On Monday, the NBA is back from its Super Bowl mini-breather with 10 games on the schedule. Nine of those contests make up the main DraftKings slate, which tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET. It should be an exciting night of action on the hardwood, and several teams are set up for success as prime stacks for NBA DFS this Monday night.
The Hornets and Bucks are the only two of the 18 teams playing for a second day in a row, but there are still plenty of uncertainties, so be sure to keep a close eye on today’s injury report for the latest availability updates as we approach game time.
Even with question marks remaining, we have some insight on where to find value and usage. Let’s check out my top NBA DFS Stacks for Monday’s DFS fantasy basketball contests on DraftKings, headlined by the NBA $300K Zone Special [$100K to 1st].
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Golden State Warriors
The Bucks will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo for at least a week due to a calf strain, and there will be plenty of usage for his teammates without him. The Bucks have a solid home matchup against the Warriors, but the real reason they make sense is Giannis’ available usage that raises the ceiling on the rest of the roster.
Core Plays: The obvious but correct place to start is with Damian Lillard ($9,200) since it’s Dame time early and often when Giannis is out. He averaged 59.0 DraftKings fantasy points in his six games this season with Giannis out, and is coming off a monster 43-point game on Sunday that earned him 69.75 points. The Bucks listed Lillard as questionable, so double-check before locking him in. Bobby Portis ($6,300) returned from his extended personal absence with three big games without Giannis. He started two and posted 61.75 DKFP followed by 60.25 DKFP, and on Sunday he had another double-double with 44.25 DKFP even though he came off the bench.
Value Options: Portis moved to the bench to make way for Kyle Kuzma ($5,300), who had 13 points and 33.5 DKFP in 36 minutes. He’ll be a solid mid-range value after he was a wild bargain at $3,800 on Sunday. Kevin Porter Jr. ($4,000) hasn’t made his Bucks debut yet, so AJ Green ($3,200) and Gary Trent Jr. ($3,900) remain very involved and productive.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Cleveland Cavaliers
The Timberwolves are already without Julius Randle (groin) for a while, and on Saturday they also didn’t have Anthony Edwards ($9,700; hip), who is questionable for Monday. If Edwards is out, there will be tons of usage, but even if he plays, the Wolves have good value potential as they visit the Cavs.
Core Plays: I’ll be passing on Ant even if he is active with so many other options on this huge slate, but Naz Reid ($6,900) has been playing well enough to be a play worth considering both with or without Edwards. Reid has over 40 DKFP in four straight games, including a 30-point game, and a big double-double against the Bulls last week. Jaden McDaniels ($6,400) stepped up alongside his fellow forward on Saturday and went off for 30 points, 10 rebounds and 51.5 DKFP while helping fill in for Edwards. Like Reid, though, he was already stepping up while Randle has been out.
Value Options: Without Edwards and Mike Conley ($4,800; finger, questionable), Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($4,900) stepped up on Saturday with 21 points and 41.25 DKFP against Portland while rookie Rob Dillingham ($4,000) also got more run and finished with 18 DKFP.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans
The Thunder have the highest implied team total on the slate as they host the hapless Pelicans. The Pels have played at the second-fastest pace in the NBA over the last 10 games and given up 126.4 points per game, the highest average of any team in the NBA over that stretch by a wide margin. The Thunder have averaged a league-high 124.7 points per game over their last 10, so this looks to be a case of an unstoppable force meeting an extremely movable object — expect fantasy goodness to ensue.
Core Plays: In his last few games Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800) has been great but not outstanding, with 40+ fantasy points regularly but only 60+ fantasy points twice in his last eight. Jalen Williams ($7,900) is actually a more cost-effective place to start the stack and has put up over 38 fantasy points in five of his last six games, highlighted by 59 fantasy points against the Mavs and 48 fantasy points against the Trail Blazers.
Value Options: Isaiah Joe (knee) and Cason Wallace (shoulder) are out for Monday’s matchup, leaving good value for other options like Aaron Wiggins ($5,000), who has been excellent lately with over 48 fantasy points in two of his last five games and over 28 fantasy points in four of those five contests. Alex Caruso ($4,100) is another solid option who will get more minutes without Joe and Wallace, and he’s coming off 34.5 and 23.75 fantasy points in his last two contests.
