On Monday, the NBA gets back to the grind of the work week with a solid seven-game slate for DFS fantasy basketball on DraftKings. The action tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET with four of the games tipping off right at that time. The Thunder and Timberwolves match up for the third time in the last few weeks as one of the later games, and the final game of the night is an interesting Western Conference showdown between the Blazers and Jazz in Utah. With eight of the 14 teams on a back-to-back, several rotations are uncertain, but a few teams stand out as great options for DFS stacks.
As we get closer to tip time, be sure to check today’s injury report, for the latest updates on who’s in and who’s out.
The three teams highlighted below are strong stacking options based on their matchup and expected workload. Be sure to finalize your roster for Monday’s fantasy basketball contests on DraftKings, headlined by the NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st].
Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks passed the Grizzlies on Sunday for the fastest pace in the NBA. They lost to the Pistons while giving up 148 points and have allowed an NBA-high 126.3 points per game over their last 10 games. Since the Hawks play so fast and give up so many points, it should be a good chance for the Heat to bounce back after a rough loss on Sunday to the Bucks.
Core Plays: Since the departure of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro ($8,500) has been the focus of the Heat’s offense. He had 40 points and 67.25 fantasy points on Sunday and has averaged 27.1 points, 7.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 37.2 minutes in his last seven games. He has 60+ fantasy points in two of his last three contests and has that kind of ceiling on Monday. Bam Adebayo ($8,300) has also been productive and Andrew Wiggins ($6,500) seems to be settling in nicely.
Value Options: The Heat lost Nikola Jovic to a fractured right hand on Sunday, so there will be minutes available in the frontcourt. Haywood Highsmith ($3,200) and Kenny Anderson ($3,500) are candidates to get more work while Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($5,500) will also have a higher ceiling if he gets some of Jovic’s playing time. The recently acquired Davion Mitchell ($4,200) has also been playing big minutes and has 21+ fantasy points in three of his last four.
Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers
The Jazz surprised the Rockets on Saturday night and played the Thunder tough in their first game after the All-Star break as well. They get a favorable matchup against the Trail Blazers on Monday night and made things clearer by ruling out John Collins (back), Jordan Clarkson (foot) and Collin Sexton (ankle) already. Walker Kessler ($7,000; illness) and Lauri Markkannen ($6,900; back) are also questionable and would open up even more significant playing time if they don’t play.
Core Plays: Keyonte George ($6,500) and Isaiah Collier ($6,200) have looked very good in the backcourt with Clarkson and Sexton out. George had 20 and 30 points for 36.25 and 51 fantasy points in the first two games after the break. He has 30+ fantasy points in four straight games and contributes solid points and assists almost every night. Collier has also been very effective, producing 30+ fantasy points in five straight games. He had a double-double with 13 points, ten assists and 34.5 fantasy points against the Rockets. George’s ceiling is a little higher but both are strong plays.
Value Options: With Collins out, Brice Sensabaugh ($4,200) got the start on Saturday and had 20.75 fantasy points in 24 minutes. Sensabaugh always takes a ton of shots when given an increased role and has a high ceiling as a result. If Markkanen and Kessler are out, he’ll get even more work while Kyle Filpowski ($4,600), Svi Mykhailiuk ($4,000) and KJ Martin ($3,900) will also be interesting value plays.
Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards
The Wizards defense has actually been much better lately since their trade deadline moves, but the Nets are still a good stack to consider in this contest, partly because there will be heavy usage available with Cam Thomas (hamstring) still out and D’Angelo Russell (ankle) also unavailable. Without those two high-volume scorers, the Nets knocked off the Sixers on Saturday.
Core Plays: Nic Claxton ($5,900) was the hero with the game-winning putback on Saturday and finished with 40.25 DraftKings points on 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Cameron Johnson ($6,400) led the way with 23 points despite an off night from long-range. He’ll be the focus of the offense without Thomas and Russell while Keon Johnson ($5,500) and Ziaire Williams ($5,000) also pick up work in the backcourt.
Value Options: In Russell’s place, Killian Hayes ($4,100) started on Saturday and had 18 fantasy points in 27 minutes. He’s not typically a high-volume scorer, but his non-scoring numbers are good enough to make him a good value option at this price in a great matchup against the Wizards. In the frontcourt Jalen Wilson ($4,000) and Trendon Watford ($4,700) have also been good values lately.
