Monday’s seven-game DraftKings NBA DFS main slate offers a few ways to save salary, including an Oklahoma City backcourt that’s already getting a bit banged up, without even considering Jalen Williams’ brutal lower leg injury from last night.
Today’s picks feature a guard positioned for more responsibility, a productive forward still priced below $6,000, and an inexpensive center who can deliver in limited minutes.
You don’t want to grab too many high-end players, as that will leave the rest of your lineup bare. We’ll take a look at some bargain pickups ahead of today’s matchups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
PG/SG Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns ($4,600)
Jalen Williams’ gruesome injury last night is another brutal setback for the young wing, who is now potentially facing another season-ending injury. In fact, I’d be shocked if it wasn’t. The Thunder will have to navigate this season without him, but fortunately for them, they have quite a deep team.
Mitchell’s $4,600 salary is especially appealing with Cason Wallace questionable, opening up minutes and offensive responsibility in Oklahoma City’s rotation. He’s coming off an impressive performance against the Clippers on Sunday, supplying 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Through three games, Mitchell is averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG, alongside 26.1 DraftKings FPPG. That’s already useful production at this price, and the injuries give him an opportunity to build on it even more. Wallace sitting would further strengthen the case for Mitchell, whose playmaking and defensive contributions could easily return value tonight.
SF Jaime Jaquez Jr., Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers ($5,900)
Jaquez has looked good in Milwaukee, averaging 20.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 3.7 APG through his first three appearances. Those contributions have translated to 36.7 DraftKings FPPG, an attractive return for a player still available below $6,000. JJJ is shooting 61% from the field, which rightfully deserves some skepticism over such a small sample, but his rebounding and playmaking give him value beyond that early scoring efficiency.
Indiana arrives on the second night of a back-to-back, with Ivica Zubac doubtful after spraining his ankle against Brooklyn on Sunday. If Zubac sits, the Pacers would lose their starting center, adding another reason to target Jaquez’s interior production at this salary. Jaquez Jr. was excellent in spurts during his Miami stint. With a slightly larger role in Milwaukee, there could be a career-best season in store for him this season.
C Neemias Queta, Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls ($4,700)
Queta showed Friday that coming off the bench doesn’t prevent him from delivering productive fantasy lines, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, one assist, and three blocks against New York. He needed only 22 minutes to do it, matching starter Mitchell Robinson’s workload while contributing substantially more to the box score.
Next up is a Chicago defense allowing 128.0 PPG through three games, the second-highest mark in the NBA. I know we don’t have much of a sample, but let’s safely assume that Chicago won’t be putting up much of a fight on defense this season, given what their roster currently looks like. Queta’s 23.0 DraftKings FPPG is more modest than his latest performance, but his rebounding and shot-blocking offer upside at $4,700 without requiring a large share of Boston’s shot attempts. The ongoing minutes split with Robinson is definitely annoying, so the case rests on Queta producing efficiently in his existing role. Luckily for us, we’ve just seen that he’s capable of doing so.
