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There are six games on the NBA schedule for Monday night. Here, we’ll go over some top DFS value options priced under $5K on DraftKings.
Austin Rivers, PG/SG, HOU @ UTA ($3,600)
The Houston Rockets will likely be without both James Harden (thigh) and Russell Westbrook (rest) tonight vs. the Jazz. We’re unsure who will start for Russ, but with Harden out on Sunday, Ben McLemore and Eric Gordon started with Westbrook. I could see either Chris Clemons ($3,000) or Rivers starting at guard. Even if Rivers comes off the bench, he should see increased playing time similar to Sunday, when he scored 13 points with six boards and four assists in 34 minutes. Rivers had been performing well the past few games with Harden and Russ in the lineup.
Thaddeus Young, PF, CHI vs. SAS ($4,900)
The Bulls have an exploitable matchup against the Spurs, who have been below average defensively all season. At this point, Thad Young pretty much has to play 30+ minutes in the front court for Chicago. With that in mind, at this price, Young shouldn’t have too much trouble returning value. Since the Bulls haven’t been playing well, I’d preface this with only use Young in GPPs really. His chalk profile isn’t too appealing, but the minutes will be there. I’d maybe lean Cristiano Felicio ($3,700) given the savings, but he’s more volatile.
Dorian Finney-Smith, SF/PF, DAL @ OKC ($4,500)
Finney-Smith has been starting for the Mavs and has taken on a bigger role in the front court with Dwight Powell done for the season. In two games without Powell, DFS has a combined 20 points and 20 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. The Thunder are without Nerlens Noel and Steven Adams isn’t 100%, so there isn’t much depth on OKC. I think Finney-Smith has a safe floor for cash games, though I’d wait a bit to see if any additional chalk value opens up.
Reggie Jackson, PG, DET vs. CLE ($4,300)
I talked a bit about Jackson in my waiver wire piece yesterday. He’s still on a hard minutes cap since returning from injury, but has been productive, scoring a combined 36 points with 10 assists in just under 44 minutes the past two games. Jackson sat out over the weekend vs. the Nets, so he should be fresh for a good matchup against the Cavaliers. I think as Jackson gets healthier, he’ll see more minutes and become more efficient, which shouldn’t be all that hard against Cleveland tonight.