We’ve reached the first Monday of the NBA regular season and things are pretty much back to midseason form. …Which means that star players are already resting. Obviously.
We’ve got an 11-game featured slate this evening on DraftKings with seven teams on the second night of a back-to-back. Cue the chaos. That sweet, value-producing chaos.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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PF Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte Hornets, $4,100
Unlike most teams on the slate, the Nets come into Monday on extended rest, having not played since Friday. However, even with that extra time, Brooklyn will still be without the services of both Nic Claxton (ankle) and Cam Johnson (calf) — as was the case in its loss to Dallas last week. Finney-Smith stepped into the starting five in that contest, essentially playing a small-ball four next to Ben Simmons ($6,400) as a quasi-five. In any case, in what was primarily a seven-man rotation for Jacque Vaughn, Finney-Smith logged 32.1 minutes despite picking up five fouls. In total, Finney-Smith scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds with a low usage rate, finishing with 26.25 DKFP. That feels closer to Finney-Smith’s floor than his ceiling, and I think a 6x or 7x performance could be on the horizon in a matchup with the Hornets. Charlotte is currently in possession of the league’s second-fastest pace (105.8), so the Nets will be more uptempo than usual this evening.
SF Ziaire Williams, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks, $4,600
Williams price is up $700 from where it stood in Memphis’ last game, yet I’m still willing to invest in the former lottery pick. Williams disappointed in the Grizzlies’ opener, but he’s been much better in the team’s past two contests, averaging 13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 28.8 DKFP. In fact, in Memphis’ loss to Washington on Saturday, Williams was second to only Desmond Bane ($8,600) in minutes (33.8), points (16) and field goal attempts (14). Williams added a career-high 10 rebounds that night, resulting in the 22-year-old’s first double-double at the NBA level. Williams should continue to start with the Grizzlies’ bevy of ailments, including the absences of Santi Aldama (ankle) and Luke Kennard (concussion) on the wing. This is also a pretty appealing matchup, as the Mavericks rank fifth in pace (104.3) and have surrendered 119.5 opponent points per game so far this season.
SF/PF Taurean Prince, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Orlando Magic, $4,700
At the moment I’m writing this, the Lakers have yet to release an injury report for Monday’s contest with the Magic. However, I’m ready to make some assumptions. First and foremost: I’d be absolutely shocked if LeBron James ($9,100) is active this evening. Remember when Darvin Ham came out last week and said that James would probably be limited to somewhere around 28 minutes a night? Well, in the two games since that statement, the 38-year-old has logged 35.0 minutes and 39.1 minutes, respectively, with the latter coming in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Kings. Anthony Davis ($9,600)? He played 41.4 minutes last night. Just saying. Don’t be surprised if both pop up this afternoon with designations, which would open a massive amount of usage for Los Angeles’ secondary assets. To his credit, Price has already showcased some upside in 2023-24, registering at least 18 points in two of the Lakers’ three contests and 30.75 DKFP against Sacramento. Rui Hachimura ($4,500) is another name to keep an eye on.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K 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 theglt13) 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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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.
