We have a busy eight-game slate this Monday, so there’s plenty of DFS value to be mined. From guys you almost must target to potential punt plays, we’re here to break down the biggest values. In this column, I’m talking primarily about players with salaries around $6,000 or cheaper. Let’s start with a quick look at Vegas’ expectations for today’s slate.
Matchup | Over/Under | Spread |
Hawks at Sixers | 229.5 | Sixers -8.5 |
Bucks at Wizards | 241.5 | Bucks -12.5 |
Heat at Cavs | 222.5 | Heat -6 |
Magic at Nets | 212.5 | Nets -3.5 |
Knicks at Rockets | 229.5 | Rockets -14.0 |
Wolves at Mavs | 237.5 | Mavs -13.5 |
Suns at Jazz | 223.5 | Jazz -8.0 |
Grizzlies at Clippers | 233.5 | Clippers -9.5 |
Remember that injuries and lineups are subject to change at any moment! For the very latest news, stay tuned to Rotoworld’s injury report and player news pages!
Point Guard
Goran Dragic (Yahoo – $20 FanDuel – $5,500 DraftKings – $6,000)
The price is right for Dragic tonight, for a few reasons. First, he gets a very nice matchup vs. the Cavs, who are giving up the most value of any team to point guards. Second, the Heat will be playing without Jimmy Butler again tonight, as he deals with a personal issue. Dragic didn’t have a huge game vs. Cleveland on Saturday (16 points, four boards, four assists, one steal, one block) but he also played a modest 25 minutes in a blowout. Assuming his minutes are closer to the 30-34 range, he looks like an easy value across all DFS sites. Kendrick Nunn qualifies at PG, too, and is appealing for the same reasons I discussed about Dragic.
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Shooting Guard
Alec Burks (Yahoo – $10 FanDuel – $4,000 DraftKings – $4,900)
Burks’ price went up by $900 on DraftKings, but stayed put elsewhere – and even on DK I’ll have a hard time avoiding him tonight. Teammate injuries are the key here, with Ben Simmons (lower back) ruled out for Monday’s game and Tobias Harris (bruised right knee) listed as doubtful. This would be Harris’ first DNP of the season, and it’s possible Philly starts Mike Scott or Furkan Korkmaz, but either way there should be extra minutes and touches for Burks. There’s a similar boost for Josh Richardson, whose own DFS prices aren’t much higher than Burks, and both guys are in play as cheap SGs in a high-scoring matchup vs. the Hawks. I’m not opposed to Korkmaz either, and will likely have at least one player from the Heat and Sixers in all of my lineups tonight.
Small Forward
Josh Jackson (Yahoo – $10 FanDuel – $3,500 DraftKings – $3,300)
With the exception of a $300 bump in DraftKings, Jackson remains as cheap as they get in DFS. He’s up against a tough Clippers defense, and my hope is that the matchup scares away some owners to keep his ownership rates in check. Based on simple opportunity, Jackson is in a nice spot – he’s hit at least 22.6 DFS points in two straight games and will continue to get more minutes with Jaren Jackson Jr. on the shelf with a sprained left knee. Continuing a theme where a key injury opens up bigger roles for multiple players, I should mention that Brandon Clarke also gets a nice boost tonight.
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Power Forward
Naz Reid (Yahoo – $15 FanDuel – $5,000 DraftKings – $5,800)
The Mavericks have been relatively lenient for big men lately, which takes the sting out of this matchup for Reid. His price has quickly spiked, but DraftKings is the only big site with a price that makes me hesitate. Otherwise, I’m happy to run Reid out there as a default starter with the potential to play 30+ minutes – he just needs to stay out of foul trouble, which he failed to do vs. Denver on Sunday. It’s the per-minute fantasy production that’s sold me here, as Reid is averaging an elite 1.31 DFS points per minute over his past six games.
Center
Gorgui Dieng (Yahoo – $11 FanDuel – $3,600 DraftKings – $3,400)
If you need a true punt-center option tonight, take a long look at Dieng. He played 20 minutes on Friday vs. the Lakers, putting up 32.0 DFS points, and should have at least that size role tonight with JJJ unavailable. The Grizzlies’ frontcourt isn’t super deep and they don’t like to play Jonas Valanciunas big minutes anyway, so the stage is set for Dieng to contribute at both PF and C. In most leagues I’ll be paying up to get Joel Embiid, using the other players mentioned above to afford him, but there could be an occasion to go cheap with Dieng.
