There are four games on Monday’s NBA slate. Boston, Denver, Clippers and Milwaukee are playing the second night of a back-to-back.
This article was written on Sunday night. Any changes will be updated. Keep track of all the injury news at DK Network.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks ($9,700)
Brown is garnering a massive 36% usage rate on the season and has put up three triple-doubles on the season, with one of those coming four games ago. He’s literally been doing it all, hoisting up around 20 shots per game and contributing in the defensive categories. Over the last four contests, he’s put up over 55 FPTS in three with a high of 64.8 FPTS. In the one “miss,” Brown still finished with 47.2 FPTS. Now, it’s well within the range of outcomes that he finishes in the 30 FPTS range, but I’ll back the expected high usage rate along with a full complement of minutes since I like the Bucks to keep the game relatively close at home.
Other Options: Kawhi Leonard ($9,500), Jamal Murray ($8,800), Kevin Porter Jr. ($8,700), Amen Thompson ($7,900), Payton Pritchard ($7,200), Bennedict Mathurin ($6,900), Tari Eason ($6,400)
Value
Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz ($5,400)
Braun is a low-usage player (15%) who doesn’t contribute much in the defensive categories, but he’s on the floor a ton and plays alongside arguably the greatest player in the NBA right now, so he gets a ton of good looks. He’s coming off a 42-FPTS game against the Thunder, as he stuffed the stat sheet and delivered 23 points on 18 field goal attempts. He played 45 minutes, though, but that shows the trust the Nuggets have in him. While he does have two sub-20 FPTS games in the last seven contests, Braun put up over 30 FPTS in the other four. Now he faces a Jazz team that is second in pace and 20th in defensive rating over the last 15 games, so the environment is ripe for fantasy goodies.
Other Options: Reed Sheppard ($5,700), Bogdan Bogdanovic ($3,200)
Forward
Stud
Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards ($8,900)
Earlier in the season, Durant wasn’t garnering a high usage rate and was good, not great, for fantasy as he and the Rockets were still trying to figure each other out. Now, there is no question that KD is the alpha for the Rockets’ offense. He was in the 30s on a per-game basis for fantasy. He’s now back to being in the top 10. He’s put up over 50 FPTS in three of the last six games. In the other three contests, KD finished with 33.5 FPTS and two over 40 FPTS. There’s risk of blowout as Washington is #not good, but Durant will have likely had a big hand in that scenario playing out.
Other Options: Jaylen Brown ($9,700), Kawhi Leonard ($9,500), Bennedict Mathurin ($6,900), Gui Santos ($6,300)
Value
Tim Hardaway Jr., Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz ($4,600)
THJ doesn’t do much outside knock down jumpers, but when playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, that’s all he needs to do. And he gets plenty of good looks. A ceiling outcome is unlikely due to his one-dimensional game, but he’s put up over 30 FPTS 10 times this season with a high of 45 FPTS. Cam Johnson injured his ankle on Sunday, so there’s a good chance THJ gets the nod and plays over 30 minutes in this one. Utah plays fast and eschews defense, so there should be plenty of opportunities to rack up fantasy goodies.
Other Options: Will Riley ($5,100)
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz ($12,500)
There’s really not much to say here. Jokic is the greatest fantasy player of our generation. He’s a threat to triple-double on any given night and will more than likely put up the most raw points. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo in the game with 100 FPTS upside, which is a level no one can match on this slate. The matchup is a pristine one. The only potential blemish is blowout risk, but five games ago, Denver beat Portland by 54 points. Jokic only played 29 minutes yet still finished with 62.2 FPTS. L. O. L.
Other Options: N/A
Value
Brook Lopez, Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors ($5,000)
Since Ivica Zubac was traded, Lopez has started nine games and averaged 30.1 minutes, 9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 treys per game. The playing time and fantasy production have been all over the map, though. He’s played fewer than 30 minutes four times and finished below 20 FPTS four times. That said, he’s gone over 20 FPTS five times and has two games with 37.8 and 42 FPTS.
Other Options: Neemias Queta ($5,200)
