Here are some plays that jump out on DraftKings at each position for Monday’s main NBA slate, along with some strategy unique to this slate.
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Point Guard
Worth Paying Up For: John Wall, Chicago Bulls at Houston Rockets vs. Chicago Bulls ($8,000)
Wall went off for 52.75 DKFP in a revenge spot in Washington last Monday, with Houston very shorthanded. He then followed it up with a 45.75 DKFP performance against Philly. Christian Wood remains sidelined, and Victor Oladipo and DeMarcus Cousins have also been ruled out, setting up another high usage role in a terrific matchup against the Bulls.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns ($3,700)
Simons is coming off a pair of poor games, but we know he carries 20-25 DKFP upside when Portland is shorthanded. He isn’t trigger shy but went just 2-of-10 from the field in his last game. Once he finds his stroke, a bounce-back game is in order for Simons at a very affordable price tag. The PG/SF plays are stronger on this slate (both written up at SF), but this is a GPP consideration.
Shooting Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls at Houston Rockets ($9,500)
LaVine’s been an absolute scoring machine recently, averaging over 35 points in his past eight outings, and topping 30 in seven on them. Houston’s allowed the second-most DKFP to opposing SGs, and LaVine torched the Rockets for 54 DKFP when they met earlier this season.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Washington Wizards ($3,900)
Dennis Schroder’s absence coming while Anthony Davis is sidelined opens up both a large scoring need and some backcourt minutes. KCP’s already a starter, but he also has to contribute more consistently on offense right now. KCP played 35 minutes on Saturday, finishing with 25.25 DKFP against Miami. He has the upside to get more than five shots up against this Washington defense, as he was an efficient 3-of-5 on Saturday.
Small Forward
Worth Paying Up For: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Washington Wizards ($10,400)
The Lakers are limping around right now without their second- and third-best players, and we’re due for a LeBron night to get the ship back on track. LeBron has been atrocious from downtown recently, but the Wizards defense is one he should be able to pick apart and get to the rim for better results. Triple-double upside and a strong showing in a high-scoring game should be on the way here.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Justise Winslow, Memphis Grizzlies at Dallas Mavericks ($3,600)
Winslow made his season debut on Saturday, but his numbers might be a little fluky due to the wire-to-wire blowout loss to the Suns. He still played an encouraging 21 minutes, finishing with nine points and seven boards, good for 19.25 DKFP. The bad news is that he shot just 3-of-14 from the field, but we can chalk that up to rust. If he sees a few more minutes and shoots more efficiently, we’ve got a high upside game on the way sometime soon. A struggling Mavericks defense could make for that spot.
Power Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Gordon Hayward, Charlotte Hornets at Utah Jazz ($7,100)
The PF position is probably the weakest on this slate, and you’ll probably wind up punting for value. But Hayward makes for a decent tournament play, looking for some revenge back in Utah. Hayward hasn’t been anything special over his past four but also drops $900 over his past five outings. We saw him go for a 25-10-5 line against the Jazz earlier this month, scoring 49 DKFP in a blowout loss at home. The upside is there, and Hayward should remain highly motivated in this spot.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Royce O’Neale Utah Jazz vs. Charlotte Hornets ($4,500)
O’Neale is just one of those spots to pay down for guaranteed minutes. If there were higher upside plays at the position, we’d take them, but O’Neale hasn’t played fewer than 32 minutes in any of his past nine games. He’s gone more than 5X value in three of his past four, so maybe we just ride some momentum and hope he can get something done with all the minutes.
Center
Worth Paying Up For: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz vs. Charlotte Hornets ($7,400)
Gobert seems to have made some nice offensive strides this season, and it can pay off in the right matchups. He’s slightly underpriced, averaging 41.1 DKFP in home games this season. The Hornets rank just 20th in DKFP allowed to opposing centers, and we saw Gobert at an insane level of efficiency when these two met in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. Rudy found his way to 38.75 DKFP in just 27 minutes, attempting just four field goals the entire game. If he plays 30-plus minutes in this one and is a little more aggressive looking for his shot, this could be a very high upside matchup.
Best Bang For Your Buck: P.J. Tucker, Houston Rockets vs. Chicago Bulls ($3,500)
There’s only so much size Houston can roll out there with Wood and Cousins sidelined. Tucker gets us cheap exposure to 35-plus minutes and hopefully gets some corner 3s to drop to give us some good value. It’s tough to see Tucker’s floor putting us in any position to bust a lineup.
Overall Lineup Strategy
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