Monday’s main slate of NBA action starts at 7 p.m. ET and features the first four games of the night. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players, and below, I dive into two of my favorite bargain plays for this slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
PG/SG, Anfernee Simons, Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers, $5,000
Jaylen Brown (Doubtful, Back) could miss his third game of the season Monday night, creating a huge void for the Celtics. The former Finals MVP is averaging a career-high 29.5 points per game and owns the NBA’s fourth-highest usage rate (35.6%). With Brown likely sidelined, Anfernee Simons should garner more responsibility and thrive against a Pacers team that ranks 10th in pace and 20th in defensive rating.
In the first two games of the season that Brown missed, Simons scored 29 FPTS in 25 minutes against the Wizards and 24.75 FPTS in 26 minutes vs. the Raptors. He has handled a 27.6% usage rate with Brown off the floor, which ranks third for Boston and marks a 4.7 percentage-point lift from his average. Plus, in the new year, Simons is shooting 50% from the field and a sensational 58.5% from beyond the arc.
He has scored one fantasy point per minute without Brown, and considering his terrific form, he should comfortably outperform his $5,000 salary.
SG, Terance Mann, Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks, $3,900
Mann has scored at least 23 FPTS in two of his last three games, and he’ll be facing a shorthanded Mavericks team without Anthony Davis — and potentially P.J. Washington and Brandon Williams, who are listed as doubtful. Mann should see an expanded role against Dallas’ weakened defense, as Cam Thomas and Egor Demin are also sidelined for Brooklyn.
With these two players off the floor this season, Mann’s usage increases 2.4 percentage points to 16.3%, and he generates 0.8 FPTS per minute. The guard should approach 30 minutes tonight and appears poised to log at least 20 FPTS.
