, if active)
Value
Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks at Toronto Raptors, $4,000
Brunson (health protocols) has been cleared to play Monday after missing the past four games for the Mavs. Before the health debacle, the 24-year-old was carving himself a decent role in this Dallas rotation, obtaining 19.1 minutes per game and producing 20.1 DKFP per game this season. This type of workload should certainly be available for Brunson in his first game back, considering that the Mavs are still down four key pieces and possibly another in Hardaway Jr.
He is scoring right over 1 DKFP per minute this season and, as I just mentioned above, the Raptors are a shell of what they used to be defensively. If this was a full slate, Brunson wouldn’t be on my radar, but given the lack of appealing cheap values this evening, the combo guard is a viable gamble if you need the salary relief.
Other Options: Dennis Schroder ($6,400), Damion Lee ($3,700)
Shooting Guard
Stud
Coby White, Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets, $7,600
Right now is an ideal time to buy low on White in GPPs. Yesterday, he had an extremely tough time against the Mavs and their second-ranked defense in the league, posting a season-low 11.25 DKFP. We can definitely expect much better output for White tonight, going against a Rockets defense that is surrendering the sixth-most DKFP per game to opposing point guards.
Prior to Sunday’s disaster, the 20-year-old had scored over 37 DKFP in six of his previous eight games, and White will absolutely come with depressed ownership, even for a small four-game slate.
Other Option: Zach LaVine ($9,500)
Value
Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls, $5,200
Gordon (leg) is probable to make his return Monday and he should jump right into a sizable role following the James Harden trade to Brooklyn. Yes, Houston did acquire Victor Oladipo and he will make his Rockets debut tonight, but the 28-year-old and Gordon should lead this club in usage going forward, along with Christian Wood.
Assuming he has no limitations, Gordon should play at least 30 minutes on Monday against a Chicago defense that ranks 28th in efficiency. The pure scorer is amassing 27.5 DKFP per game in his past 10 with 25 minutes or more and Gordon could end up carrying a decently-low ownership, coming off the leg injury.
Other Options: Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,800, if active), Trey Burke ($5,600, if Hardaway Jr. is out), Alex Caruso ($3,600)
Small Forward
Stud
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets, $8,000
Tonight, the Bucks will face off against the Nets and their new big three of James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Both of these clubs have high-powered offenses and to no surprise, this showdown is slated for a huge amount of points (237.5), while also expected to stay close throughout (MIL -2.5 on the DraftKings Sportsbook).
All the core Bucks should see heavy playing time in this tilt and Middleton has been awesome as of late, generating 41.9 DKFP per game over his past six. Additionally, since the NBA restart this past summer, the underrated small forward has flourished in back-and-forth contests, amassing 45.6 DKFP when the spread has been under five points. At only $8,000, Middleton is a terrific combination of safety and upside.
Other Option: LeBron James ($9,700, if active)
Value
David Nwaba, Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls, $3,800
Small Forward is a very thin and top-heavy position for Monday night’s slate, but if you’re in dire need of a punt, Nwaba is viable at only $3,800. Even with Gordon and Oladipo in the mix, Nwaba should still receive roughly 25 minutes of work off the bench, particularly if Sterling Brown ($4,400; leg, questionable) is inactive for Houston.
When given a minimum of 25 minutes in 2020-21, Nwaba is collecting a solid 18.7 DKFP per game, and, as previously mentioned, the Bulls are currently one of the worst defenses in the Association (28th in efficiency). The 28-year-old lacks true upside, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Nwaba returned value in this prime matchup.
Other Options: Kelly Oubre Jr. ($5,400), Eric Paschall ($4,000)
Power Forward
Stud
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, $9,300
Davis’ price on DraftKings has descended to a new season-low and this is a friendly matchup for him against the Warriors. Thus far, they rank 17th in defensive efficiency and third in pace this season. This game’s O/U total currently sits at 226.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook and AD is averaging 47 DKFP when competing in totals above 225 points this season.
Plus, LeBron James (ankle) is considered questionable, and while it is likely the future hall-of-famer suits up, if he were ever to sit, Davis’ role would skyrocket. When James has been off the floor this season, Davis has received a 4.4% usage increase. Either way, the 27-year-old’s price is extremely reasonable right now and his ceiling is always one of the best in basketball every time he steps on the hardwood.
Other Option: Kevin Durant ($10,100)
Value
Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets, $6,700
Markkanen has been excellent since returning from a seven-game absence due to health protocols. In these past two games, he has started at power forward and contributed 38.75 DKFP in 34 minutes per game. Furthermore, Markkanen’s usage has been steady at 26.3%.
Now, he is in a strong spot against a Rockets defense that is susceptible in the paint. Through 11 contests this season, Houston is giving up the fifth-most rebounds and third-most points in the paint per game. This tilt carries one of the smallest spread of Monday night (HOU -2 on the DraftKings Sportsbook) and Markkanen should handle 30-35 minutes of work in this competitive setting. Including his past two, the forward is providing 38.75 DKFP per game when he has logged over 30 minutes this year, and Markkanen could get overlooked with most DFS players likely to pay up this position.
Other Options: Jae’Sean Tate ($5,100), James Johnson ($5,000, especially if Porzingis is rested), P.J. Tucker ($4,500)
Center
Stud
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets, $10,400
Antetokounmpo hasn’t been the most consistent fantasy asset in 2020-21, but he is hard to avoid at only $10,400 in this tremendous game environment vs. the Nets. As noted above, this matchup between arguably the two best teams in the Eastern Conference carries a slate-high O/U game total of 239 points and a tight spread of 2.5 points in favor of Milwaukee on DraftKings Sportsbook.
In the past four Bucks contests that have presented a spread under five and a total north of 230 points, Antetokounmpo has been outstanding with 65.7 DKFP per game. The two-time MVP should do everything in his power to get a win in this marquee matchup and over 60 DKFP is a safe expectation from him.
Other Options: Christian Wood ($8,900)
Value
Chris Boucher, Toronto Raptors vs. Dallas Mavericks, $7,100
His DraftKings salary has been slowly increasing, but Boucher is still too cheap at $7,100. Nick Nurse has finally realized the 28-year-old is his best option at center, giving him 29.2 minutes per game across the Raptors’ past five. As such a strong point-per-minute producer (1.4 DKFP this season), Boucher has dominated with the increased role, scoring 42.6 DKFP per game over this stretch.
Now, enter in a plus matchup against a beat-up Dallas team that has allowed the seventh-most rebounds per game this year, and Boucher is a no-brainer value for Monday.
Other Options: Brook Lopez ($5,600), DeAndre Jordan ($4,800)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $450K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) 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.