The NBA schedule makers provided a nice small four-game slate for Monday night presumably so that everyone can focus on filling out their March Madness brackets instead of NBA DFS research. That was sure nice of them! As such the sample lineup below came together pretty easily. However, as usual, you’ll need to pay attention to the injury updates leading up to tipoff, assuming you can find the time to stop searching for this year’s Cinderella in your March Madness bracket.

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Point Guard

Chris Paul (HOU): $8,300 vs SA
There aren’t many good matchups for PGs on Monday’s short slate if you look at the season-long numbers, but the Spurs have been vulnerable over the last 15 days giving up the fourth-most FanDuel points to the position. Chris Paul has had one dynamite game against the Spurs (65.8 FD points) and one dud (18.4 FD points) this season, so at least we know the likely best and worst-case scenario for Monday. I’m willing to split the difference for a 42.1 FD point night which falls right in line with his season average.

Eric Bledsoe (MIL): $7,500 @ MEM
You’ll notice a trio of Bucks on Monday’s lineup as they get to take on the injury-riddled, tanking Memphis Grizzlies. As a result, the Grizzlies haven’t won since January and have the ninth-worst defensive efficiency over their last eight games. Bledsoe gets a fantasy boost in his individual matchup as the Grizzlies have allowed the third-most FD point to opposing PGs over the last 15 days.

Shooting Guard

Khris Middleton (MIL): $7,000 @ MEM
The next of the “Big 3” in Milwaukee to make the lineup is Khris Middleton. After a couple of poor shooting nights last week, Middleton has regained his shooting stroke in his last two outings hitting 17 of 29 shots (58.6%) including five three-pointers. The Grizzlies have allowed top-seven production to opposing SGs over the last 30 days.

Ben McLemore (MEM): $5,000 vs MIL
Other than a late-scratch on March 5 that frustrated DFS players, including yours truly, Ben McLemore has been consistently good over his last five games played. He has tallied at least 31 FD points in four of those games with the only failure coming against the strong defense of the Jazz. While the Bucks defense has improved since the coaching change, they have still allowed the ninth-most FD points to opposing SGs over the last 15 days. McLemore’s salary remains very reasonable for a player getting around 35 minutes most nights for the short-handed Grizzlies.

Small Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): $11,900 @ MEM
Giannis Antetokounmpo completes the Bucks “BAM” (Bledsoe, Antetokounmpo, Middleton) trio and is close to a must-start on the short slate with the lack of quality options at the SF position. With Paul George as the only other SF with a salary over $6,000, the Greek Freak towers above the competition at the position. He has reached 50+ FD points in four of his last five games and should log big minutes as the Bucks fight for the playoffs and are clear of any back-to-back sets. Punting with cheap options at both SF spots is a risky move that I don’t advise on this slate.

Corey Brewer (OKC): $3,800 vs SAC
So, if we are going to the top end of the position with our first selection, then we might as well go almost to the bottom for our second SF. I do like Rudy Gay ($4,400) in this spot but roster construction didn’t allow me to “pay up” for him. That leaves us with Corey Brewer who has taken over the SG spot for the Thunder playing 27 and 29 minutes in the last two games, respectively. He had generated most of his fantasy production from scoring so far with the Thunder but is capable of contributing more on the defensive end in steals and rebounds. He may need to contribute on the boards more on Monday if Steven Adams sits out.

Power Forward

Kelly Olynyk (MIA): $5,100 @ POR
With Hassan Whiteside expected to miss another game on Monday, the PF position is all about the Heat. The trio of Kelly Olynyk, James Johnson, and Bam Adebayo all benefit with increased minutes and fantasy production against the Blazers with Whiteside out. In Saturday’s game without Whiteside, Olynyk put up 13 points and 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes during a lopsided victory over the Wizards. His minutes could rise even higher in a more competitive game against the Trail Blazers on Monday. In 20 games played without Whiteside this season, Olynyk has averaged 27 minutes a game with 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds a night.

Bam Adebayo (MIA): $3,500 @ POR
Bam Adebayo’s stat line doesn’t look too impressive from Saturday’s game without Whiteside as he played only 17 minutes with six points and eight rebounds. However, with the game’s outcome decided early, Adebayo gave up some garbage time minutes to Jordan Mickey. Look for Adebayo’s minutes to move into the 20s on Monday in a matchup with Jusuf Nurkic and the Blazers. Adebayo has averaged over 24 minutes per game in 18 outings without Whiteside on the court this season. Oh, and did I mention he is at the bare minimum salary. Giddy up!

Center

Marc Gasol (MEM): $7,800 vs MIL
The center position is very weak on Monday’s small four-game slate. Marc Gasol was held out due to tanking rest on Saturday, so he should return to the lineup on Monday in a plus matchup against the Bucks who have given up the third-most FD points per game to opposing big men. With the short-handed Grizzlies roster void of any stars other than Gasol, he should see a ton of the offense flow through him which gives him a solid floor and some upside which is hard to find on Monday’s slate. The other consideration at center is to pay down with Kosta Koufos if players like Zach Randolph and/or Skal Labissiere are ruled out.

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Brad Richter is a correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay and GoingFor2. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.