The NBA has seven games on the main DFS fantasy basketball slate this Monday night, and DraftKings has some great contests available at a wide variety of price points. It should be a great slate of action to start the week leading up to All-Star weekend, so let’s take a look at the three must-start NBA fantasy basketball options who can be the core of your Monday night roster.
The Heat and Timberwolves are playing for the second day in a row, so be sure to keep an eye out for any adjustments needed as teams release injury reports throughout the day. As you construct your roster, here are three players who can’t be overlooked:
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PG Isaiah Collier, Utah Jazz at Miami Heat, $7,300
The Jazz have been playing weird games with their rotation and possibly trying to avoid winning, but they definitely aren’t afraid to give Collier plenty of minutes. In back-to-back games last week, Collier played literally every minute, logging 48 minutes in back-to-back contests against the Pacers and Hawks. In both of those games Keyonte George (ankle) was out, and on Monday, George is out again after spraining his other ankle in his return on Saturday.
Collier had 17 points, 22 assists and 62.75 fantasy points against the Pacers last week, and then posted 25 points, 11 assists and 56.75 fantasy points against the Hawks. On Saturday, he played “only” 32 minutes against the Magic with George available but still had 20 points, 10 assists, and 40.5 fantasy points.
The Jazz and Heat rank first and second in the NBA in Pace, so points, possessions, and production should stack up on both sides of this contest. Without George, Collier will likely play massive minutes again on Monday and is a must-start NBA fantasy basketball option since he has elite upside at his relatively affordable salary.
C Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets, $7,000
The Cavaliers’ offense is rolling right along on their current road trip, and the addition of James Harden ($9,000) seems to have only raised its ceiling higher. Harden showed a strong connection with Allen on Saturday against the Kings, and Allen racked up 29 points, 10 rebounds and 44 fantasy points.
He showed an even higher ceiling with 82.2 fantasy points against the Trail Blazers last Sunday and has over 32 fantasy points in four of his five games since Evan Mobley has been out with his calf injury. Without Mobley, Allen carries more offensive usage and a higher ceiling.
The Nuggets haven’t been an easy matchup for centers, but Allen’s upside and the Cavs’ good numbers overall give him a lot of upside at his salary of $7,000.
SG Anfernee Simons, Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets, $5,600
Simons is a very solid mid-salary option at shooting guard and has done a good job stepping right into a key role with the Bulls, who will likely remain without Josh Giddey (hamstring) and Tre Jones (hamstring), who are both listed as doubtful for this contest.
Simons started both of his two games since joining the Bulls via trade in exchange for Nikola Vucevic. He had 22 points and 32.5 fantasy points against the Raptors in his debut on Thursday, and on Saturday he had 15 points, six assists and four rebounds for 30.5 fantasy points against the Nuggets.
In what should be a winnable game for the new-look Bulls against the short-handed Nets, Simons should get all the volume he can handle and will likely fill up the box score with another good game. He should at least return strong value in his starting spot, and he has the potential to go off in this smash spot.
