After a jam-packed weekend of basketball, the NBA is back to start another busy work week with seven games on tap for Monday night. There are at least seven games every night this week except for Thursday, and four teams will start the week by playing their second game in as many days. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards are scheduled to finish out their back-to-back while the Brooklyn Nets are the only team in action Monday that is also on Tuesday’s slate.
With so many players unavailable due to injury, health and safety protocols or rest at this point of the season, you’ll need to pay close attention to @dklive on Twitter throughout the day and download the DK Live app to stay up-to-the-minute with all the latest news and fantasy impact leading up to tipoff. As you build your lineup around the best superstar options, you’ll also need to stay alert for some bargain options. To help you in that hunt, check out my favorite bargains for your DraftKings lineup listed below.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Excellent 8’s [100K to 1st]
PG Patrick Beverley, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Miami Heat, $4,500
Beverley continues to work his way back into the Clippers’ rotation after missing eight games with a knee injury at the start of the month. He played a big part in the Clippers getting the win on Sunday night against the Cavs despite the absences of Paul George ($8,600; toe) and Kawhi Leonard ($9,600; leg). While neither has been ruled out for Monday’s game yet, Beverley could be in for an expanded role once again if either or both continue to be sidelined.
In his most work since returning from injury, Beverley played 20 minutes against Cleveland and chipped in 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and 36.5 DKFP. He normally isn’t quite that efficient, but it's a good reminder of how good he can be when his shot is falling and his usage is high. Keep an eye on the injury situation for the Clips and be ready to go to Pat Bev if it looks like he’ll be in for another substantial workload.
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C Nerlens Noel, New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks, $4,400
The Knicks will be without Mitchell Robinson for four-to-six weeks due to a broken hand, which will open up plenty of playing time for Noel. The seven-year veteran made his first start of the season on Saturday against the Rockets and finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two blocks, a steal and 23.0 DKFP. While the total isn’t astounding, the best sign for Noel and his future potential is that he logged 32 minutes. We all know how heavily coach Tom Thibodeau typically rides his starters, and if Noel gets that kind of workload over the coming weeks, he’ll be in a great place to produce across the board.
The Hawks should be a good matchup for Noel since they usually play big with John Collins ($7,000) and Clint Capela ($7,400). If Noel continues to get heavy minutes, he should be an efficient source of scoring and provide great defensive numbers, making him a relatively safe play with a high ceiling if you can give him your center or UTIL spot.
SG/SF Bruce Brown, Brooklyn Nets at Sacramento Kings, $4,100
The Nets will be without Kevin Durant (hamstring) for each of their two back-to-back games to start the week, which will open up a starting role for Brown, who played well while Durant was recently sidelined by health and safety protocols. Most of Brown’s best games have come when one of the Nets’ “Big Three” is out, but he actually played well against the Warriors on Saturday with all three superstars in the starting lineup. In that game, Brown had 18 points and 28.25 DKFP in his 22 minutes.
In his past eight games, Brown has now hit for 22-plus DKFP five times while averaging 18.0 DKFP over that span. He provides good defense and off-the-ball production, so he’ll be an important part of the rotation against the Kings. Brown isn’t the focus of the offense, obviously, but should be involved enough with Durant sidelined to be worth a look at barely over $4K. Another great potential value play from the Nets will be DeAndre Jordan ($4,500), who is probable after missing Saturday’s game due to a personal issue. The Kings have given up the most DKFP in the NBA to centers, and Jordan had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 36.75 DKFP in his most recent contest. I went with Brown as the featured option, though, to keep this list from getting too focused on centers.
PF/C Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, $3,700
The Warriors will still be without James Wiseman (wrist) and Kevon Looney (ankle) as they start this week with a matchup against the Cavaliers. Draymond Green ($6,700; knee) is probable while dealing with knee soreness, but the veteran may not be able to carry the load as he has been in the frontcourt. If he is limited, Paschall could get extra work if he’s ready to pick up his full workload after dealing with his own knee injury.
Paschall looked sharp on Saturday night, hitting 7-of-10 shots for 16 points and 20 DKFP in 17 minutes. His production has been up-and-down since returning but he had 27 DKFP against the Spurs three games ago sandwiched around a disappointing 5.25 DKFP effort against the Magic. Paschall has very nice upside if he gets extra work in Green’s spot in a favorable matchup against the Cavs.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Excellent 8’s [100K to 1st]
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