On Monday’s massive 10-game DraftKings slate, there are plenty of good value options to consider. Several big-name stars are still uncertain, but Trae Young (hamstring) is already out. As the Hawks head on the road to Minnesota for the first half of their back-to-back set, they’ll also be without Jalen Johnson (shoulder) and could be without De’Andre Hunter ($6,000; illness), Zaccharie Risacher ($4,100; adductor) and Larry Nance Jr. ($3,500; hand) who are each questionable. With Young and Johnson out, there will be plenty of playing time and usage available for those in the rotation, and one player who brings a ton of upside is rookie Keaton Wallace ($3,800) who could be the ultimate value play for DFS contests Monday night.
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PG Keaton Wallace, Atlanta Hawks at Minnesota Timberwolves, $3,600
If you’re not familiar with Wallace’s game, don’t feel bad. He hasn’t been a regular part of the Hawks rotation this season. In fact, he has only played one game all month and 17 games all season while spending most of his time in the G League. The 25-year-old rookie was not drafted out of UTSA, and while he hasn’t gotten regular minutes, he has two starts this season for the Hawks. Those two starts came in two of the three games that Trae has missed all season, and Wallace played 23 minutes off the bench in the other game Young was absent.
Even though he doesn’t have an extensive track record, he has shown a very high ceiling. In his start in place of Trae earlier this month, Wallace went off against the Bulls, playing 38 minutes and scoring 27 points to go with six assists, six rebounds, and four steals for a massive 53 DraftKings points.
The Hawks recalled Wallace for Monday’s game in Minnesota and upgraded him from questionable to available during the day. He should be ready for a sizable role, although he could start or come off the bench behind Dyson Daniels ($7,400) and Vit Krejci ($5,000). My colleague Garion Thorne covered Krejci in his value picks for today, and I think he’s right on in saying that Krejci “feels like the safest option when trying to determine the best value asset on the Hawks this evening.”
Wallace is definitely not safe, but his ceiling is very high, and his potential is too great to ignore at under $4,000. If he’s in the starting lineup, he’ll almost be impossible to pass up, but even if he comes off the bench, I expect he’ll get enough work to be a great value play.
