As you build your fantasy basketball lineups for tonight’s DraftKings contests, check out Zach Thompson’s top three NBA DFS stacks to target.
The NBA has had to move around its schedule quite a bit over the last few days for a variety of reasons, but on Monday night, we’ve got a great five-game slate set for today’s top NBA DFS stacks to form the core of DFS fantasy basketball lineups. Taking a look at the opponents and potential opportunities, a few strong matchups stand out.
Especially at this point in the season, it makes sense to start your planning by checking out the daily injury report. For Monday, the Warriors and Timberwolves are the only teams playing on the second night in a row, and they’ll face off against each other for a second straight day in Minnesota. Make sure to check back for the latest injury report before the action tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
The NBA DFS main slate includes a variety of contests and pay-out structures on DraftKings, headlined by the NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st].
Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls
The Lakers knocked off the Mavs in Dallas with a big comeback late, and now they’ll head to the Windy City to take on the Bulls as they continue their road trip. This game has the highest point total on the board, and it should be a close contest with just a 1.5-point spread.
The Lakers are mostly healthy for this matchup, but they get a boost from facing the Bulls, who rank fifth in the NBA in Pace this season and have allowed the fifth-most points per game.
Core Plays: A Lakers stack almost always starts with Luka Doncic ($12,000), who comes into this contest after posting three straight games with at least 64 fantasy points.
He’s getting tons of usage and stuffing the statsheet in almost every game, so if you can make his salary work with the rest of your roster, he is a solid centerpiece. Even in this good matchup, LeBron James ($8,800) seems a little overpriced, and he’s hard to pair with Luka.
Value Options: Rather than LeBron, some of the other Lakers make more sense to play along with Luka. Marcus Smart ($5,000) has at least 24 fantasy points in four of his last seven games and had 29.75 fantasy points on Saturday. Jake LaRavia (quad) is questionable, and if he’s out there would be more work for Smart, Rui Hachimura ($4,500) and Jarred Vanderbilt ($3,500). Hachimura hit a pair of big threes down the stretch Saturday and finished with 32.5 fantasy points. Vanderbilt has 19+ fantasy points in three of his last four games and has given a nice boost to the team’s defense. Dalton Knecht ($3,000) hasn’t been getting much run, but if LaRavia is out, that could change on Monday.
Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trail Blazers
The Celtics are back home in snowy Boston for Monday’s matchup against the Trail Blazers after a tough road back-to-back Friday and Saturday of last week. They played a double-overtime thriller against the Nets on Friday, which they won, but they lost the following night in Chicago on a late three from Kevin Huerter. They should be in a good bounce-back spot against the Trail Blazers, who have been a favorable matchup this season, especially for forwards and centers.
Core Plays: The Celtics have been getting outstanding production from Jaylen Brown ($9,700), who is averaging 48.2 fantasy points per game on the season and has over 51 fantasy points in five straight games. He had a triple-double and 65 fantasy points against the Nets and followed that with 54.5 fantasy points against the Bulls in his last two games. He’s much cheaper than Luka and should have a favorable matchup to post another monster game Monday night. Since he’s cheaper, you can partner him with Derrick White ($7,700) or Payton Pritchard ($6,700) and still build a strong lineup around them. Pritchard had 45.5 fantasy points against the Nets and has three games of at least that many fantasy points in his last eight games.
Value Options: Celtics centers Neemias Queta ($5,500) and Luke Garza ($4,100) are both questionable due to illness on Monday, and if one plays while the other sits, either one could be a top value play. If both are out, Amari Williams ($3,400) or even Chris Boucher ($3,000) could be called on to step up.. Sam Hauser ($5,200) and Anfernee Simons ($5,000) have both been playing well lately, and Simons has gone off for 39 and 54.5 fantasy points in two of his last six games. Simons is more of a GPP play since he’s so boom-or-bust, while Hauser’s steady contributions make him a good fit for cash games. Hugo Gonzalez ($3,300) and Baylor Sheierman ($3,200) have had big moments lately and could earn more time going forward, but both remain high-risk plays on this slate.
Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
The Magic have lost both their games since returning from their overseas adventures against the Grizzlies and are struggling a little bit to find their footing. Franz Wagner (knee) is out again on Monday as they visit the Cavaliers, after facing them in Orlando on Saturday and losing, 119-105.
Jalen Suggs ($6,400) returned in that game and played 24 minutes, and he is not on the injury report for Monday, meaning he should be good to go for this rematch. His return makes the rotation a little crowded in the backcourt, but there are still a few strong plays to consider. Cleveland has allowed the sixth-most points per game over their last 10 contests, while playing at the sixth-fastest pace.
Core Plays: Paolo Banchero ($9,100) has a good history against Cleveland and has at least 36 fantasy points in six straight games. He has a high ceiling but his non-scoring numbers have been a little down lately. Desmond Bane ($6,900) also has a lot of upside and a high ceiling if he takes over. He has at least 33 fantasy points in four of his last six games and usually plays a heavy load of minutes.
Value Options: Without Wagner, Tristan da Silva ($4,000) has been starting, but it has been been Noah Penda ($3,700) who has shown more potential. He only had 7.2 fantasy points Friday but had 28 in his previous game and at least 19 in six of his previous seven. Mo Wagner ($3,600) has also re-entered Orlando’s rotation in the last few games after missing a year with a torn ACL. The big man had 20.75 and 22.5 fantasy points in his last two games, and he brings instant impact and nice upside even though his minutes are still very limited at this point.
