The Pelicans have been dealing with multiple injuries all season long, but they’re reaching a new level on Monday, and fittingly, they’re facing the 76ers. Zion Williamson (back) will miss a third straight game while CJ McCollum (rest) and Bruce Brown (conditioning) also sit the second night of a back-to-back set. This will be the first game all season that the Pelicans will be without Zion, McCollum, Trey Murphy III (shoulder) and Brandon Boston Jr. (ankle). With all those players out, there will be plenty of value to consider, led by Jordan Hawkins ($4,000), who has the potential to be a great DFS value play with a high ceiling.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Floor General [$300K to 1st]
PG/SG Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans vs. Philadelphia 76ers, $4,000
While Karlo Matkovic ($4,400), Kelly Olynyk ($5,300) and Yves Missi ($4,500; hip, questionable) will be strong plays in the frontcourt, the bigger gap for this game compared to the last two will be in the backcourt with McCollum and Brown out.
Hawkins made a strong case to get more playing time on Sunday, coming off the bench and hitting six three-pointers while matching his season-high with 25 points. He played 31 minutes and chipped in three rebounds and two assists to finish with 33.25 fantasy points.
In each of his last three games, Hawkins has produced over 20 fantasy points. In the four games he played this season without McCollum, Boston, and Murphy, Hawkins averaged 26.3 fantasy points with a 26.2% usage rate in 31.3 minutes per game. Those minutes and usage numbers are huge improvements compared to his season averages of 18.5 fantasy points with a 21.2% usage rate in 23.4 minutes per game.
With his strong recent form and plenty of usage available next to Jose Alvarado ($4,900) and the recently re-signed Elfrid Payton ($3,000), Hawkins has an extremely high ceiling against the Sixers. Philly has allowed the second-most DraftKings points to shooting guards this season.
