The NBA is rolling into the new week with an eight-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of my favorite plays at each position.
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Guard
Studs
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New York Knicks ($10,000) – Gilgeous-Alexander’s salary continues to rise, but it has been warranted. He’s been one of the best players in fantasy to start the year, averaging a robust 51.1 DKFP per game. His previous career best was 43.2 last season, so he’s made a massive jump in his fifth professional campaign.
SGA is capable of doing it all on a basketball court. He leads the Thunder was a 32.6% usage rate this season, and he also leads the team in assist rate. Add in 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks + steals per game, and he’s averaged 1.41 DKFP per minute.
He draws a solid matchup vs. the Knicks on Monday. They’re not the same slow-paced, defensive-minded squad they have been in recent years, and SGA racked up 63.25 DKFP in his first game vs. the Knicks this season.
Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans ($5,800) – The Warriors will be on the second leg of a back-to-back on Monday, which means Klay Thompson will likely get the night off. It’s a well-deserved day of rest for the veteran, who erupted for 41 points in Sunday’s win over the Rockets.
With Klay out of the lineup, expect Poole to take over as the team’s starting shooting guard. He’s thrived in that role so far this season, leading the team with a usage rate of 31.8% in three games without Thompson. Poole has racked up 44.75, 36.5 and 52.0 DKFP in those outings, making him one of the best plays of the day at just $5,800.
UPDATE: Warriors PG Stephen Curry, SG/SF Klay Thompson and PF Draymond Green are listed as out tonight vs. the Pelicans.
Other Options – Tyrese Haliburton ($9,400), Josh Giddey ($6,800)
Value
Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks at Oklahoma City Thunder ($3,000) – The Knicks were without Cam Reddish on Sunday, which allowed Grimes to move into the starting lineup. He did not disappoint, logging 32.2 minutes and finishing with 30.25 DKFP. Grimes did a little bit of everything in that contest, racking up 10 points, eight assists and five rebounds, giving him multiple avenues for success if Reddish is sidelined again on Monday. If that’s the case, Grimes will be tough to ignore at the absolute minimum.
Other Options – Jalen Suggs ($6,300), Jalen Williams ($4,300)
Forward
Studs
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Miami Heat ($8,900) – Towns is in the midst of one of his worst seasons as a professional. His usage rate has declined to just 24.1%, which is his lowest mark since 2017-18, while his 14.1% rebound rate would be the worst mark of his career. With the addition of Rudy Gobert ($6,600) and the emergence of Anthony Edwards ($7,600), it’s tough to envision too much growth for KAT moving forward.
However, he’s been priced down to just $8,900 for Monday’s matchup vs. the Heat, and he has the potential to pay off that price tag. Towns has still averaged 1.25 DKFP per minute this season, which trails only Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,400) and Jayson Tatum ($10,600) among Monday’s forwards. Towns is coming off a subpar showing in his last outing, but he had racked up at least 45.25 DKFP in seven of his previous nine games. With his price tag dropping more than $1,000 over the past few weeks, this is a good time to buy low on the talented big man.
Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic at Indiana Pacers ($7,200) – The Magic have been hit hard by injuries to start the year. Paolo Banchero and Cole Anthony are both sidelined with long-term injuries, while Wendell Carter Jr. ($7,600) is questionable. That doesn’t leave the team with a ton of NBA-caliber options.
Wagner is one of them. He’s coming off a big game with all three players sidelined Saturday vs. the Pacers, racking up 43.25 DKFP in just 30.7 minutes. Wagner has increased his usage rate to a team-high 29.3% with Anthony and Banchero off the floor, resulting in an average of 1.04 DKFP per minute.
He draws the same matchup on Monday that he did on Saturday, and the Pacers are one of the best opponents in the league for fantasy purposes. They rank third in pace and 25th in defensive efficiency, so Wagner is in a good spot to replicate his production.
Other Options – Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,400), Anthony Edwards ($7,600)
Value
Talen Horton-Tucker, Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers ($3,700) – Mike Conley suffered an injury in the Jazz’s last game, which is going to open up some additional minutes and usage for the rest of the roster. Horton-Tucker figures to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. He’s always been a capable producer when given the chance to play, and he’s averaged 1.01 DKFP per minute this season. He logged 31.5 minutes in the game that Conley exited early, and he’s expected to see a similar workload on Monday.
Other Options – RJ Barrett ($6,100), Malik Beasley ($4,600)
Center
Stud
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks ($6,700) – Allen wasn’t really needed on Sunday, playing just 27.2 minutes in a blowout win over the shorthanded Heat. He should pick up a few additional minutes on Monday in an excellent matchup vs. the Hawks. They’ve played at the fourth-fastest pace this season, and they’re just 19th in team rebound rate. That should give Allen plenty of chances to get on the boards, especially if Kevin Love ($5,500) is unable to suit up. He missed the team’s last game, and his status for Monday is currently unknown.
Other Options – Bam Adebayo ($8,000), Rudy Gobert ($6,600)
Value
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New York Knicks ($3,600) – The Thunder are another team that has bit hit hard by injuries of late. Darius Bazley ($3,800) has been upgraded to questionable, but they’re still without Tre Mann and Aleksej Pokusevski.
That should secure a solid role for JRE. He’s coming off 27.5 minutes in his last outing, and he finished with 29.25 DKFP. He’s averaged a respectable 0.96 DKFP per minute for the year, so he can provide excellent value if he sees a comparable workload vs. the Knicks.
Other Options – Kelly Olynyk ($4,900), Nikola Jovic ($4,000)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $333K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.